Olympic silver medalist Joe Joyce made light work of Joe Hanks on the Deontay Wilder vs Tyson Fury undercard in Los Angeles, stopping his American opponent in the very first round.
The lightning-quick win, which came just two minutes and 25 seconds into the first round, saw Joyce extend his flawless professional record to 7-0, in his second fight on American soil.
The win also saw Joyce earn the vacant WBA Continental heavyweight title.
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“I’ve been doing well and there is much more to come,” Joyce commented in the ring afterwards.
“There’s a lot of support from back home in England so thanks for coming. And hopefully I put on something that was good to watch.”
It certainly was. Joyce hurt Hanks early in the round, sending the American reeling backwards onto the ropes. A few second later and he landed a brutal left hook on his opponent’s jaw which finished the fight.
“I’m ready for anyone and I want to get into some bigger fights,” Joyce added in the ring.
“Whoever is watching — I’m ready. I’m ready to show you more. I’m getting people out quickly and I have good experience, so I need to keep improving. People say I’m slow but I land my shots and get the job done.”
Joyce is the first of two Brits to fight on the undercard, before Fury challenges Wilder for his WBC world heavyweight title.
Underdog Jason Welborn will later take on unified super welterweight world champion Jarrett Hurd in the co-main event.
BT Sport Box Office will exclusively show Wilder v Fury on December 1st, available to buy for just £19.95, find out more at www.bt.com/sportboxoffice.
