A last-minute change of opponent failed to deter Chris Matthews.

He bounced back from a first professional defeat last time out with a 40-37 points win over Cheshire's Michael Horabin at the Young Guns boxing show at Maidstone Leisure Centre.

Horabin was a late replacement for Hungary's Tamas Laska and the Matthews team didn’t know anything about it until they turned up.

Dad Ray said: “Nobody told us, we didn’t even know this new boxer’s name. We had trained for the other fighter and so it was pot-luck, but that didn’t bother Chris.

“He doesn’t worry about who he is facing, he just gets on with it."

Matthews controversially lost to Jules Phillips last time out, in a six-round contest where his dad felt he should have paced the fight better.

He boxed clever this time around, even after Horabin wobbled in the second.

“He didn’t go mad and he just carried on boxing,” said Matthews snr.

“It was a good fight against an opponent who was a good amateur.

“Chris is a fit lad but I think he was trying too much (against Phillips), loading up on every shot and looking for the knockout, but you don’t always have to go for it.”

The win was Matthews' ninth in his 10th professional fight and he will now hope to get a rematch against Phillips when professional boxing returns to Mote Park at the start of July.

Victory there will get him back on track towards a title fight before the end of the year.

Also a winner on the night was Lenny Fuller, who lived up to his moniker of ‘The Main Man’ with a perfect debut, scoring a knockdown and winning all four rounds against Hyde’s Dale Arrowsmith (1-15-1).

Fuller, a traveller from Chart Sutton and unlicensed champion, was roared on by huge numbers in the crowd and chose to stand between rounds. He took the contest 40-35.

David Matthews, Chris' brother, was supposed to be making his debut on the bill but his opponent pulled out through injury. He is likely to now wait until July before showing what he can do.