Faversham fighter Alex Branson-Cole marks debut bout as professional boxer with win over Fernando Valencia at Maidstone Leisure Centre

Faversham fighter Alex Branson-Cole marked his debut bout as a professional boxer with a victory.

He beat Mexican Fernando Valencia on Saturday on the Boxing Connected show at Maidstone Leisure Centre.

Branson-Cole, who believes he is the first professional boxer out of Faversham in more than 60 years, admitted he had felt nervous prior to the bout and knew he was coming up against a dangerous opponent who had claimed five of his nine wins (9-28) with knock-outs.

But he said: “As soon as the bell rang, the pressure went and I stuck to the game plan, and (the) strict tactics that my coach, Ian Fleckney, had told me - working everything off the jab in the early rounds, then picking more shots as the rounds went on.

“Winning every round, I won the fight 40-36 by a unanimous decision.”

He revealed he sold more than 130 tickets for the fight inside three weeks, saying: “The support was unbelievable. I’m very grateful for that. We made history together!

“Thank you to my family and friends, and a great community for helping me spread the word and sell tickets.”

He also praised promoter Joe Elfidh and sponsors SimCig Ltd, Diamond Carpentry & Building Services, Boosted Game, Hadley Electrical Services and Kent Surfacing Ltd for their support.

Branson-Cole has spoken to historians and believes he is the first pro fighter to come out of the town since Tiggy Burney in 1959 with the last before then, in 1934, being Albert Bone - his own great-grandfather!