Joe Joyce beats Christian Hammer to maintain unbeaten record
'Juggernaut' Joe Joyce eased to a comfortable victory in his first fight in almost a year to maintain his impressive unbeaten record.
The British heavyweight, 36, forced German opponent Christian Hammer to drop to a knee at the end of the third round in London.
Hammer had to take a count three more times before being stopped halfway through the fourth round.
Victory saw Joyce retain his WBC silver and WBO international belts and cement his status as the mandatory challenger for the WBO world title.
Joyce, who now has a professional record of 14-0, was caught by Hammer, 34, in the first and second rounds at Wembley Arena.
But the former Olympic silver medallist then landed a string of body shots to halt Hammer, who now has a 27-10 record.
Ukraine's Oleksandr Usyk beat Britain's Anthony Joshua in September to win the WBO, IBF and WBA (Super) titles and their rematch takes place on 20 August.
Joyce hopes to face the winner of that fight, or fellow Briton Tyson Fury, and his promoter Frank Warren said his next fight has already been scheduled for 24 September.
"I enjoyed it so much, it's good to be back," said Joyce.
"I'm top level, I'm ready for the world stage. I've had my warm-up fight now so I'm ready for action."
Cunningham vs Tete
Zolani Tete reminded people just how dangerous he is with a stunning fourth-round stoppage against Jason Cunningham. The latter had been riding an excellent wave with some impressive wins in recent times, but that counted for nothing as Tete dominated from the outset. The former world champion dropped Cunningham at the start of round four, and he wasted no time in securing the victory with a follow-up attack.
Chamberlain vs Vidal
Mark Chamberlain was very impressive as he threw the kitchen sink at Spain's Marc Vidal. Capturing minor IBF honours, Chamberlain registered the best win of his career as he took control of the bout before dominating Vidal down the stretch. All three judges gave Chamberlain every round, and the man from Portsmouth can be happy with his performance.
Flectcher vs Gregorio
Tommy Fletcher wasted no time in making a big statement on his pro debut. Fletcher was intent on causing damage from the first bell, and 22-year-old Croatian Aron Gregorio had no answer to his power. After going down twice, the referee made the right call and ended the contest.
Burke vs Ambomo
Mickey Burke was expected to receive a decent test by Serge Ambomo, and that examination was provided as the experienced journeyman gave the unbeaten prospect a rough night. Burke's defence was sloppy throughout. He allowed Ambomo to land shots frequently, but the Bexley man did have some good moments, and that was enough to give him the verdict. Victor Loughlin scored the bout a ridiculous 60-55 in Burke's favour. A harsh reflection on Ambomo's work.
Turner vs Laskowski
Henry Turner enjoyed six routine rounds against former Cambell Hatton opponent Jakub Laskowski, as he continued his education in the paid ranks. The London southpaw rarely got out of first gear as he used various attacks to land multiple scoring shots. It's evident that Turner needs to step up, and hopefully, he gets a sterner test next time. Turner took every round on the referee's scorecard to win 60-54.