Daniel Dubois demolished Fabio Wardley in just two rounds in their heavyweight rematch in London, stopping his British rival after a dominant display.
The pair renewed their rivalry just five months after their fight-of-the-year slugfest in May, when Dubois recovered from two early knockdowns to stop Wardley. On that occasion, Dubois' slow start almost cost him as Wardley decked him twice in the opening three rounds.
Fast start and decisive finish
Wardley was roared into the ring as the challenger, while there was more than a smattering of boos for the champion. Wardley touched the canvas inside 30 seconds from a huge right hand. He did well to recover his composure but came under fire again at the end of the round.
Coach Ben Davison was poised with the towel, but the bell sounded first. Dubois was straight off his stool at the start of the second round and swarmed all over Wardley. This time, the corner had no hesitation but to throw in the towel.
Undercard highlights
On the undercard, Bakhodir Jalolov laboured to victory over Solomon Dacres. The Uzbek heavyweight, who has won two Olympic gold medals, dropped his once-beaten opponent in the fifth round, but Dacres recovered to survive to hear the final bell. All three judges gave Jalolov the nod by scores of 99-91, 99-90 and 99-90.
Rising heavyweight star Adam Olaniyan roused the crowd from their slumber with his fifth successive stoppage. The 20-year-old dropped Dan Garber in the second round, and the Brit's corner immediately threw in the towel. But the referee ignored the surrender and allowed Garber to continue, only for another right hand to drop him again, and this time the contest was waved off.
Full results
Daniel Dubois bt Fabio Wardley
Louie O'Doherty DRAW Michael Gomez Jr
Adam Olaniyan bt Dan Garber
Bakhodir Jalolov bt Solomon Dacres
Nelson Birchall bt Levi Giles
Tony Curtis Jr bt Kerim Agius
Leighton Birchall bt Alejandro Morales
Zayn Ahmed bt Kasey Bradnum
Mohammad Safari bt Jake Pollard
Abdul-Fawaz Aborode bt Rashid Omar
Aaron Noreiga bt Leonardo Baez
Issiah Hamilton-Allen bt Jensen Irving
