Kurt Scoby blasted his way into the boxing public’s consciousness Friday night.
The junior welterweight prospect dropped John Mannu four times in the second round and stopped the previously unbeaten Australian southpaw in what was supposed to be the most difficult fight of Scoby’s two-year pro career. The 27-year-old Scoby, a former college football standout, improved to 11-0 and produced his ninth knockout in the opener of a “ShoBox: The New Generation” tripleheader at Stormont Vail Event Center in Topeka, Kansas (9 p.m. ET).
Scoby dropped Mannu with a right hand just four seconds into the second round. Mannu got right to his feet, but another right hand by Scoby sent him to the canvas again only 30 seconds into the second round.
Mannu tried to fight out of that trouble, but yet another right hand by Scoby dropped Mannu for the third time with 2:13 on the clock in the second round.
Referee Jacob Villa allowed Mannu to continue, but Scoby unloaded more power punches on him. A right up top, followed by a left to the body left the overwhelmed Mannu on the canvas for the fourth time.
Villa then stopped the action at 1:40 of the second round.
Mannu (7-1-1, 4 KOs) was supposed to provide a tough test for Scoby, who trains out of Brooklyn’s famed Gleason’s Gym. He upset undefeated Adrian Sosa (12-1, 9 KOs) by majority decision in his previous appearance, a six-rounder on the Devin Haney-George Kambosos Jr. undercard October 16 at Rod Laver Arena in Melbourne, Australia.
Keith Idec is a senior writer/columnist for BoxingScene.com. He can be reached on Twitter @Idecboxing.