IF you saw someone walking down the street this week with a British title belt around his waist, it was probably Mark McCullough.

The Wycombe boxer achieved a lifelong ambition on Saturday when he beat Dean Mills at the Torquay Riviera Centre to be crowned British Masters Champion, and so proud was the 27-year-old that he wanted to prolong the high for as long as possible.

He said: “I thought about going down the shops to buy a pint of milk wearing the belt.

“I didn’t want to scratch it, but I might do it now. I’d love to see the looks on people’s faces.”

And who could blame him? Saturday’s title fight was the pinnacle of his professional career to date and his response was magnificent.

Twice in the first four rounds McCullough laid his opponent on the canvas with big right hands and although Mills staggered to his feet after eight counts on each occasion, he paid a heavy toll and by the end of the tenth round there was only one winner.

McCullough said: “It couldn’t have gone any better.

“I knocked him down in the first round with a right hand over the top, then I dropped him again in the fourth with the same shot.

“He was really sheepish in the fifth round, he wouldn’t come forward and was very wary of me.

“I was boxing well and just picking him off and by the sixth I thought I was well on top.”

Mills showed great character to revive himself for a few rounds, but the way McCullough reasserted himself late in the fight is credit to his training regime under Graham Stevenson and Dip Kumar.

McCullough said: “It was the first time I’d gone ten rounds and it was a bit daunting going into unchartered territory.

“Rounds are only three minutes, but a good shot will take it out of you and they can be the longest three minutes of your life.

“But it was no problem. I’d trained really well with Graham, everything we spoke about came off and I felt I was much stronger than him at the end.

“He’s a strong kid, but I was using my jab, moving in and out well and I felt I won it well.

“It was definitely my best ever fight and by the end his face said it all – he had four cuts and two black eyes and I just had a couple of bruises.”

McCullough has three months to defend his title and talks are already underway to put on a show at Handy Cross Sports Centre.

He said: “It would be a dream to fight, and hopefully win, in front of my own fans.

“Saturday was such a good fight there was some talk of a rematch, but it doesn’t matter what happens now.

“They can’t take this away from me. I’d always dreamt about it and now I’ve done it. It was the highlight of my career and it feels fantastic.

“I can die a happy man now.”