The brilliance of Tim Tszyu was once again on full display, as the 26-year-old crushed Dennis Hogan in Newcastle on Wednesday evening to take another step towards a maiden world title fight.
Tszyu, who sustained a cut above his right eye in the second round, continually worked Hogan's body, dishing out severe punishment to his older rival in yet another one-sided encounter. The former two-time title challenger was simply unable to slow down the onslaught coming from Australian boxing's brightest young star.
Just before the bell rung to end the fifth round, and with Tszyu pinning Hogan on the ropes, the Irishman's corner was left with little choice but to throw in the towel and hand Tszyu a TKO victory.
"This is my kingdom, this is where I take control," Tszyu said after the fight. "I was only warming up. I could have gone seven more rounds at this pace.
"This is not tip-tap, we're punching each other. I'm going to do some serious damage."
Hogan was able to land a few shots in the early rounds but it didn't take long for Tszyu to step up his power game and begin making life difficult for his opponent. Hogan winced with every punch Tszyu was able to land on the body, and the fatigue quickly set in.
Tszyu came close to ending the fight in both the third and fourth rounds, after several flurries of body punches, before getting the job done in the fifth.
The win at the Newcastle Entertainment Centre see Tszyu improve to a 18-0 (14 KOs) record in professional competition. A world title fight is looking more likely for the son of Kostya, though a showdown with fellow Australian Michael Zerafa is also potentially on the cards later this year.
"It's up to my promoters," Tszyu said, in regards to his next fight. "We want the real straps, and we want them here in Australia. Whatever happens, happens."