FORMER Wimmera boxer Mitchell Clark got his professional boxing career off to a dream start on Friday with a win against opponent Bentley Shefford in Melbourne.
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The pair was scheduled to fight four three-minute rounds, but Clark needed less than half that time to emerge victorious.
He was awarded the win when the referee stopped the fight in the second round.
He backed Shefford into a corner and hit him repeatedly, forcing the referee to end the bout.
Clark said it was a thrilling experience.
“It was a fantastic feeling to win,” he said.
“All my hard work paid off and I couldn’t get the smile off my face.”
Clark has trained full-time under Bacchus Marsh man Danny Kay since January in preparation for his first professional fight.
He had a successful amateur career, which began in the Wimmera under Coleraine trainer Ray ‘Mocka’ McIntosh.
Clark now lives in Geelong.
“All my hard work paid off and I couldn’t get the smile off my face.”
- Mitchell Clark
The fight at Shoppingtown Hotel in Doncaster was in support of the World Boxing Council world youth super middleweight title fight between Australia’s Zac Dunn and Korean challenger Kyung-Suk Kwak.
Dunn was originally scheduled to fight Russian Andrey Kalyuzhnyy, but his opponent was changed.
Dunn successfully defended his title and also claimed the vacant WBC Asia Council continental super middleweight title.
Clark, who flew to New Zealand for a holiday after his bout, said he was eager for his next opportunity.
“I’m not sure yet what comes next,” he said.
“I’ll just get back into training and see what happens.”
