BARRY McGuigan hailed as "spectacular" Chris Billam-Smith's explosive entrance to the professional arena.

Bournemouth's Billam-Smith marked his first fight in the paid ranks with a ruthless display, stopping Russ Henshaw inside the first round at the O2 Academy on Saturday.

Cruiserweight Billam-Smith recently linked up with Cyclone Promotions founder McGuigan, who famously won the world featherweight title in 1985.

And after watching Billam-Smith dismantle Ilkeston puncher Russ Henshaw in Steve Bendall and Errol Johnson's Hometown Glory bill, McGuigan tipped him for a big future.

“Chris looked spectacular in there against Russ Henshaw," said the 56-year-old Irishman.

"It will have done him the world of good to make such a flawless start to his professional journey in front of his hometown fans.

"This boy is only going to get better and I can’t wait to see just how far he can go,” added McGuigan, who has tipped Billam-Smith for British and European title glory.

Henshaw, who went the distance with Matchroom starlet Isaac Chamberlain and also shared the ring with former Olympian Lawrenc Okolie, was expected to be a tough first contender for Billam-Smith.

Backed by a partisan home crowd, he looked composed as he entered the ring with trainer Shane McGuigan and proceeded to box like a seasoned pro.

A slick operator as an amateur, he did superbly to work off his jab during the opening stages and was not afraid to box off the back foot.

He threw a flurry of leading left hooks and eventually knocked down his opponent, only for Henshaw to survive the 10-count.

However, Billam-Smith scented blood and carried on with a brutal onslaught of body shots and vicious uppercut, which led to the contest being stopped towards the end of the first round.

Twice a finalist in the England Boxing Elite National Championship, Billam-Smith will now turn his attention to fighting at least three times before the end of the year, with his next outing expected to be as soon as next month.

Billam-Smith, a keen Cherries supporter, said: “It felt great to make my debut in my hometown of Bournemouth.

"The atmosphere was incredible and I’m thankful to everyone who bought tickets.

"I was happy with the first-round stoppage, but am looking to get straight back in the gym. I am delighted, but now it is on to the next one.”

Assassin Boxing-managed Jake Best returned to the O2 after his previous outing had ended in disappointing fashion.

And it was much the same for Bournemouth-based Best as the light-middleweight, who had planned on fighting in Dublin next month, fell to a narrow defeat at the hands of awkward opponent Paul Cummings.

Meanwhile, Sam Jones registered a comfortable 60-55 points decision over Michael Mooney to see him move to five wins in the paid ranks.

His trainer Ty Browne said: "Sam showed a really good temperament. He settled down, took his time and was patient.

"We were delighted with the win and hope to continue to improve. He has been a pro for a year now and we are seeing clear improvements.

"Hopefully, in a year's time, we will be challenging for titles."

Bendall-trained Joe Hayes recovered from a bad cut over his eye to get an impressive win over MJ Hall, with the popular light-middleweight dismantling his opponent in style.

Matty Legg, who is also trained by Bendall, will challenge for the Southern Area title on October 7.