PROFESSIONAL boxer Jon Honney believes he gave his best performance yet when he went the distance with a British champion on Saturday night.

The 28-year-old Basingstoke fighter accepted the match only days before the promotion at the Mountbatten Centre in Portsmouth and he lost narrowly on points to reigning British lightweight champion Graham Earl.

The battle scars of the encounter were plain to see the following day with four stitches above his eye and one on his forehead - both cuts sustained from a clash of heads during the contest.

It was only last Wednesday that the local pro from Oakridge received a call asking him to switch opponents and move up from a six-round fight to an eight-round contest instead.

It was a title defence warm-up for the Luton-based British champion, who boasts a perfect record of 19 wins.

Honney's gritty performance, facing an opponent he considered to be the best boxer he has so far come up against, will have enhanced his growing reputation.

Saturday's contest also meant a change of styles as Honney had been training to fight a southpaw boxer Silence Saheed.

The Basingstoke boxer put down his 77-75 defeat on points to not being able to see in the sixth and seventh rounds because of the blood flowing from the cut above his eye which happened in round four.

He said: "It was a very close contest but I knew I had lost in the two rounds when I couldn't see. In the final round my eye stopped bleeding and I gave it my best shot to knock him down. I rocked him but that was as close as I got."

Honney added: "I am pleased with my performance considering the short notice of the fight."

Despite losing, it should still move Honney up the British rankings, where he is presently 18th, to just outside the top 10.

"My record is now six wins and 10 losses. It is okay losing to the top fighters, but I would like to start winning now to equal up the losses in my record."

Honney will now have a few weeks off and at the moment is hoping for a shot at the English lightweight title, which is currently held by Daniel Hunt, by the end of the year.