Mat Butler was expecting to fight a nobody last weekend – but ended up beating a former world champion.

Bulgarian opponent Yosif Panov is a former ABA world junior champion but was no match for Sheppey’s 34-year-old super welterweight.

Butler made it three wins from three in the pro ranks after beating Panov on points at the Camden Centre on Saturday night.

He said: “We knew the guy had a good amateur record but when we checked him out on YouTube, we found out he had been a world ABA champion!

“I thought, ‘this is going to be tough’ but there was no way I was going to pull out.”

Butler’s win followed previous points victories over Ali Wyatt and Danny Donchev.

He said: “My trainer, Ian Fleckney, told me to get in close, at short distance and work him on the inside.

“I caught a few and he can punch – I learned a lot from that. The tactics worked out well and my aggression, the way I was pushing him back with bigger shots that were catching him, got me the win.”