NEWCASTLE’S Lewis Ritson has been signed by Eddie Hearn’s Matchroom Boxing after landing the British Lightweight title last weekend.

Ritson, who is based at Forest Hall, claimed the British crown in impressive fashion as he dominated outgoing belt holder Robbie Barrett in Manchester.

Barrett’s camp threw in the towel during the seventh round, enabling Ritson to improve his unbeaten professional record to 13-0.

It was the 24-year-old’s seventh win inside the distance, and his tie-up with Hearn should enable him to raise his sights to European and potentially even World level.

“I’m so excited to be signing with Eddie and Matchroom,” said Ritson, who is nicknamed the ‘Sandman’. “It’s happened so quickly. I got the win on Saturday, spoke to my manager then we agreed and had signed the contract straight away. It’s been a ride the last couple of days but I’ve enjoyed it.

“My dad’s trained me since I was eight years old through the amateurs, then when I turned pro he didn’t have his license so I went back up to Scotland for a bit and have since come back down. It was one thing we always have spoken about winning – ‘Imagine what it would feel like to win the British’ - and now we have done it.

“I always had it in the back of my mind, I would give the belt to him. For all the years training and bond we have between us.”

Ritson is hoping to cement his status at British level in an ultra-competitive lightweight division that sees the likes of Anthony Crolla, Ricky Burns and Luke Campbell fighting for World titles.

“My next goal is to win it (the Lonsdale Belt) outright,” he said. “It’s a buzzing division at the minute with the likes of Scott Cardle and Sean Dodd. They are the big domestic names at lightweight, and if I can beat them then I’ll be well on the way to keeping the belt for good.

“They definitely interest me. Hopefully, either one of them is my next move. You have Anthony Crolla, Ricky Burns and Luke Campbell who are World-level, but beneath that it’s Dodd and Cardle. I don’t think they should be hard to make being with Eddie as well.

“I think Eddie has pencilled in my first title defence for December time, squeezing one in before the end of the year. Then maybe February or March back home in Newcastle with Josh Kelly too. Eddie’s the boss now, so I’ve got to wait and see what he says and where the next fight is.”

Hearn is starting to assemble an attractive stable of North-East names, and is keen to pair Ritson and Kelly on a high-profile bill in the region.

“People have been telling me about Lewis for a long time, and on Saturday night we got to see why,” said Hearn. “Lewis put in a ruthless performance to win the British title, with plenty of Geordie support in the Manchester Arena, and I'm very excited about his future.

“The North-East is an important area for us to focus on with the development of Josh Kelly, and I'm looking forward to bringing a major show there in the early part of 2018.”