CHRIS Higgs, the Forest's only professional boxer, made it eight straight wins in his comeback fight against Bulgarian Danny Dontchev at Swindon on Saturday.

Lydney-based Higgs had been out of the ring for 12 months. In that time he has successfully overcome a series of injury problems including a damaged eye. At one stage he feared his career was on the rocks.

However, having been given the all-clear by the British Boxing Board he is once again fighting fit and needed to be for this tense all-action fight against a tough and fully committed opponent.

Encouraged by the presence of over 130 local fans, Higgs' victory was his eighth on the trot.

Father Bryan Higgs said Chris boxed well throughout.

"In the second round he picked up a small cut on the top of his right eye. Then, in the fifth, he picked up a large cut across the top of his left eyebrow. For a moment I thought the ref was going to stop the contest but he allowed them to fight on," he said.

The cut required six stitches and will rule Higgs out of a fight planned to take place at Newport on October 29.

His next contest is likely to be on the undercard of Gary Buckland's title defence, also at Newport and televised on Sky Sports, on November 26.