Joshua: Conor Benn starts his professional career with a swift win
Sunday 10 April 2016 03:15, UK
Conor Benn marked his professional debut with an explosive first round win over Ivailo Boyanov at the O2.
The 19-year-old light-welterweight, son of former world champion Nigel Benn, needed just over two minutes to halt his first opponent in the paid ranks.
Benn charged out from the opening bell, showing the same aggressive intent as his father, and quickly rocked Boyanov with a right hand.
Sensing a swift finish, Benn continued to hammer his dazed foe with hooks and a body shot sent the Bulgarian staggering towards the ropes before a final clubbing punch drew the intervention of referee Jeff Hinds.
Earlier in the evening, Ohara Davies claimed the English lightweight title with an impressive stoppage win over Andy Keates at The O2.
The Hackney fighter floored Keates in the first round and a crunching body shot signalled the end of the fight in the fourth.
After his bold predictions in the build-up, Davies came out firing from the start and dropped Keates with a crunching uppercut in the closing minute.
Keates was bleeding heavily from his nose by the second round, and he received more steady punishment in the third, opening a nasty gash on his head.
The damaging assault from Davies was mercifully ended in the fourth as 'Two Tanks' unloaded a big left hook to the body which left Keates crumpled on the canvas and he failed to beat the count.
