Former professional footballer David Bridges loved every second of his first fight - but he admits he will have to get permission from his wife to step into the ring again!

The Hunts Post: St Ives Boxing Academy,St Ives Boxing Academy, (Image: Archant)

The ex-Cambridge United and Stevenage footballer, from Alconbury, was beaten on a unanimous judges’ decision on the St Ives Boxing Academy show at the Corn Exchange in the town last Friday night.

Bridges (33) found himself on the canvas during the second of three rounds in his light middleweight scrap against Anthony McKen of Redbridge ABC, but he battled through to the final bell.

Bridges said: “It was a brilliant experience and just a shame I got a bit over-matched.

“I think that would have been a tough fight for someone with a lot more experience than me, and I feel I came out of it with plenty of credit.

“I wanted to prove to myself that I could go way out of my comfort zone and I did that. It turned out to be a huge challenge and I was very pleased with the way I reacted.

“This was all about that fight on that night, but we’ll see what the future holds.

“The gym is full of incredible people who I now class as mates, so I will definitely still be going along there, but I will have to talk it through with the other half before I say whether or not I’m going to fight again.”

Bridges came under attack in the opening round, but he was on top until being floored by a right-hand in the second round.

Bridges battled on and impressed in the final round when absorbing plenty of punches before throwing back combinations of his own.

St Ives Boxing Academy coach Steve Whitwell said: “David repaid my faith in putting him into a bout with less experience than I would ordinarily like a fighter to have.

“He showed a lot of heart and gave a few glimpses of what could turn into a good boxing head on his shoulders. He should be very proud of his performance against an opponent who I suspect has been boxing a lot longer than I was led to believe.”