Murat Gassiev knocked out Kubrat Pulev to claim the WBA "regular" heavyweight title in Dubai on Friday.
Gassiev (33-2, 26 KOs) landed a clean left hook in Round 6 which floored Pulev (32-4, 14 KOs). The 44-year-old attempted to get up but was clearly dazed and couldn't beat the count.
It is an important win for Gassiev, a former cruiserweight world champion, which could put him in contention for a full world title shot with the WBA.
Pulev was boxing well and settled into a nice rhythm behind his jab early on, making life difficult for his rival.
However, Gassiev unleashed a near-prefect left hook which sent Pulev to the canvas.
Unified heavyweight champion Oleksandr Usyk holds the full WBA world title.
Gassiev and Usyk have met once before at cruiserweight, with Usyk winning with a unanimous decision.
Pulev is no stranger to British fans but tasted defeat in his fights against both Anthony Joshua and Derek Chisora in 2020 and 2022, respectively. At 44, it was arguably his last roll of the dice but came up short in Dubai.