David Adaleye secured his 11th stoppage out of 12 as he forced Emir Ahmatovic to retire on his stool before the start of the sixth.
‘Big D’ is one of a crop of promising heavyweights in Britain and has done everything right during his first three and a half years as a pro.
This was not Adeleye’s best performance to date but he did enough damage to break Ahmatovic’s heart and end the fight after five completed rounds in Friday’s main event from York Hall in Bethnal Green.
Adeleye said: “I was busting him up with the jab. Touching him. I’m still trying to find my feet on the big stage,
“I was seeing certain things so I was just touching jim with the jab so I didn’t have to throw the right hand.”
When asked if he was pleased with his performance, Adeleye added: “No. I wanted to blitz him, lights out. I want to park them up, I want a car park full of guys. I wanted to blitz him.”
Now attention will turn to a potential fight with British heavyweight champion Fabio Wardley, but he said: “Everyone is calling my name to fight for certain belts but I just need to stay active.
“Fabio and Eddie Hearn don’t want to come and see me. They talk a good game of course and I don’t mind going there and having a dust up.
“If it makes sense and what not but when they pushed me to the side I went on my own trajectory. Fabio can go and kiss me where the sun don’t shine.”
He had described the situation regarding Wardley and Frazer Clarke, who was pulled out of a purse bid for the potential British title clash, as a ‘bit of a joke’. But the Londoner knows Clarke’s withdrawal might give him the chance to apply a punchline to the situation.
But any opportunity to fight for the British title any time soon would have evaporated had he not got past Ahmatovic here. The 36-year-old Serbia-born German was 12-1 when he arrived in London with his only defeat coming at the hands of Filip Hrgovic, who stopped him in three.
He had also won inside two rounds on seven occasions himself so the suggestion was the visitor could be dangerous early on. But it was Adeleye who landed the more meaningful shots in a cagey first round, with one stiff jab in particular snapping Ahmatovic’s head back.
Adeleye continued to apply the pressure and the third round finished with the crowd inside a sweltering York Hall on their feet as he backed Ahmatovic against the ropes and unloaded. The bell, however, ended the onslaught.
It was the home fighter dominating the fight but he was struggling to make a meaningful breakthrough, although the visitor had sustained damage around both eyes, the nose and the lip by the end of the fifth. And, much to the surprise of the crowd, that would be as far as it went as Ahmatovic’s corner pulled him out before the sixth.
In the chief support, lightweight Mark Chamberlain took just 2:16 to see off Marvin Demollari and rack up the sixth first-round stoppage of his career.
The southpaw from Portsmouth got the Italian in trouble early on and seemed to have forced a knockdown when his opponent touched down but referee Bob Williams did not call it.
However he was clearly in real trouble and shipped a number of punches after Williams appeared to call break. Even so, Chamberlain was allowed back at Demollari, who had never been stopped before this. He dropped him legitimately before the towel came in to end the contest.
“I believe it should have been stopped after the first count,” Chamberlain said. “I think Bob likes to watch a good tear up.”
Earlier, super-lightweight Henry Turner impressed against Tom Farrell, forcing a corner retirement after six completed rounds.