Bantamweight contender Joshua Greer overcame a knockdown to knock out Giovanni Escaner in round eight Friday night at the Grand Casino in Hinkley, Minnesota.

With the win, Greer has won his last 17 bouts, dating back to December of 2015.

Both fighters were on the attack from the opening bell, producing solid exchanges between the two fighters.

Escaner scored a knockdown at the end of round three, dropping Greer with a right hand to the chin. Replays showed Escaner threw the punch right at the bell.

Greer (20-1-1, 12 knockouts) was not visibly hurt from the punch, but decided to box, looking to counter Escaner during the middle rounds.

The 24-year-old Greer began working the body of Escaner. The amount of punches to the body from Greer began to take their toll as Escaner’s punch output dropped significantly.

Greer ended matters in round eight, landing a right hand to Escaner’s stomach. Escaner turned away from Greer, dropping to one knee as referee Mark Nelson counted him out at 2:33.

WHAT. A. FIGHT. @JoshuaGreerJr with the 8th-round knockout! #BrantKhasan pic.twitter.com/MVv0Nhr1zI

— Top Rank Boxing (@trboxing) February 16, 2019

“I did what I had to do to soften him up,” said Greer, who is ranked No. 7 by the IBF. “It’s all a learning experience for me. But I’m from Chicago. I had to go take it.”

Escaner drops to 19-4 (12 KOs).

Mayer outpoints Larios

Junior lightweight Mikaela Mayer outboxed Yareli Larios of Mexico over eight rounds to win a unanimous decision.

Larios was the aggressor early on in the fight. By round three, the taller Mayer began working behind an effective jab.

By the middle rounds, Mayer’s work to the body slowed Larios down. Mayer was the aggressor during the last three rounds, walked Larios down, connecting several combinations to the head of Larios.

By the final round, Larios looked exhausted, but was able to make it to the final bell.

Scores were 80-72, 79-73, 78-74 for Mayer, who improves to 10-0 (5 KOs).

“It’s more about strategy in the pros,” said Mayer, who is trained by Al Mitchell. “I was relaxed and took my time in there. We knew she was going to be tough. She has that Hispanic blood in her.”

Larios, who is the daughter of two-time world titleholder Oscar Larios, drops to 13-2-1 (3 KOs).

Francisco A. Salazar has written for RingTV.com since October of 2013 and has covered boxing in Southern California and abroad since 2000. Francisco also covers boxing for the Ventura County (Calif.) Star newspaper, Boxingscene.com, and FightNights.com. He can be reached by email at [email protected] or on Twitter at @FSalazarBoxing