Tuesday 3 October 2017 10:22, UK
Anthony Fowler and Natasha Jonas both earned stoppage victories as they fought in front of their home Liverpool crowd for the first time.
While Jonas impressed on her way to a fourth-round finish, fellow Olympic star Anthony Fowler brutally stopped Dubliner Jay Byrne to also extend his perfect record in the paid ranks.
Byrne had previously taken former amateur standouts Felix Cash and Josh Kelly the scheduled distance, but Liverpool super-welterweight Fowler went one better and stopped the Irishman with a punishing combination to the body.
Fowler, 26, started the contest at a blistering pace, stalking down Byrne, working behind a ramming accurate jab to fire home some crunching shots that quickly reddened his opponent's face in the opener.
The jab was proving to be a clinical tool for Fowler and 'The Machine' was clearly intent on finding the early finish in front of his home supporters as he systematically broke down Byrne.
The finish came in the fourth round as Fowler landed a crisp left hand to the body that forced Byrne to the canvas in clear discomfort.
The 30-year-old bravely returned to his feet, but further shots whipped towards his mid-section left the Irishman sprawled on the canvas.
Jonas took little time to pick up the second successive victory of her career as she dispatched of Poland's Bojana Libiszewska with a punishing finish in the third round.
The Liverpool lightweight immediately went on the front foot and landed some damaging left hooks out of her southpaw stance.
In the second, Jonas continued to march forward with intent, firing away some heavy-handed combinations as the 33-year-old continually breached the defence of her outclassed Polish opponent.
The onslaught continued into the second half of the contest and although Libiszewska bravely remained on her feet, after a ranging left hand landed from Jonas, the refereee stepped in to wave off the contest.
Earlier on in the evening, heavyweight Dereck Chisora earned a fifth round stoppage victory over Robert Filipovic as he prepares for a shot at the European title.
'DelBoy' will challenge unbeaten German Agit Kabayel in Monaco on November 4, live on Sky Sports.
Craig Glover was also victorious while super-welterweight Scott Fitzgerald extended his unbeaten record with victory over Bradley Pryce.
