NICK Blackwell showed what sets him apart from other British middleweights with his emphatic stoppage of Damon Jones last night, according to trainer Gary Lockett.

Despite suffering with illness and enduring a difficult time against a tricky opponent at the Derby Arena, Trowbridge’s ‘Bang Bang’ Blackwell eventually produced fireworks, stopping Leeds’ Jones in decisive style with a thunderous right hand at the end of the sixth round.

And Lockett was chuffed to see his fighter come through a tough British middleweight title defence with a display of his ferocious power.

“The performance wasn’t bang-on but you’ve got to give Nick credit because he stuck to the game-plan,” Lockett told the Wiltshire Times.

“We knew that Damon Jones was going to be a little bit tricky. He was an ABA champion at 17-years-old, has good skills, and we’ve got a lot of respect for him.

“He got hit quite a few times with good counters. Credit to Damon Jones because I thought he boxed a very good fight.

“We knew he’d start running out of gas in round five or six. That was the plan; to put the pressure on with the jab, get his feet close, keep making him move and tire him out.

“But Nick’s just got to start fighting sooner, instead of giving so many early rounds away but since we’ve been involved, I knew that he had big power.

“He showed glimpses of it against John Ryder but I think you saw the power he’s got.

“One shot ended the fight and there’s not many people in Britain that can do that, end a fight with one shot.”

MORE REACTION TO NICK BLACKWELL'S VICTORY OVER DAMON JONES IN NEXT WEEK'S WILTSHIRE TIMES.