Islington welterweight Michael ‘Mustard Mike’ Peart is itching to get back in the ring following his successful professional debut at York Hall last weekend.

Peart, who is employed by Arriva as a bus driver, has finally joined the paid ranks at the age of 27 after recording eight wins out of eight as an unlicensed fighter.

And the southpaw is keen to build on his winning start, having seen off Zoran Cvek with a straightforward points victory on Saturday’s show, promoted by his manager Steve Goodwin.

“I considered going pro during the last year and I was supposed to fight in March, but there were a few issues with my licence and I had to wait until Saturday,” Peart told the Gazette.

“The unlicensed fights really helped me to get prepared. I’ve fought at the Circus Tavern, where the crowd were pretty wild, but you can’t beat the York Hall atmosphere.

“I went down there to watch some fights beforehand, just to get an idea of what it’d be like, and the whole experience just made me want more, and want to continue what I’m supposed to be doing.

“The important thing was to get some rounds under my belt and now I’m aiming to fight again in September.

“Arriva have given me time off to train – they’ve been very considerate and I’m thankful for that. I’d also like to thank London Diamond Drilling, Motoden and Sphinks Tattoos for their help with sponsorship.”

Peart, who is trained by Rod Julian and Micky Cunningham, won all four rounds against Cvek to take a 40-36 decision on points.