Patrick Hyland's world title dream was ended in brutal and incisive fashion by Gary Russell Jr. in Connecticut on Saturday night.
Dubliner Hyland headed into the WBC featherweight bout a 7/1 underdog and never looked like upsetting those odds at the Foxwood Resorts.
Russell Jr. was making his first title defence more than a year after winning it but showed no signs of rust as he dispatched Hyland midway through the second round.
The 32-year-old contender couldn’t live with Russell Jr.’s punching speed and despite landing with a couple of rights in the opening round he was no match for the champion.
A brutal right hand saw Hyland hit the canvas in the second before he was sent into the ropes and judged to have been knocked down a second time.
Hyland convinced the referee he was fit to continue but another barrage of punches saw the fight stopped after just 1.33 of the second round.
Afterwards Russell Jr. indicated he wants a unifying bout with Wales’ IBF belt holder Lee Selby.
Also looking for a big British fight with Selby is Josh Warrington, who successfully defended his WBC against Hisashi Amagasa thanks to a predictably soft unanimous points decision in Leeds.
