In his first fight at welterweight, the former British and Commonwealth 140-pound champion dominated the experienced Essuman, forcing the Nottingham man to stay in his corner after six one-sided rounds.

Rafferty is known as "The Demolition Man" but this was a controlled, well-executed dismantling of a hard experienced fighter.

During his reign at 140 pounds, Rafferty (27-0-1, 18 KOs) established himself as one of the most television friendly fighters in British boxing but a showcase spot on the undercard of a heavyweight title fight gave him the chance to display his all-action stye to a much wider audience.

Full of life after draining himself to make weight for years, Rafferty darted in and out of range and hurt Essuman (22-3, 8 KOs) with a right hand and a left hook during a dominant opening round.

Desperate to make an impression, Essuman retaliated in the second with a pair of overhand rights but Rafferty grabbed control back with a consistent heavy jab and accurate right hand.

A long reigning British champion himself, Essuman has spent the best part of his career wearing down and beating up younger, hungry challengers but with a cut over his left eye he struggled to make an impression on Rafferty. Rafferty’s range was excellent. He clipped Essuman with a number of hard shots in the fifth and his left hook started to become a significant weapon.

After six painful rounds, Essuman returned to his corner where his corner wisely decided to retire him.

This was a statement performance and Rafferty instantly announced himself as an interesting player in the welterweight division.