Billy Joe Saunders was quick to admit he was well below par as he beat Artur Akavov to defend his WBO world middleweight title for the first time.

Saunders struggled to overcome the unfancied Russian in Scotland as he claimed a unanimous points victory.

After the fight, the Hatfield boxer said: “I’d like to apologise to the fans especially those who have paid for it, [it was] a terrible performance.

“I’ve called Golovkin out, but on that performance I want to be embarrassed.

“I have got to go back, adjust, and new year I want a big fight to put that right because that’s not acceptable, that’s not a world champion performance at all.

“I’m an honest man and most British [level] fighters perform better than that, but a win’s a win, I’ll always find a way, it was a scrappy win.”

Experienced trainer Jimmy Tibbs, who has worked with Saunders for his previous 23 bouts since he turned professional, was not working with the champion for this fight.

Of his omission, Saunders added: “In boxing sometimes you have to do what you feel is right yourself, it may not be the right decision, it may be the right decision.

“I’m not making a comment about Jimmy, but after this fight I have got to go back down and sit and have a chat man-to-man.

“You could put who you want in that corner tonight and they couldn’t have helped. It was a dead performance from me.”