Reece Bellotti is intent on pushing forward with his career after putting Michael Gomez Jnr firmly in his rear view mirror at Manchester’s Co-Op Live arena on Saturday night.

The two were initially due to box last October.

British and Commonwealth super featherweight champion, Bellotti, and Gomez weighed in, faced off and made it to the arena on fight night.

Around an hour before they were due to get into the ring, Gomez’s team called for a doctor who diagnosed him with a kidney infection, forcing his withdrawal from the fight.

Bellotti was, understandably, furious and made his feelings known during a live interview on DAZN.

Four months later, the pair found themselves back in Manchester for the rescheduled date.

Gomez cut a confident character throughout a testy fight week but although he did press forward as promised, he just couldn’t land shots consistently and was punished by some well picked, well placed shots to head and body from the cool Bellotti, 20-5 (15 KOs).

Gomez , 21-2 (6 KOs), was quickly reduced to walking rather than punching his way into range. Once he got there Bellotti attacked relentlessly to the body, hurting Gomez repeatedly and scoring two knockdowns before the Mancunian’s corner retired him after nine increasingly one-sided rounds.

Bellotti’s dressing rom was a much happier place than it had been last October but rather than crowing about his victory, the 34 year-old gave a businesslike breakdown of his evening’s work and just seemed pleased to have retained his titles and put the whole saga behind him.

“Very sweet to get that victory the way I did. I just showed him levels really today,” he told Matchroom after the fight.

“Gave him a little bit of boxing lesson and bust him up. He’s a tough man - I expected a tough man - but it's bittersweet for me, man. I loved it. It’s f——-g great to get my revenge.

“You can ask any fighter out there, they don't like getting hit in the body. If you hit right they're going to know about it and he did tonight.”

Back in August 2021, Bellotti found himself at a crossroads in his career. A third round stoppage defeat to excellent American, Ray Ford, was his third loss in a row and looked like it could signal the end of his time at title level.

Rather than accepting what seemed to be the inevitable, Bellotti reevaluated his position and set about doing what was necessary to get back into contention. The win over Gomez was his sixth consecutive victory.

The turn around in his fortunes coincides with his decision to stop boiling his 5ft 7in frame down to 126lbs. Since leaving the featherweight division behind, Bellotti has beaten one respected challenger after another and established himself as the man to beat domestically at super featherweight.

Bellotti’s Indian Summer has gone on for so long, Greta Thunberg is probably looking for places to hold a protest about it.

He has no intention of slowing down.

On March 1st, the in-form Ryan Garner, 16-0 (8 KOs), boxes unbeaten Spaniard, Salvador Jimenez, 14-0-1 (6 KOs), for the vacant European 130lb title.

Bellotti and Garner have been linked before but if the 27 year-old from Southampton can beat Jimenez and claim the EBU belt, the fight will become a triple title affair with serious implications for the winner.

If Matchroom and Queensberry agree to lock horns in another ‘5 Vs.5’ contest, a clash between Matchroom stalwart, Bellotti, and Garner would be a natural.

Bellotti also needs just one more defence of his British title in order to keep the beautiful Lonsdale belt forever. A fight with Garner would tick plenty of boxes.

“Listen, just like everyone in the world at moment, everyone wants to go to Saudi and get what they’re worth. All boxers are the same,” he said.

“I would love to win the British outright. I'd love my son to have that for the rest of his life but the European might be there me and Garner but then that opens a potential Saudi number, who knows. It’s onwards and upwards from here and I'd love to win the British outright.

“I expect him [Garner] to win. What another great domestic fight that would be. I don’t know if he’s going to try and fight for worlds or whatever he’s gonna do but it’s all open for me which is good.”