He defeated Manchester’s Nde Anjeke Moses in a Battle of Britain showcase, organised by the Scottish Muay Thai Council, in the Victoria Halls on Saturday night.

The super-fit Souter set the bar high by leaping into the ring and was head and shoulders above his opponent.

He dominated the first two rounds to such an extent that Moses - who tasted canvas in the second - conceded the match by refusing to fight him in a third round.

Millar’s victory was the final fight on a nine bout card which also included wins for debutant Tom Fitch, from Galashiels, who defeated Angus McGarry from Gorgie; and Mark Amos, also from Galashiels, who got the better of Jacob Wormald, from Wakefield, in only his second fight.

However, Dale Scott, from Galashiels, went the distance with Alex Macgregor, from Gorgie, only to lose on points - despite almost knocking him out in the fourth round.

And Kelvin Nisbet, from Peebles, was knocked out cold seconds after stepping into the ring for his first fight, with Balint Marko, from Gorgie, after taking a flying foot in the face, which was so quick most in the crowd missed it.

But, with the medical team quickly on hand, he was able to walk away with all the respect afforded to those who are brave enough to step into the ring in the first place.

Kobie Christopher, from Wakefield, won the North Area title against Derek Barnett, from Gorgie.

Reflecting on the night, organiser Toby Douglas told the Border Telegraph: “It was a fantastic show.

“The fighters put in the time and worked really, really hard. We had a really good title fight and both boys put on a great display.

“You could tell Ross had put in a lot of hard work, he kept the pace really high, his hands were looking fantastic, his boxing was phenomenal and it was good to stop the guy within the allowed time - he (Millar’s opponent) didn’t want to come back out for the third round.” Muay Thai - which allows competitors to use their knees, elbows, feet and fists as weapons - has changed a lot from the days when boxers would wrap their hands in thick horsehide trimmed with cotton soaked in glue and broken glass for maximum impact.

But, despite changes to make it safer and reduce the number of deaths in the ring, it is still a violent contact sport. Bloody, brutal and brilliant.

When asked how he felt after stepping out of the ring for the first time with a win to his name, Tom, aged 24, said: “It feels great, all the hard work has totally paid off. I’ve been training for three or four years and that was my first fight, it was nerve-wracking but it felt good. I just got in and got the job done and got out again.

“With it being a local show there was a little more pressure but it’s good to have people shouting your name.” Alex, who used his long legs to get the better of Dale in their fight, is only 18 but already has three fights to his name. And he revealed he would recommend the sport to anyone.

“I was worried at the end of round four because he (Dale) scored quite a lot of hits to my head so I was kind of worried he was going to go for a knockout,” he explained.

But he added: “It’s incredible, it’s the best feeling in the world. My advice to anyone who has never tried it is just do it.”