Lerrone Richards’ recent Matchroom bow was a successful one as the London super middleweight dominated Finland’s Timo Laine for eight one-sided rounds.

As well as having his maiden fight under the banner of Eddie Hearn’s promotional group, Richards was also competing with Dave Coldwell in his corner for the first time. The Rotherham based coach with a wealth of high-level experience was impressed with his latest charge. 

“Lerrone is such a skilled fighter so it was no surprise to see him win the way he did,” said Coldwell in the fight’s aftermath.

“It would’ve been good to force the stoppage later on, but Laine’s priority was to survive until the final bell and that meant that Lerrone had to move away from his natural style where he can punish fighters for their mistakes when they come forward. When he steps up and opponents show more ambition, I believe you’ll see even more from Lerrone.” 

Coldwell added, “It was great for Lerrone to get some massive exposure on Sky Sports and I’m hopeful that this fight is a platform for bigger opportunities. He’s got a brilliant team behind him who all want the best for him and 2021 can be the year when he really takes off. The 12st division in Britain is stacked with great fighters and I think Lerrone is right amongst the mix. I’m confident that he can be in a great position 12 months from now.”