Boxing: Lemuel Silisia wins second professional fight against Simon Rendina in Newcastle

And, in doing so, he displayed some of the mongrel that coach Jamie Carroll had long wanted to see from the naturally soft-spoken and gentle Solomon Islander.

"He definitely brought the aggression," Carroll said.

"In professional boxing, it's the real fighting that's a different beast. And he knows what he's got to do now to be successful."

Up against an older and more experienced veteran in Simon Rendina, Silisia was forced to work harder to find the finish than he had expected.

Though the One2Boxing Westside cohort were careful not to underestimate their opponent in Newcastle, once the thunderous power of the Tamworth-based boxer found their mark in the first round, Carroll expected the end to be nigh.

But Rendina's never-say-die attitude carried the fight through to the third round before referee John Cauchi waved it off.

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"It surprised me that he was extremely tough," Carroll said.

"In the first round, he got hurt a few times. But he kept hanging in there and coming back as well.

"I knew he was tough, but he wore some big shots. He's a tough unit."

The fight, Carroll said, was "a good lesson" for Silisia, who "used a lot of energy" in trying to finish the fight early.

Saturday night's win propelled Silisia to 26^th in the rankings of active Australian welterweights.

After a training camp filled with niggly injuries, Carroll and the coaching staff are looking to get him back in the ring by February.

"Boxcamp has got a full professional show in February, and they want Lemuel to fight on that," he said.

"He's also been offered fights out at Cowra, Newcastle, and Melbourne. So he's going to get busy next year."

Two other One2Boxing fighters scored wins in Newcastle over the weekend.

Diminutive teenager Kobe Hunt picked up a victory on debut, which came against the odds.

"He's 17 and only started training after our fight night [in July]," Carroll said

"Kobe's only 48 kilo, so he gave away weight and experience. The other guy had three fights, and for him to come away with the victory was really impressive."

Meanwhile, Kyan Martin also produced the first win of his amateur career.

"He came out blasting," Carroll said.

"He's got a lot of ability, and he's one of the young, talented kids that we've got. He notched up his first victory in impressive style."

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