Daniel Dubois added the vacant Commonwealth heavyweight title to his resume and continued his unbeaten run Friday with a first-round technical knockout of WBO African champion Ebenezer Tetteh at London's Royal Albert Hall.
Dubois, fighting in his hometown, needed just 100 seconds to stop Tetteh (19-1, 16 KOs), who appeared to be well out of his depth from the start as he fought for the first time outside his home city of Accra, Ghana. Dubois dropped Tetteh twice in a 17-second span as he showed off his jab and power. The referee stopped the bout after the second knockdown.
The 22-year-old Dubois (13-0, 12 KOs) now holds the Commonwealth, British, WBO European and International titles.
"It was a great performance," Dubois said after the fight. "I did what I had to do. I worked the jab, and everything I practiced in training I put into practice tonight."
"I think after every fight I'm improving," he added. "The jab is the product of everything I’ve been putting in at the gym and keeping busy as a fighter. I’m relaxed a lot more in the ring, so the more relaxed you are, the more power you generate, and tonight I showed that."
Hall of Fame promoter Frank Warren said, "I think he’s just working his way through the belts. Obviously, the most important thing is that he keeps learning. In this fight, although it was short, the jab was superb. He's probably got one of the best jabs in boxing."
Co-main event: Archie Sharp KOs Declan Geraghty to retain WBO European super featherweight title
Sharp (17-0, nine KOs) defended his WBO European belt for the third time with a fourth-round knockout.
Geraghty (19-5, four KOs) started well; he used his jab and then landed a left hand that caught Sharp wide-open. Sharp, who was using a very wide stance, offered little and looked out of rhythm early. Geraghty was happy to move in and out with his jab, and then he took to showboating with nothing coming back his way.
Sharp finally increased his tempo in the third, but an accidental clash of heads opened a cut above his left eye. The fighters' exchange at the end of that round appeared to finally ignite the bout.
Both men swung wildly early in the fourth. Geraghty’s glove touched the canvas but it was ruled that he had lost his balance and was not knocked down. Sharp used a high guard to protect the cut above his eye, which left himself open to body shots. The move also lured Geraghty into range.
The pair exchanged scrappy shots before Sharp connected with a powerful left hook to the jaw that sent the 29-year-old Irishman to the canvas. The referee instantly stopped the fight.
Undercard
Nicola Adams vs. Maria Salinas, split draw; Adams retains WBO female flyweight title.
Denzel Bentley def. Kelcie Ball; middleweights.
Dennis McCann def. Georgi Georgiev; bantamweights.
Willy Hutchinson def. Borislav Zankov; light heavyweights.
Ethan James def. Fonz Alexander; super lightweights.
Jonathan Palata def. Chris Healey; heavyweights.
Mohammad Bilal Ali def. Aleksandrs Birkenbergs; lightweights.
Sam Noakes def. Chris Adaway; lightweights.