Keith Thurman brought Brock Jarvis back to reality and positioned himself for a potential blockbuster fight with Tim Tszyu after a dominant third-round knockout in Sydney.
Thurman sent Jarvis to the floor with a fierce combination, finished with a powerful uppercut midway through the third round on Wednesday night.
The referee quickly stopped the super-welterweight bout shortly after when the American knocked Jarvis down again with a stunning left hook to the side of the head.
Jarvis’s devastating loss must have been a bitter pill for Jeff Fenech, following the Australian boxing legend’s recent split with the Sydney fighter last month.
Fenech had concerns that Thurman, a two-time former world champion, would be too strong for his former protégé.
Curtis Scott, former NRL player, replaced Fenech in Jarvis’s corner and likely felt uneasy watching the 27-year-old suffer such a brutal defeat.
This victory over Jarvis, Thurman’s first fight in three years, silenced any doubts about the 36-year-old’s ability to remain a top contender.
Thurman now hopes Tszyu will defeat fellow American Joey Spencer in Newcastle on April 6, paving the way for a fight with Australia’s former WBO champion.
‘Yeah, I just raised the bar on you, Tszyu,’ he stated.
‘This is after three years of inactivity. You see what I’m capable of.
‘You want to make a comeback, baby. You have to come back strong, baby. Show them what you’ve got.
‘Best of luck to Tim. I’m eager to fight anyone in the boxing world.
‘If that contract (with Tszyu) materializes, you know what Keith Thurman will do. Send the contract. I’ll sign it. I’ll gladly take the fight.’
The sudden end to Wednesday night’s fight sharply contrasted with the first round, where Jarvis had Thurman against the ropes and on the defensive.
The aggressive 27-year-old continued to land more punches in the second round, but Thurman exploded into action in the third, with devastating consequences for Jarvis.
In the co-main event, Michael Zerafa secured a decisive TKO victory over Besir Ay to remain relevant and claim the vacant WBO Intercontinental middleweight title.
The referee stopped the fight just over a minute into the seventh round after Zerafa dropped the German fighter twice within 20 seconds with powerful headshots.
Zerafa, who stated he was ‘happy to play the villain’ in Australian boxing, quickly challenged Tszyu as well.
‘I know Tim is here tonight (commentating),’ he said.
‘That’s the biggest fight in Australia, and I’m not even going to trash talk.’
And Mateo Tapia captured the vacant IBF Intercontinental middleweight title with a spectacular win over fellow Australian Sergei Vorobev.
In his first fight since a controversial draw against Venezuelan Endry Saavedra on the Tim Tszyu-Bakhram Murtazaliev undercard in Florida last October, Tapia’s renowned ‘million-dollar right hand’ once again proved decisive.
Tapia sent Vorobev crashing to the canvas, unconscious, midway through the fifth round with a powerful blow to the face.
‘It feels great to be back,’ Tapia said after improving his record to 17-1-0 (11KOs).
‘That Orlando fight was the biggest test of my life. Not in terms of skill, but because of what I had to endure before and during the fight.
‘Two head clashes really swelled up my eye. So I’m just happy to be back and reassert my dominance.’
