Connor Meanwell bows out of quarter final against Brett Egan in the Tommy Owens Top Boxer Welterweight eight-man tournament fight card Planet Ice Solihull

Newark fighter Connor Meanwell returned home from his latest bout disappointed but with grounds for optimism.

Meanwell ­— known as The Pitbull ­— lost on points in his first fight in the Tommy Owen’s Top Boxer Welterweight eight-man tournament at Planet Ice, Solihull.

It was a tough tournament for up-and-coming fighters, who had to win three bouts of three rounds on the night to be crowned winner and take home the £8,000 prize.

British and Commonwealth Champion Ekow Essuman was in attendance enjoying the bout, as was Australian professional darts player Damon Heta.

The Carl Greaves-trained boxer was pitted against Birmingham’s Brett Egan for his opening encounter.

In only his second professional fight, Meanwell came out firing on all cylinders initially shocking his opponent Egan with a strong opening round.

The Pitbull pressed with a high work rate and was the aggressor throughout.

However, Egan settled quickly after the initial shock and caught Meanwell with a close-range uppercut.

Meanwell shrugged it off and continued to press as he landed some shots of his own, including a beautiful right hand in the closing stages of the first round.

It was clear from the second round that Egan’s corner didn’t want him to get into a brawl with the Pitbull as they were concerned about a potential mauling.

Meanwell continued to chase Egan aggressively but the Birmingham fighter fought smart — attacking and then putting space between him and the Newarker.

As the fight went on, Egan moved around the ring more and picked his shots strategically as he attempted to outbox the Pitbull.

The decision went to points where the bout was scored 29 to 28 by two judges and the third having it 30 to 27 in favour of Egan — moving the Brummie into the semi-finals.

“I feel disappointed that I didn’t perform to my best but I know it just a setback and doesn’t define my future,” said Meanwell, who only made his professional debut in December.

“I’m feeling positive going into my hometown fight on March 25 and look forward to bringing home a win.”

Trainer Carl Greaves said the focus was now on preparing him for his next fight at Newark Showground on March 25.

“For the start of the night it was probably the wrong fight for Connor,” said Greaves.

“They didn’t want to engage, he kept staying away from Connor.

“Unfortunately, it went the way it did but he will take a lot of knowledge from the fight and undoubtedly move forward.

“Records are for DJs— losses mean nothing and boxing is a massive learning curve at the end of the day.

“It’s what you learn from your losses that counts.

“The event had seven undefeated fighters and the guy that won it was the only one that had previously lost.

“It just goes to show that losses mean nothing and are a good way to build character, enabling fighters to become stronger.”

Egan lost his next bout against eventual tournament runner-up Taylor Greig in a first-round knockout.

The tournament was won by a rank outsider, Kirk Stevens, who was a late addition to the line-up when a fighter had to withdraw and he went into the event with a £2 gum shield, no Vaseline, and no hand tape, but left with the top prize