TOM Ansell believes his next fight will get him "back on track" as he looks to progress towards a potential title showdown and bounce back from his first defeat as a professional boxer.

Having won all of his first six pro bouts, the 26-year-old Witham fighter suffered his first setback when he lost on points to Chris Adaway over four rounds at the Copper Box in London in March.

But Ansell, who works as a personal trainer at Witham Leisure Centre, is confident he will bounce straight back and a fight against Cardiff's Rhys Saunders at York Hall in Bethnel Green on July 6 is the perfect opportunity to do just that.

"I've been training hard in the gym because I want to right the wrongs of that fight (against Chris Adaway)," said Ansell.

"I had a lot of stuff going on outside that I shouldn't have taken into the fight, but it is what it is.

"I lost, but losing at an early stage in my career won't have derailed me at all.

"It won't have had a big effect and I know that there were things going on that perhaps I should have dealt with a bit differently. "I've no regrets about taking the fight, it just came at a wrong time, but I 100 per cent know that I have learned from it.

"I know it has maybe pushed me back a bit from a title show, but if I'm destined to win a title then I know it will happen.

"One loss won't deter me and this fight against Rhys Saunders will give me a chance to get back on track and show everyone what I can do." One thing it has taught Ansell is that, having stepped up to boxing over six rounds in his previous two bouts, it was a mistake to move back to four against Adaway and the Witham man won't be making that error again.

He added: "I know that I won't go into another four-round fight now.

"All my fights from now will be over six rounds and if I'm going to be fighting for a championship then I know I need the longer fights. "I feel I'm above the level of a four-round fighter now."

But while his focus is solely on Saunders for now, Ansell is also eyeing up an encounter with a high-profile opponent that he hopes could be on the cards for later this year.

"Hopefully after this fight we can get something set up against Harley Benn - the son of Nigel Benn," he said.

"He has also just lost against someone so we have an identical pro record and we had a bit of a spat on social media so it would be good to get something set up. "I'm hoping something will happen, but I'm just focusing fully on this fight on July 6 now."

Ansell thanked sponsors Southern Grove, Elite Vans Ltd, Nick Ansell Pt, Food 1 consultancy, Red Lift Hire, BD Electrical Contractors, Bfuelled, Top Guard UK, Holts of Witham and the Wheatsheaf Hatfield Peverel.