He met Spanish boxer Raul Saiz who came to the bout with a highly commendable record which included seven knock outs to his name and his southpaw stance added an extra problem for any orthodox fighter.

The bout was scheduled or six rounds but was stopped 30 seconds into the seocnd round when Stephen caught Saiz with a cracking right hand which rocked him back into the corner.

Taking the opportunity Stephen unloaded a barrage of punches on the defenceless Spaniard and the referee jumped in to stop the fight.

The fight was televised on Sky Sports and the commentators were very impressed with Stephen’s performance.

Glenn McCrory rated him as a real prospect and as someone who will be able to match any of the top boxers.

He also stated that Stephen’s only defeat - in the King’s Hall, Belfast, last year - was a bad decision and he had no doubt that Stephen had won the fight.

This was Stephen’s first fight in six months but he will be busy over the next few months with his next bout less than a month away and plans are in the pipeline for a show in his home town after the outing in Limerick.