Forgotten heavyweight hope Nathan Gorman needed just 81 seconds to sweep past Tomas Salek in Liverpool and the prospect of a return to regular action might just be what Gorman needs to get his career back on track.

It was nearly three years ago that Gorman – who is a cousin of Tyson Fury – was stopped by Daniel Dubois in a British title fight, but it was a loss that Gorman struggled to deal with.

While Dubois is now WBA regular champion (even though he lost to Joe Joyce in the meantime) Gorman had boxed just twice in the two years after and was coming off a 15-month gap as he made his debut since signing for Wasserman.

Salek, from the Czech Republic, was not in his league and had been stopped in three rounds by Kash Ali last year. He went over from the first decent right Gorman threw, which landed near his ear, and was then dropped again by Gorman’s follow-up attack, referee Steve Gray calling it off as he got up on unsteady legs at the count of eight.

“I am my own biggest critic, so I will have to go home and watch it, but I’m very happy,” Gorman said. “I’m glad to be back.”

He won a minor IBF belt, which promoter Kalle Sauerland said would guarantee him a place in the IBF’s top 15 and suggested possible fights with Kash Ali and Fabio Wardley.

“This is the first belt on the way to the big belt,” Sauerland said. “He is 25 years old and from that big fighting family. It is going to be a super ride. He is going to be regularly in the ring.”

Josh Kelly also returned after a long break as the 2016 Olympian had four rounds of target practice before stopping Hungary’s Peter Kramer.

It was Kelly’s first fight since being stopped by David Avanesyan in February last year and he is next due to box in late July, probably in Newcastle.

Mason Cartwright returned to winning ways after pushing Troy Williamson hard in a British super-welterweight title fight in March, as he claimed all eight rounds from referee Gray over Bulgaria’s Angel Emilov.

Heavyweight prospect Matty Harris moved to 3-0 as he knocked out Pawel Strykowki in the second round, the Polish boxer being counted out on his knees by referee John Latham after being dropped by a series of right hands.

Paddy Lacey recorded his sixth win as he stopped the outgunned Ryan Broten in just 43 seconds of the first round.

Tom Farrell also got back to winning ways with a six-rounds points win over Nigeria’s Olaide Fijabi at super-welterweight.

MMA fighter turned reality TV star turned boxer Aaron Chalmers claimed a 39-37 decision over Alexander Zeledon, of Nicaragua, in his professional debut.

Ron Lewis is a senior writer for BoxingScene. He was Boxing Correspondent for The Times, where he worked from 2001-2019 - covering four Olympic Games and numerous world title fights across the globe. He has written about boxing for a wide variety of publications worldwide since the 1980s.