“He was getting sick in there and my dad said keep hitting him with shots and he’ll go,” said Hughie Fury, after he forced Christian Hammer to be stopped after five rounds.

Hammer was pulled out citing a bicep injury but he was already well adrift on the scorecards.

“That’s only 50 per cent of me,” Fury, now 26-3, continued. “The stoppage was coming no matter what. Respect to Hammer, he took the fight. I’m a fighting man and that’s what I want to do, fight.”

The first round was quiet but even when Fury’s blows landed in the second Hammer only smiled in response. Fury was looking comfortable in his first fight in 10 months and Hammer was restricted to some wild looking swings as Hughie scored with straight shots.

Hammer fired off a couple of rights towards the end of the round but Fury was in control.

The 27-year-old prospect was marked up under the left eye in the third and both had their moments even if Fury was winning the rounds. He was frequently changing stances and pecking away with lefts and rights but wasn’t putting a dent in the visitor.

The 34-year-old German caught Fury with a right hand to start the fifth and he began to apply more pressure, trying to work his way inside, but Hammer had a point taken off by referee Steve Gray for a punch on the break. Gray indicated that the visitor had had already had three warnings.

Fury dominated the final minute of the session with some neat, clever boxing, switching between southpaw and orthodox, working the jab both ways and firing in combinations from each side.

Not long after returning to his corner Hammer – who is now 26-8 – complained of an injured right arm and he was withdrawn from the fight with referee Gray indicating that the arm injury, around Hammer’s bicep, had caused his corner to retire their man.

Hughie’s father and coach Peter was satisfied with the win and scored his son’s performance a 7.5/10.

“There’s still a couple of things to work on,” admitted Peter. “He’s a good combination puncher and he needs to box like that. He [Hammer] knew what was coming and he got out of there.”