David Haye dismantled Monte Barrett at the O2 Arena, paving the way for a showdown with one of the Klitschko brothers next year.
British boxer batters Barrett, then calls out Klitschko brothers
David Haye marked his permanent move up to heavyweight with a fifth-round stoppage of Monte Barrett at the O2 Arena in London.
The 28-year-old knocked his American opponent down no fewer than five times before referee Richie Davies finally waved off the contest.
Barrett had done well to last as long as he did, somehow climbing off the canvas twice in both the third and fourth rounds.
However, Haye finished the job in the fith to seal a sensational win that was watched at ringside by a possible future opponent, Vitali Klitschko.
Impressive
The reigning WBC champion must have been impressed by what he saw in Haye's first bout as a fully-fledged heavy having moved up following his domination of the cruiserweight division.
Unlike Poland's Tomasz Bonin, who he fought back in 2007 before dropping back down, Barrett was seen as a decent test for the Londoner's lofty ambitions.
However, the 41-fight veteran who had been in with the likes of Klitschko, Nikolay Valuev and Hasim Rahman, endured a tought night, starting with his ring entrance when he tripped over the top rope trying to hurdle his way in.
The opening round saw Haye find the target wth a big right and in the next he landed more solid shots, even if he did have to take the odd blow back.
A left hook sent the New Yorker down for the first time with a minute to go in the third and barely after rising a right on the back of the head resulted in a second knockdown.
The fourth saw Haye hand out further punishment, Barrett twice going down and only being saved another trip to the floor by the bell, as well as the referee's somewhat generous decision to allow the bout to continue.
Finally the end came in the next round, though not before Barrett was deducted a point for hitting his opponent after he had slipped over.
A left hook finished the job for Haye, who immediately afterwards declared his intention to fight one of the Klitschko brothers next year.
Rhodes victorious
On the same bill, Ryan Rhodes defeated South African Vincent Vuma on points to take the WBC International light-middleweight title.
The Yorkshireman won comfortably on all three of the judges' scorecards to continue his renaissance in the ring.
Since losing to Gary Lockett in his bid to win the WBU belt in 2006 Rhodes has won six on the spin, including claiming the British strap with a ninth-round stoppage of Gary Woolcombe.
This time the 31-year-old was unable to get the job done inside the distance, instead overcoming a nasty cut above his right eye to take the victory by margins of 117-111, 116-112 and 116-113.
