"I'm so happy to be back to winning ways after 14 months out," says Pawel August, who overcame rugged challenger Ibragim Tsurov in Bristol on Saturday night.

August was awarded a wide points victory on all three of the judges' scorecards after six tough rounds, improving his record to a perfect 14-0. But the 26-year-old did not have everything his own way.

"He was strong, and he did manage to push me back a few times, I felt his power. We knew he had power as he knocked out his last three opponents.

“I was maybe too eager to impress and rushed things to begin with. I lost the second, they gave it to him. He pushed me back and got me with a few better shots - that was his main moment in the fight.

"But I was on the front foot more than he was. I set a strong pace and the body shots I was landing really took the steam out of him.”

August’s work on the inside slowed down his spirited challenger, and though Tsurov tried to trade with August in the closing seconds of each round, his success began to dry up under the Somerset star’s pressure.

"Going into the sixth, I knew I had the fight won. The guy came to win, to beat me, to cause an upset and I dealt with him in good fashion, so I'm happy with that for my first fight back."

Issues with August's contract prevented him from boxing for over a year before stepping back into the ring on Saturday. There were times when the 26-year-old wasn't sure when he'd fight again.

During this period of uncertainty he credits his close team for keeping him focused.

"Without my boxing coach Dave Entwistle keeping me motivated, without my strength coach Lukasz Kleban keeping me fit, and without Beverley Hunter helping me with my recovery, it would have been difficult to keep focused - I'd like to thank them."

"Now it feels amazing to be back, doing something I love. This fight lifted me up. It really lifted me up after getting fed up with the problems with my contract.

"It reminded me why I dedicate myself to the sport. The ball is now rolling. This fight was perfect - exactly what I needed. In the near future, I'll be looking for a big, big challenge."

Words by Marc Gatford.