Joe Joyce needed just 38 seconds to blast Donnie Palmer away and claim his third win as a professional
The 2016 Rio Olympics silver medallist was ruthless in his demolition of the Honduran at the iconic York Hall in London.
The 32-year-old "Juggernaught" landed a solid jab in the opening seconds of the scheduled 10-round bout before rocking his opponent with a right-hand to the body. The 6ft 6in Londoner unleashed a flurry of punches forcing Palmer onto the back foot, and finished the Boston-based boxer in style with a sharp two-punch combination, leaving Palmer in a heap in the centre of the ring. The American resident looked unsteady as he got to his feet, leaving referee Jeff Hinds no choice but to halt the contest within the first minute of action.
Joyce moved up to 3-0 and secured his next fight against fomer British, Commonwealth and European heavyweight champion Derek Chisora on May 5 back at the O2 Arena on the Bellew-Haye undercard.
There were more early finishes on the Hayemaker Promotions show in Bethnal Green last night. In the co-headlining contest, Matty Askin defended his British cruiserweight belt in emphatic fashion with a second-round KO over mandatory challenger Stephen Simmons, and light-heavyweight prospect "Dazzling" Darrel Chuch stopped his opponent in the first round with a cracking straight right hand on the chin.