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Tonight's Showtime Championship Boxing doubleheader saw a pair of titleholders retain their belts with convincing victories in Connecticut, including a totally one-sided blowout in the main event.
Gary Russell Jr improved to 27-1 (16 KO) with a second round TKO victory over Ireland's Patrick Hyland (31-2, 15 KO), dropping the challenger three times in that round and lighting him up with speed and precision:
.@mrgaryrusselljr defends his WBC featherweight world title after knocking down @pajpunisher 3 times #RussellHyland https://t.co/JyocNXtCHg
— SHOWTIME SPORTS (@SHOsports) April 17, 2016
In the co-feature, Puerto Rico's Jose Pedraza (22-0, 12 KO) topped the UK's Stephen Smith (23-2, 13 KO) by unanimous decision, winning on clear scores of 116-111, 116-111, and 117-110. He was in control for the majority of the fight, and put Smith down for just the second time in his career in round nine:
IBF jr. lightweight champ @sniper_pedraza sends @SwiftySmith to the canvas in round 9 #RussellHyland https://t.co/VV2E2o6ka0
— SHOWTIME SPORTS (@SHOsports) April 17, 2016