The Mexborough-based bantamweight put nine months of frustration and career stagnation behind him in just 147 seconds as he demolished the Scotsman with a superb three punch combination.

McDonnell said: "I'm over the moon with it. I never expected that to be honest. I was thinking I'd be going in there for six tough rounds. I was told he was a tough kid who would jump on me from the start and when I got in the ring he was smiling at me and dancing around so I knew he was up for it.

"I started off a bit rusty and he caught me early with a left but when he didn't keep coming it raised my confidence. Then I caught him with a big right and I could see it in his eyes that he'd gone. I just jumped on him and I must have landed six or seven clean and the ref stepped in.
"I wouldn't have put money on a stoppage in the first, if it was coming I'd have said the fifth or sixth."

Now McDonnell's sights are set on the British title picture and he is hoping to get his chance against the veteran Ian Napa early next year. The current English champion said: "We were offered a British title fight in January but decided against it because I've been out for so long.

"There's another show on at the Dome in March with Bully and my manager Dennis Hobson is planning on putting one on in Sheffield in February so I've got a choice. I'm looking to get a decent six or eight rounder in then look to do something March or April time with the British title."
The 23-year-old Hatfield fighter has been in training ever since his third round stoppage of Krastan Krastanov in February but several fights have fallen through. McDonnell's ruthlessness on Friday night suggested little ring rust was picked up during the unwanted nine month sabbatical.

It was Ancliff who came out guns blazing, clearly hoping to overwhelm his opponent and take advantage of any ring rust McDonnell may have carried in. He strutted to the ring, un-phased by the boos of the crowd. When McDonnell arrived in the ring, he circled him and from the first bell Ancliff seemed insistant on controlling the ring, to show his poor record for 2009 hides the true story of a tough fighter. A solid left hook early certainly let McDonnell know he would not be in for an easy time.

Yet, that was precisely what the Hatfield scrapper had from then on in.

He shrugged off the Scotsman's assault, hitting back with his own reaching left top force Ancliff onto the back foot. Then came the decisive moment. A quick left jab opened up the path for the killer right that wobbled Ancliff and he was very lucky to have remained standing when McDonnell smashed in another quick left he would have not seen coming.

Ancliff managed to shake off enough of the haze to step away and cover up but McDonnell had sensed the end was near. He pushed on, unleashing multiple shots that had Ancliff cowering to defend, somewhat unsuccessfully.

Referee Steve Gray quickly stepped in to wave the fight off, perhaps a little earlier than totally neccessary as Ancliff was managing to defend himself and would probably have seen out the round. The vociferous partisan crowd were not concerned with such matters and hailed the successful return of the home town hero, who himself could not hide his delight as he jumped around the ring.