RIO Gordon made the short trip to Grays to contest the Eastern Counties youth welterweight final against St Ives ABC puncher Shahzad Aslam.

Aslam used his height and reach advantage to good effect in the opener, keeping the contest long and catching the Harwich Boxing Club ace with neat jabs.

Gordon found his range towards the end of the session, to nullify Aslam's earlier contribution.

In the second round, 17-year-old Gordon went up a gear and closed Aslam down, crowding him and landing with heavy bombs.

Two such ferocious salvos forced the referee to administer standing eight counts in quick succession.

With his tail up, Gordon commenced the final three-minute round in commanding fashion, forcing another eight count in the opening ten seconds to bring about the referee's ultimate intervention in his favour.

Gordon's emphatic win propels him into the national quarter-finals in Doncaster later in February.