Tom Ansell has his sights firmly set on gold after making a big impression after finally climbing back into a boxing ring.

The Hitchin-born, former Letchworth Rugby Club player, had his 10th fight as a professional exactly 23 months after his last one.

And there wasn't any time to see if there was ring rust, as welterweight Ansell beat Plymouth's Darren Townley in just two minutes 29 seconds of the first round, the referee stopping the fight.

The Comet: Tom Ansell celebrates his first-round win over Darren Townley.Tom Ansell celebrates his first-round win over Darren Townley. (Image: Andy @pugshoot)

And the next time he steps through the ropes could be for a title.

He said: "This was my first step up, he was 10 wins and three losses before, so ideally I would have wanted this for a title but it came sooner because of everything that has been going on.

"I’m very happy though. This is my first first-round win so I'm buzzing. It was brilliant to show everyone what I could do, especially with the bigger test.

"The referee should have probably stopped it about 30 seconds earlier because he didn’t throw a punch and I was landing clean.

"I’m 28 now so I need to start kicking on a little bit.

"The title we’re going to go for is the Southern Area because a lot of the other titles are locked up with mandatory challengers.

"So many people couldn’t fight because of COVID so the ones that were mandatory before are still ahead in the pecking order."

The Comet: Tom Ansell on his way to a first-round victory against Darren Townley.Tom Ansell on his way to a first-round victory against Darren Townley. (Image: Andy @pugshoot)

With the title being defended in December, Ansell knows any shot will come in the new year but he has one eye on fighting before then if possible.

He said: "I would probably want to fight before Christmas but I’m carrying a little injury at the moment so it depends on the recovery time.

"If it is only a few days, I might look to fight before Christmas but it’s not actually that long to go so we’ll wait and see."

The Comet: Tom Ansell (right) on his way to a first-round victory against Darren Townley.Tom Ansell (right) on his way to a first-round victory against Darren Townley. (Image: Andy @pugshoot)

But niggling injuries aside, Ansell is in tip-top condition and ready for anything 2022 throws at him.

"I’ve been training pretty much non-stop through the lockdowns so I went in quite fresh," he said.

"Where the gyms were shut, professionals were allowed in so that kept me sane.

"It kept me working hard, playing with new diets to see how low I can get on the weight and also building up all the other stuff I needed to with my coach.

"In a way it was a blessing in disguise."

Tom Ansell is proudly sponsored by: Light Corporation, Chicken George, Steve Wick, Ryan Webb, Richard Stokes, Jack Nicholas Group, Options Kitchens ltd, Top Guard UK, Redlift Hire, BD Electrical Ltd, Loose Goose Clothing, Phil Parker Physio and more.