British light-welterweight Adam Azim continued his march towards a world-title shot with third-round stoppage victory over the experienced Steve Claggett in London.
The unbeaten 24-year-old repeatedly landed damaging uppercuts and dropped Claggett in the closing seconds of the second round at OVO Arena in Wembley.
Azim maintained the pressure in the third, unleashing a series of powerful punches that prompted the referee to stop the fight.
“Thank you for everyone coming down to support me, thank you for the British and Pakistani supporting me,” he said.
“I had to train extra hard for 12 weeks because I knew Steve was very strong.”
The win extends Azim’s record to 15 victories from 15 fights and strengthens his case for a shot at the IBF light-welterweight world title this year.
Canadian Claggett, meanwhile, loses for the ninth time in 51 fights.
On the undercard, British bantamweight Francesca Hennessy, 21, moved a step closer to her own world-title ambitions with a stylish sixth-round stoppage win over Italy’s Aurora de Persio.
‘Azim will be a unified and multi-weight champion’
Large gaps were visible around the arena during the undercard. The crowd gradually filled out as the evening progressed, although there were still plenty of empty seats by the time of the main event.
But those in attendance made their voices heard when Azim – sporting a black fedora with white-trimmed brim – walked to the ring to Michael Jackson’s ‘Beat It.’
Azim made a sharp start and drew blood from Claggett’s nose with an uppercut in the opening minutes.
Claggett, 36, brought vast experience. He had been stopped only once as a professional and went the distance with Teofimo Lopez in a world-title challenge in 2023.
But he had no answer for Azim’s relentless power. The Slough fighter landed a right that stunned Claggett and a right hook that dropped him heavily.
The away fighter beat the count but looked a beaten man as he gingerly made his way back to his corner.
Azim sensed his opportunity and piled on the pressure. With Claggett offering little resistance and absorbing a succession of clean shots, referee Marcus McDonnell stepped in.
Although Azim did not quite pull off his trademark backflip celebration, it was otherwise a near-perfect night for ‘The Assassin’.
His team have carefully manoeuvred him towards a shot at the vacant IBF light-welterweight title. The IBF has ordered Mexico’s Lindolfo Delgado to face Russian-Canadian Arthur Biyarslanov for the belt, and Azim could be well placed to face the winner.
Further down the line, Azim has also long been linked with a domestic showdown against fellow Briton Dalton Smith.
“I’d be doing something terribly wrong if he doesn’t win a world title,” trainer Shane McGuigan said.
“I don’t just think he is going to win a world title, I think he will be unified and a multi-weight world champion.”
Hennessy moves closer to world-title dream
Earlier, Sevenoaks fighter Hennessy impressed against Italy’s De Persio to extend her unbeaten record to nine victories.
Hennessy had a point to prove after being pushed all the way by Ellie Bouttell in her previous outing, a narrow points win which could have gone the other way.
She made her entrance alongside rapper J Fado and smiled on her way to the ring. De Persio, also 21, had lost just once in nine contests but was fighting outside Italy for the first time.
It was a scrappy opening, with De Persio repeatedly leading with her head and Hennessy suffered a cut beneath her right eye in round two as her opponent continued to aggressively charge forward.
But Hennessy adjusted well and began to dictate the fight, mixing her attacks well to head and body as De Persio tired.
The pressure intensified in the fifth, with Hennessy unloading combinations and forcing De Persio back on to the ropes. She continued the onslaught in the sixth before the one-way traffic prompted the referee to halt the fight.
New Zealand-born Cherneka Johnson holds all four world titles in the division and faces Dina Thorslund in Australia and Hennessy – who is mandatory for the WBC belt – is confident she can land a world-title shot soon.
“I was so much calmer in there. It all comes with age and experience,” she said.
“I knew to just relax. I put it all together and I am truly blessed. Let’s go mandatory for undisputed.”