'Onwards and upwards' for defeated Pattinson

The Alnwick fighter lost to American Ardreal Holmes by technical knockout during their World Series of Boxing (WSB) welterweight bout at London's York Hall last night. Pattinson, who has been described on WSB's website after his defeat as 'promising', was stopped in his tracks in the third round of what had, up to then, been a balanced contest. In the end, fellow debutant Holmes' jabs put Pattinson on the canvas.

Writing on his Facebook page, Pattinson, 21, said: "I won the first round by every judge, started to grind him down, but my cut reopened towards the end and threw me off. I rushed the second and got caught. Didn't feel at all out of my depth, but its boxing and I've learned a valuable lesson, first time for everything! Too many to mention that go through the same thing and go on to win Olympic and world titles. Just another bump in the road! Onwards and upwards."

The contest was screened on BoxNation and was Pattinson's first televised fight. Alnwick's Dirty Bottles Taproom and Smokehouse showed the contest live and messages of support and encouragement have poured in for Pattinson. The Birtley ABC boxer said: "I'd just like to say a massive thank you too everybody! The support has been amazing!"

On the night, the British Lionhearts managed to beat the USA Knockouts 4-1, to extend their unbeaten run to four fixtures. They stretched their lead to five points at the top of Group B and qualified for the playoffs in the process. The Lionhearts host the Morocco Atlas Lions in two weeks’ time. The WSB serves as a route to this year's Rio Olympics, with British fighters who represent the Lionhearts eligible for selection for an Olympic qualifying event in May.