Kash Farooq successfully defended his British bantamweight title for the second time last Thursday with a convincing fifth round knockout win over previously undefeated English champion Kyle Williams.

The Knightswood boxer told Post Sport last week that he was out to prove he was the ‘real deal’ and did exactly that, wowing the crowd at the Radisson Blu in Glasgow, as well as a live TV audience on BBC Scotland, with an impressive display of power and defence to retain his Lonsdale belt.

Unlike his first defence against Iain Butcher at the Emirates Arena in November which went the championship distance of 12 rounds, Farooq faced an opponent in former kick-boxing world champion Williams who looked to get himself on the front foot from the off, with his awkward style and Farooq’s aggression making for a less cagey affair.

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Farooq’s superior movement and footwork caught the eye from the first bell as he made the Wolverhampton man look clumsy at times, landing solid body shots at will.

The 23-year-old’s power is well-known after his destructive 73-second knock-out of Jamie Wilson to win the then-vacant British crown last year and it was clearly evident once again in round two with a vicious overhand right finding its target to send Williams crashing to the canvas in the final seconds of the second round with the bell coming to Williams’ rescue.

Clydebank Post: Farooq took his professional record to 12 wins from 12 with an impressive fifth round stoppage of English champ Kyle Williams (Photo: Allan Picken)Farooq took his professional record to 12 wins from 12 with an impressive fifth round stoppage of English champ Kyle Williams (Photo: Allan Picken)

Round three and Farooq picked up where he left off in the second, picking shots with ease and frustrating Williams with supreme head movement rendering the Englishman’s wild swings useless.

Williams’ volume of punches meant the odd one did find its way through Farooq’s slick defence, but any effort was met with two or three quick counters from the champion as his jab began to warm up.

With 10 wins from 10 professional outings, many expected Williams to make it to the latter rounds but it came to an abrupt end in an action-packed fifth round.

Farooq picked up himself up from the floor after a slip and a scuffle before landing a low-blow that saw the bout postponed for several minutes as Williams took a breather.

The defending champion wasted no time after that break in action, however, finding the target with a devastating right over the top to send Williams crashing heavily to the canvas again. 

Referee John Latham generously gave the Englishman the chance to beat the count before waving it off with the 27-year-old requiring assistance from the ringside doctor.

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In a statement after the fight, Farooq said: “Thank you to everyone who came out to support me. I hope you enjoyed the fight. Full credit to a worthy and game opponent in Kyle Williams.”

While one more successful defence of the British crown would see Farooq win the prestigious Lonsdale belt outright, all talk immediately turned to a much-hyped clash with Commonwealth champion Lee McGregor.

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The Edinburgh bantamweight took to social media after the bout, tweeting: “I’m willing to fight Kash in my next fight.”