COLIN KENNA is hoping to continue his boxing comeback with a show in front of his home Southampton fans.

The Lordshill heavyweight looked better than ever on Sunday when he took out the disappointment of his first-round defeat by Michael Sprott on Stoke's Darren Ashton.

Ironically the outcome was almost exactly the reverse repeat of that August night in Bethnal Green.

Kenna, above, ended his fight against Ashton eight seconds quicker than he lost to Sprott after just 1 minute 20 seconds of round one.

The 27-year-old also proved he is a quick learner by unleashing a Sprott-like hammer-blow of a left-hook to send Ashton to the canvas and earn his fifth knockout from nine wins in 11 professional fights.

Manager Jack Bishop was delighted with Kenna's performance, particularly as Ashton - a veteran of 73 pro fights - has been the distance with the likes of Clinton Woods and Courtney Fry.

He said: "This is the comeback trail and I have never lost faith in Colin, but most importantly he has never lost faith in himself.

"We will have to build things carefully and this week I will begin negotiating to try and get him a fight back in the Guildhall.

"Eventually we would like to put him back in with Michael Sprott. Having watched the pair in sparring, I am still convinced Colin can beat him.

"He made a mistake in the first fight and paid the price. That's boxing, it's not like other sports when you can recover from a mistake."

Bishop believes Kenna is still developing physically after only turning professional back in 2001.

He said: "When he first came to me he was 18-stone and we have had to take things slowly. We have taken the weight off and gradually replaced it with muscle.

"Colin Kenna is now getting stronger and stronger. He's still only 27 which is only a baby in heavyweight terms and he is still improving technically. He is a dream to work with and the fact that he is still so eager to learn is the reason he will go right to the top."

Also boxing on Sunday's show at the Thistle Hotel in Heathrow was Totton welterweight Danny Cooper.

He boxed his way to a convincing six-round points win against Birmingham's Casey Brooks - and Bishop said Cooper had fought despite an injury to his right hand.

"He kept quite quiet about it and we didn't realise it was so bad, but it is only heavy bruising," explained Bishop.

It was 36-year-old Cooper's third consecutive win since returning to the pro game this year after an absence of more than a decade.

Bishop rates Cooper one of the most technically gifted boxers he has ever seen.

He said: "It was a delight to watch Danny in action. He thrilled the crowd with his skills and won every round.

"He was throwing jabs, hooks and combinations and was only hit with just a handful of punches himself."

He added: "There must have been a few hundred fans from Southampton, which is great on a Sunday afternoon and Danny and Colin both want to say a big thank-you to them. It makes a real difference."