Hamza Uddin demonstrates his class in seventh round stoppage win
Walsall boxing ace Hamza Uddin extended his perfect record in the professional ranks with an impressive seventh round stoppage of Argentina's Leandro Jose Blanc.
The 21-year-old looked several classes above his opponent, a former Olympian, at Birmingham's BP Pulse Arena as he recorded his fifth pro victory and second inside the distance.
Uddin, who had promised to deliver the best performance of his career to date, backed up the big words as he dominated the contest from the start.
Bigger challenges will undoubtedly lie ahead for a fighter who has big ambitions, having outlined his dream to become the first British Bangladeshi world champion.
But this was a strong performance, albeit against an opponent fighting outside of South America for the first time in his career.
The eight-time national champion enjoyed success with powerful left-hands to his opponent's body in the opening round.
As Uddin moved through the gears, so Blanc increasingly went on the defensive, tumbling to the canvas at the end of the third round as he tried to escape the pressure.
The frustration for Uddin was the failure to find the big shot. Warned for a low blow midway through the fifth, a series of combination punches were then halted by the bell, with at least one of the punches appearing to come late.
Blanc continued to take punishment in the sixth and in the seventh he eventually could find no way out. A sweeping left from Uddin led to a flurry of 13 unanswered punches and though Blanc was still on his feet, pedalling backwards when referee Ryan Churchill stepped in, he could have few real complaints about the decision.
