IT was a successful debut at light-middleweight for Caoimhín Agyarko as he breezed to a wide points win over Lukasz Maciec (100-90, 100-90, 99-93) at the 02 Arena in London on Saturday evening to claim the vacant WBA International title.

The West Belfast man was much too quick and slick for the Pole who maintained his record of never being stopped. And while this wasn't a flawless display from Agyarko who will not be happy with the number of times he was tagged, it was still a clear indication he is ready to move up a level.

There were questions to be answered on the night as to whether his strength would hold up given the drop in weight, but it certainly did as he buzzed Maciec on a couple of occasions and had he stepped on the gas, maybe could have found the finish.

However, he seemed content to bank the rounds and pick his moments that saw him dominate bar the odd moment when a lapse in concentration resulted in him being punished.

"He caught me when I was lazy and dropping my left hand," he said after.

"It's all a learning curve and he was a tough guy with 24 (wins) who had never been stopped. It's alright knocking all these people out and looking good, but ultimately it's good to get the rounds in as well and that will keep me in good stead for the future."

Maciec came with ambition and underlined it when landing an overhand right within the opening seconds.

He would continue to look for that shot and had some success to the body, but Agyarko was much more effective off the jab, landing a crisp short right counter and a solid combination to set the tone in a lively opener.

Agyarko lands a right hand
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Agyarko lands a right hand

The trend continued with Agyarko popping out the jab in the second, but a pair of rights from the Pole saw him march forward with confidence, yet the Belfast man had the final say with two solid shots to the body.

Agyarko stung Maciec early in the third with a beautifully-timed right and an explosive combination late in the third underlined the gulf in class with a pair of lefts to head then body again clearly making a dent.

Agyarko was oozing confidence but was punished for lapses in concentration with a right and a left soon after, but these moments were fleeting.

The Belfast man switched to southpaw for a spell in the sixth and this gave him another avenue to explore as he stepped inside and whipped to the body, his speed and balance excellent throughout.

Agyarko's low left hand perhaps invited trouble as he took a flush right, but aside from this, the Belfast man was well on top as he consistently beat Maciec to the punch and walked him onto a sharp right at the end of the eighth.

The body attack was certainly Agyarko's best attribute as he landed two in a row that left Maciec a little ragged, but his toughness was without question as he shook it off.

Agyarko grins as he catches Maciec
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Agyarko grins as he catches Maciec

Agyarko was keen on closing the show and went through the gears in the 10th and final round, varying his attacks with a high output, but Maciec was able to absorb everything coming his way to hear the final bell. This was little more than a consolation prize as Agyarko had done more than enough to make it 12 wins in as many fights and open the door for a step-up before the end of the year.

"I felt good," said Agyarko afterwards.

"I felt like my movement was still there, I was still strong, but I could have got him out of there. I hurt him in the fourth round with a body shot and took my foot off the gas.

"Psychologically, I didn't want to press the gears knowing he was tough and not get him out of there. My first time at the weight, maybe going into deep waters late and tiring so I half-paced myself.

"It's just a learning curve and maybe I should have gone through the gears and got him out of there."