Whittaker seals stunning knockout win against Gavazi

British light-heavyweight Ben Whittaker sealed a stunning first-round knockout win against Benjamin Gavazi to maintain his undefeated record in Birmingham.

Marking his first appearance since signing for promoter Matchroom, Whittaker put on a dominant performance for the 135 seconds that it lasted.

Whittaker, 28, is known for showboating and speed, and put the latter into practice when he dropped German Gavazi with a right to the temple after good combination work.

Gavazi beat the count but the writing was already on the wall as Whittaker went back on the attack. A crushing right hook sent Gavazi down again and the referee waved off the fight.

"He came to change his life but like I said, I showed something special, and I showed why I'm different," Whittaker said on DAZN.

"You don't get Olympic medals by hopping around on one foot. I can do it all."

Whittaker, who took silver at the 2020 Olympics, has won 10 of his 11 fights as a professional - drawing the other with Liam Cameron after both men bizarrely fell over the ropes.

Whittaker burst into the professional ranks in July 2022 and went on to claim several highlight reel knockout victories.

His flashy style, which at times has been criticised as disrespectful to opponents, has divided opinion but he continues to deliver at each step.

Gavazi, 30, has lost just twice in 21 fights and it is the first time he has been stopped.

"We don't want to take him to America too much, but America is crying out for Ben Whittaker," Matchroom promoter Eddie Hearn said.

World title fights are the aim for Whittaker but it remains to be seen whether they will come his way in 2026, with so much competition for places at the top of the light-heavyweight division.

Dmitry Bivol holds the WBO, IBF and WBA 'Super' titles with David Benavidez, who is preparing to move up to cruiserweight, the WBC champion.

Molly McCann beat Ebonie Cotton on points in a super-bantamweight bout at the NEC in Birmingham.

Cotton suffered a nasty cut on her forehead but managed to stay the distance before the referee scored it 58-56 in McCann's favour.

Former UFC fighter McCann, 35, has no time to waste as she looks to establish herself in the art of pugilism.

The Liverpudlian, who was a promising amateur boxing and won an ABA title before switching to mixed martial arts, stopped Kate Radomska on her professional boxing debut in September.