Gibraltarian boxer Tyrone Buttigieg won his sixth professional contest on Saturday night at an open air show at the Holiday World Resort in Benalmádena The event was solely for professional contests — there were no amateur bouts on this occasion.

Tyrone said he was pleased to see around 80 supporters from Gibraltar (including Government Minister Nigel Feetham) considering he only had two weeks to sell tickets.

Tyrone spoke about his opponent: “My opponent who was a familiar face (Joel Sanchez) who I had encountered on my pro debut. He came in as late replacement for my original opponent from Venezuela (Ernesto Martinez), who was highly ranked with a good winning record. But due to the latests developments in Venezuela this past week, my original opponent, Martinez, was unable to catch his flight out to Spain on Wednesday. It was definitely frustrating, but something that was out of our control."

Tyrone continued: “Having already fought Joel Sanchez in my debut, I knew what I was up against and considering I'm more experienced now, I was quite confident I could get him out of there inside the limit. Precisely that is what happened.

“I had bit of a slow start to find my timing and distance, and by the 2nd round I was starting to land some heavy shots. 

“On the 3rd round he had taken an accumulation of heavy punches, and one body shot made him take a knee as he was hurt. His corner threw in the towel as they had seen enough, giving me a TKO victory.”

Tyrone says it's now time to have a "rest and recharge”, before starting preparations for his next bout in November were he will be looking to box an opponent who is well ranked and with a winning record, to help him “continue climb the ladder.”

 Photos by Neil Wilson