Leon Hughes (5-0, 4 KOs) is one of Zuffa Boxing's first intake of British fighters and was given the chance to impress as the promotional company entered the UK market two weeks ago.

Hughes boxed for England as an amateur but it wouldn't have come as a major shock had the 21-year-old light heavyweight allowed the added attention and expectation to affect his performance.

That wasn't the case.

Boxing on the undercard of Chris Billam-Smith's brutal win over Ryan Rozicki in Bournemouth, Hughes made an instant impact on his new employers and stopped Bulgaria's Mario Vergiev (8-5, 5 KOs) in the third round after an eye-catching display of punch picking.

"To be honest, going in it just felt like a normal fight. If anything when it comes to my warm up, that's the only time I get any sense of nerves," Hughes told The Ring.

"Obviously, I know I’m fighting but don't really think about it until I start warming up. I know I'm preparing for a fight, looking at my opponent, seeing what I can do and what his weak points are but it doesn't really affect me.

"I've always been like that. I'm composed about it."

Whatever weaknesses Hughes and his training team of Michael and Dave Jennings noticed during their pre-fight study were exploited almost instantly.

Hughes is a slick, instinctive fighter with a naturally eye-catching style and he boxed as if totally unaffected by the occasion. He found his flow instantly and although the fight lasted less than three rounds, the youngster displayed enough flair, imagination and power to make an immediate impact.

Those who know Hughes weren't surprised by his performance but those seeing him for the first time can't fail to have been impressed by the way he took Vergiev apart.

"Everyone was saying how well I'd performed. It's good to know that people are starting to notice now," Hughes said.

"I can always tell in the first 20 seconds how a fight is gonna go. Literally within the first 5 seconds I was like, "Ok, Wow."

"I'd been watching some of his fights and he brings toughness. There's only two videos online of him losing, the rest he's knocking people out so I went in there expecting it to be a lot harder than it was.

"When you have good preparation for a fight, there’s nothing lingering in the back of your mind where you’re thinking it’s not gonna go right. The sparring I had was quality and if the sparring is 10 levels above my opponent, it’s only going to go one way really isn’t it?"

That preparation is done at the Jennings Gym in Lancashire in the North of England.

Jennings is a former British welterweight champion who challenged Miguel Cotto for the WBO 147-pound title amid a bear pit atmosphere at Madison Square Garden in 2009.

He and his brother, Dave, go about their business quietly but are highly respected within the sport and Hughes is another of the successful amateurs they build from the ground up at their Coppull gym.

"They're a winner making machine. The training we get is quality and links they've got for sparring is also very good, as well as the knowledge they both have," Hughes said.

"They do get the recognition but I feel like if they were out there a bit more, they would be much more well known in the coaching aspect. It's working though."