Stephen McKenna halted Joe Laws after a wild three-round battle on the Zak Chelli vs Callum Simpson undercard at Oakwell Stadium in Barnsley.
Ahead of the fight when McKenna had threatened to knock Laws out in the first round, it seemed wholly plausible. So big did the Irishman look at their weigh-in, so substantial an underdog was Laws, that his forecast sounded coldly rational.
But Benwell’s Laws was fired up. He ran down through the stadium to make his entrance and at the first bell pitched himself directly into McKenna, bombing an overarm right in ahead of him.
They slugged it out, swinging wildly.
However when McKenna knocked him down early on in the round, it seemed like his prediction was about to come true.
Laws rose but McKenna was relentless, smashing him into the ropes, hacking at his defences with punch after punch, cracking the Benwell man with hard blows.
But Laws dug out an almighty left hook, that wobbled McKenna badly and dropped him to the canvas.
Laws slugs with McKenna, and has success
The first round was frenetic and the second was just the same. Laws slammed punches back when he could but McKenna kept the pressure on.
In the third round, Laws heaved a right hook into McKenna’s body but the Irishman was determined to power through everything coming back at him.
He hammered right hands into Laws’ head and forced him down to the canvas, sitting Laws against a corner post.
McKenna overwhelms him
Laws spat out his mouthpiece to buy some time. But he could not get himself back into the fight. Another right saw him sink down a second time in the round and a third visit to the canvas left him unable to continue, prompting his corner to throw in the towel.
Connor Coyle gradually ratcheted up the pressure on Kyle Lomotey to win their eight-rounder and preserve his unbeaten record as well as a lofty world ranking.
He settled into the contest and began to line up long straight shots to catch the mobile Leigh southpaw.
Lomotey, wide-eyed with concentration, fended Coyle off with jabs. But, trapping his opponent on the ropes, Coyle banged his right through the middle.
Laws cannot continue
His most effective shot was a rattling left hook to the head. Coyle continued to close Lomotey down as another left hook collided with him. Bossing the final rounds, Coyle made sure of a 77-75 points victory.
Coyle, now with a 21-0 (9) record, is No 2 with the WBA and can target its middleweight champion Erislandy Lara or a potential title eliminator.
Mario Silva caught the eye when he became just the eighth man to halt Dale Arrowsmith, a journeyman who has had 121 professional contests.
It was a one-punch finish as well, Silva dug a rapid left hook into the body that dropped Arrowsmith to his knee. He was hurt and, with his corner throwing in the towel, the referee waved off the fight.
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Mario Silva remains unbeaten after his cracking left hook to the body of Dale Arrowsmith, as he becomes only the eighth man to stop Arrowsmith in 122 bouts
To redeem himself, after being on the receiving end of a Ben Whittaker showboating masterclass in February, Khalid Graidia had to rise from a body-shot knockdown in his second round with Billy Deniz.
He did so and, as Deniz rushed in to find a finish, Graidia managed to clip him with a left hook.
In his eagerness to close out Graidia, Deniz would let a few too many of Graidia’s punches through, but the Droylsden man dominated their exchanges to remain unbeaten, winning 59-54 after six rounds.
Full of endeavour, Billy Deniz takes the fight to Khalid Graidia
Former railway engineer Joel Kodua kept his boxing career on track as he outpointed John Henry Mosquera in a one-sided six-rounder. He marched Mosquera backwards, tagging him with jabs and back-hand rights.
Barring the odd flurry from Mosquera, Kodua dictated the action, winning 60-54.
Watch the Zak Chelli vs Callum Simpson British and Commonwealth title fight live on Sky Sports
