Surprise!

Colossal British heavyweight star Daniel Dubois added the vacant Commonwealth belt to his British title by posting a first-round stoppage over Ebenezer Tetteh at the York Hall arena in London. The official time was 2:10.

As the bell rang for Round 1, I was writing in advance that Dubois had prevailed via first-round stoppage. Tetteh looked like he would rather be anywhere else in the world than in front of the unbeaten Dubois and that nervous demeanor was blood to one very big shark.

Dubois (13-0, 12 knockouts) came out aggressively and the first knockdown came courtesy of a multi-punch combination, punctuated by a big right hand to the jaw. Tetteh rose on unsteady legs and, with over a minute remaining, had literally no chance of survival. Referee Mark Lyson allowed the action to continue and Dubois launched a strong two-fisted assault that put Tetteh over again. The stricken Ghanaian found his feet, but he wasn’t steady enough to survive a gust of wind.

“It was a great performance,” said Dubois in his post-fight interview with BT Sport. “I did everything I had to do and everything I did in training, I put it into practice. All credit to my trainers, my dad and everyone in the team.

“With every fight, I’m improving. The jab is just a product of all the work I’ve been doing in the gym. I’m relaxing a lot more in the ring and the more relaxed you are, the more power you generate. Tonight, I showed that.”

Tetteh drops to 19-1 (16 KOs) and becomes Dubois’ fourth first-round knockout victim.

Undercard

Former double Olympic champion Nicola Adams retained her WBO female flyweight title when her bout with Maria Salinas was scored a 10-round split-decision draw.

Opinions varied on the result, but official scores were 96-94 Salinas, 97-93 Adams and 95-95.

“I was a bit ring rusty,” acknowledged Adams, who hadn’t fought in almost 12 months. “I wasn’t happy with my performance. It’s not the result I wanted, but if she wants a rematch, I’m happy to go again.”

Adams moves to 5-0 (3 KOs) and Salinas is now 21-7-4 (7 KOs).

Junior lightweight Archie Sharp scored a spectacular knockout of Irishman Declan Geraghty in the fourth round of a scheduled 10. The official time was 2:14.

Sharp (17-0, 9 KOs) appeared to be behind after three rounds and an adjustment was definitely required. On cue, the 24-year-old from Kent increased the intensity in Round 4, forcing Geraghty back behind a high guard. Suddenly, using his feet, Sharp drifted right to create punching room and floored his man with a massive left hand. Geraghty was out cold and referee Howard Foster waved the bout off without administering the count.

Tom Gray is Associate Editor for The Ring. Follow him on Twitter: @Tom_Gray_Boxing

SUBSCRIBE NOW (CLICK HERE - JUST $1.99 PER MONTH) TO READ THE LATEST ISSUE