Joe Joyce demolished Joe Hanks inside the first round as the British heavyweight swiftly brought up his seven professional victory in Los Angeles.
The Olympic bronze medallist continued his destructive progress in the paid ranks, stopping Hanks in the closing seconds of the opener.
Sticking out a stiff jab, Joyce sized up the American from the start, before hurting him with a chopping right hand.
With Hanks wobbling on unsteady legs, Joyce stood off waiting to see if he would tumble to the canvas, but then moved in to deliver a fight-ending left hand.
Hanks crumpled in the corner and the referee quickly waved it off.
“Woah, like I showed, I’ve been doing well,” Joyce told BT Sport Box Office. “There’s plenty more to come.
“I hope I put on something good to watch. I’m ready for anyone. I want to get in some bigger fights. I’m ready to show you all.”
Top heavyweight prospect Joe Joyce wasted no time in taking care of business tonight in Los Angeles, kicking off the Wilder-Fury pay-per-view with a first round stoppage of Joe Hanks.
Joyce (7-0, 7 KO) clipped Hanks with a shot that hurt him and had him staggered with less than a minute left in the round, then connected with a big left hook that put Hanks down and out moments later.
The official time of stoppage was 2:25 of the first round.
The 33-year-old Joyce is older than you might expect, and there are hopes that they’ll step down harder on his matchmaking in the new year. For now, Hanks (23-3, 15 KO) is a respectable enough win, one that proves Joyce is clearly above this level, and he sounds like he’s ready to step it up a bit himself.
“I’m ready for anyone,” Joyce told Showtime’s Jim Gray after the fight. “I want to get in some bigger fights. I’m ready, so whoever’s watching, I’m ready. I’m ready to show you all.”
