Kean hails opponent – but vows to bounce back stronger

Dundee fighter Paul Kean Jr praised rising star Hamzah Sheeraz after losing to the WBO European super-welterweight champion.

The southpaw suffered the first stoppage of his career when he was pulled out of the closed-door bout – shown live from BT Sport’s London studios – by his corner at the end of round six.

Kean, now 12-2-0, was knocked down in round one by Sheeraz, 21, who dominated the scrap from the first bell.

The 27-year-old was gracious in defeat and vowed to bounce back later this year.

He wrote on Facebook: “Very tough night, Sheeraz is a top quality operator and I wish him all the best in the future, he’s definitely going on to big things.

“Couldn’t recover after the knockdown in the first. I’ll be back come the end of the year to rebuild.

“Dared to be great, didn’t pay off but we’ll go again. Thanks everyone for the support, not the outcome we wanted but we’ll go again.

“Big thanks to my team who have done everything for me the last few weeks, you know who you are, it’s been a long camp.

“Time for a much-needed rest with the wife and kids.”

In the aftermath, Sheeraz was compared to Mexican superstar Saul ‘Canelo’ Alvarez by former world cruiserweight and heavyweight king David Haye.

Discussing the Londoner’s potential, Haye said: “There isn’t anything he can’t do. Occasionally a young fighter comes along, like a Canelo Alvarez, and they’re just different.

“They have patience, calmness and balance. That’s about as punch-perfect as you can get from a ten-fight novice.”

Dundee fighter Paul Kean Jr.