Moses Itauma took just two rounds to bomb out the usually-durable Pole Mariusz Wach.
Streaking 19-year-old southpaw prospect Itauma is now 10-0 (8 KOs) and he made a positive start, firing out a quick jab and backing Wach up early with a short counter right hook.
Wach held his left low, inviting trouble, and he became progressively gunshy as Itauma was finding it straightforward threading through counters.
With unified heavyweight champion Oleksandr Usyk watching on from the front row, Itauma started to pepper Wach in the second, catching the 44-year-old freely with both hands. Wach couldn’t get out of the way of anything and he was dumped onto his shorts by a right hook.
And although Wach made it back to his feet, the Ben Davison-trained Itauma swarmed forwards with lefts and rights, working both the head and body and punching from various angles.
It was a matter of time before the end came and referee Michael Alexander intervened after 2:30.
Wach is not what he used to be, clearly, but last year he survived the full 10 rounds with another British prospect Frazer Clarke.
“I do feel like Mariusz Wach was known for people taking the distance but he’s not boxed someone like me before,” said Itauma. “I feel like that is a big statement. I think the quickest he’s been stopped is six rounds and I’ve done it in two… It lets the heavyweight division know that I’m here. I’m only 19 but come on, man. Give me some credit.”
In the co-main event on the Joe Joyce-Derek Chisora bill at London’s O2 Arena, Ryan Garner handed Archie Sharp the first defeat of his career.
Garner won by margins of 98-92 and 97-93 (twice) and the 26-year-old from Southampton, opened up quickly, tracking Sharp to the ropes and trying to work him over.
Sharp switched stances through the third round. There was blood above his left eye and both seemed set on trying to win the fight their way, Garner through aggression and pressure and Sharp lining him up for counters and Sharp managed to fire over a big left hook that went into Garner’s boots.
While Sharp had more success in the fourth, a clash of heads opened another cut by Sharp’s left eye and in the sixth Garner pounced, hurting Sharp with a right hand that buckled Sharp’s legs. Garner hacked away, hoping to finish matters.
Sharp, however, flashed a grin and Garner smothered several of his own attacks, while Sharp clung on and then started to fire back.
Punches around the right eye were bothering Sharp, too, and “The Piranha” targeted the wounds with straight shots and uppercuts.
Sharp was still standing at the round’s end, and as they had done for the previous couple of sessions, they exchanged words before returning to their corners.
The seventh was messy and as a consequence it was quiet but Garner was sometimes beating Sharp to the punch with shots through the middle as Sharp tried to load up, and while both fighters celebrated at the bell the judges got it right. Sharp drops to 25-1 (9 KOs).
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