Scotstoun boxer Ahmed Ibrahim looked impressive as he cruised to a one-sided points victory against Castlemilk fighter Gary McGuire at the Crowne Plaza Hotel on Friday night.

His first outing since October 6 last year, Ibrahim looked sharp from the off, cutting down the ring to sting McGuire with vicious body shots in the opening rounds.

Ibrahim took the first three rounds with ease before his opponent rallied to take the fourth through sheer work rate and punch volume alone but Ibrahim stepped it up in the final nine minutes to secure the remaining rounds and ease to an impressive 59-55 win to start the year.

It seemed ‘The Black Assassin’ was leaving something in the tank throughout and it became clear why after the bout as he announced he will be fighting for the vacant Celtic Lightweight title in March.

Ibrahim was set to fight for the Celtic belt back in October against Irvine boxer Ryan Collins but a number of weight issues scuppered that chance at the last minute.

However, the 27-year-old is adamant there will be no issues this time around and is confident that, with a full camp under his belt after the McGuire fight, he will bring the belt back to Scotland.

He said: “I’m delighted with the McGuire win. It was a good fight to keep me ticking over. All I wanted to do was get in there, get the job done and get out so I’m happy with that.

“It was good to come through it comfortably and unscathed before going on to bigger and better things this year.

“I’ve got a big fight coming up soon so it was just a case of getting this out of the way, getting back to training and looking ahead to get ready for the next one.

“I’m absolutely buzzing to get another chance at the Celtic Lightweight title. I’m so excited for that. It’s up against a tough fighter down in Wales so it’s going to be a hard one for me. It’ll be a big test for me but I know I’m ready for it.”

His opponent for that Celtic title in March is unbeaten Wales fighter Gavin Gwynne who boasts a record of 10 wins from 10 professional bouts.

With the likes of Ohara Davies and Cori Gibbs on his record already, it is clear that Ibrahim isn’t one to shirk a fight.

And that is even more evident when you consider that he is travelling down to Wales to take on undefeated Welsh Area Champion Gwynne for the Celtic belt.

“Fighting down in Wales shows I’ll take any fight that comes,” Ibrahim said. “That’s why I’m in this game. That will get me further in the sport too. I’ve shown that I’ll fight anyone before and I’ll continue to take any big fight in the future.

“Gavin Gwynne is a tough fighter. He’s the Welsh lightweight champion and undefeated so it won’t be easy.

“I fought on Friday but I’m back in training for it already. I’ve been working hard and I’ll step it up before the fight.

“There was a lot of talk about my weight after my last fight but I made weight comfortably at the weekend and I will again in March. I just laugh it all off. I’ll keep working hard, keep pushing on and I’ll let my boxing do the talking.”