Kash has it all in hand
 | | Akaash Bhatia lands a right-hander against Micky Coveney |
By Ben Kosky
WEMBLEY featherweight Akaash Bhatia can't wait to fight again after safely negotiating his comeback with a gruelling points win over Mickey Coveney at Brentwood.
Bhatia was back in the ring for the first time since his narrow defeat by Jamie Arthur in last summer's British title eliminator and looked unconvincing as he ground out a 59-55 success.
West Ham southpaw Coveney proved an awkward opponent, landing some solid blows and causing a cut above the left eye of 'Kash the Bash' after a clash of heads during the fourth round.
But Bhatia, who has been trained by Jimmy Tibbs since losing his unbeaten record to Arthur, said: "It was a nice feeling to get back in the ring and I want to get out again straight away, definitely within six weeks.
"Coveney gives people a lot of problems - if you look at his record, he's fought some very good guys and lost close points decisions. I've sparred with him before, so I knew it was going to be hard.
"It was just a matter of getting my jab working and making him walk on to punches, and I felt I did that. I'm happy to be back and happy with my performance.
"I got caught a few times but I haven't fought for six months, so that's understandable. I know it looks a bit risky to the audience when they see me taking a couple, but if you go out in the rain, you've got to get wet sometimes."
The 26-year-old, whose pro record now reads 15 wins from 16 contests, had to wait until after the main attraction - Ian Napa's British bantamweight title loss to Jamie McDonnell - to make his return to the ring.
The nimble Bhatia moved around much better than Coveney but, apart from a string of substantial head and body shots in the final two rounds, did not provide a great deal to impress the dwindling crowd.
"Whatever time I fight, I have to be prepared and all fighters go through that, fighting first or at the end of the night," Bhatia added. "It doesn't really get to me - at the end of the day it's my job.
"Although the atmosphere wasn't as electric as it was for the main event, I still felt a lot of feedback from my fans which kept me buzzing. The most important thing was to get back to winning ways.
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