Barack Obama was in his seventh year as U.S. president the last time Neslan Machado scored a knockout win. (photo by juanmashots)
That changed in a big way on Friday, when Miami’s Machado made quick work of Jonathan Smith. A barrage of power shots was enough to prompt referee Chris Young to stop the contest at 2:34 of round two in their Fite TV Pay-Per-View preliminary bout Friday evening from Casino Miami Jai Alai.
Machado made a point to target the midsection of Smith (8-2, 6KOs), a southpaw from South Bend, Indiana who actually threw heavy leather early in the night. Machado waded through the early storm and immediately seized control of the fight.
A body punching clinic was delivered by the 26-year-old Machado, who loaded up on right hands and left hooks downstairs. Smith was on the defensive for much of the brief affair but braved an onslaught to survive the opening round.
Machado didn’t waste any time or punches in round two. Smith fought behind a high guard, which exposed his lean frame for the local favorite to connect with right hands. Smith was trapped in a corner where Machado landed a series of right hands followed by a final left hook to the body as the referee intervened to rescue Smith from additional punishment.
The win saw Machado improve to 20-0 (9KOs). His past ten fights produced nine decision victories and a first-round No-Contest which ended with an accidental clash of heads. Machado’s last knockout came in August 2015 when he stopped Christian Esquivel after two rounds in a regional title fight.
Headlining the show, former four-division titlist Adrien Broner (34-4-1, 24KOs) ends a 28-month layoff as he faces Pittsburgh’s Bill Hutchinson (20-2-4, 9KOs) in a ten-round welterweight contest. Cincinnati’s Broner—who turns 34 in July—has not fought since a February 2021 unanimous decision victory over Puerto Rico’s Jovanie Santiago.
Jake Donovan is a senior writer for BoxingScene.com. Twitter: @JakeNDaBox