The first fight on the "This Is It" pay-per-view from the UK this afternoon saw former British Olympian Billy Joe Saunders look sensational, as the 21-year-old middlweight ripped Kevin Hammond, stopping him in two rounds.
Saunders (9-0, 6 KO) has had some issues with his hands in the past, but looked very strong and fast in this one. He put his punches together exceptionally well, moved from the head to the body and vice versa, and just took apart a guy known to be a tough customer. Hammond (8-7-1, 4 KO) doesn't have a pretty record, but he'd never been stopped before and was a nice step for Saunders, who made the step count.
It was body work that carried Saunders here, as he dropped Hammond late in the second round with nasty body shots. Hammond recovered and came back to his feet, but a vicious right hook to the body put Hammond down again moments later, and the referee stopped the one-sided action.
Saunders' prospect profile probably raised a bit here. So long as the hand issues don't come back, he's got the tools to move up the ranks quickly. Promoter Frank Warren said that Saunders would be back in July.
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