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Washington - Gervonta Davis remained unbeaten with a second round technical knockout over Ricardo Nunez in a super featherweight homecoming bout on Saturday.
The 24-year-old from Baltimore surprised Nunez with a devastating left hook midway through the second round before finishing him off with a series of left and rights on the ropes.
"I am ready all the time and he wasn't alert," said Davis of the left hook that proved to be the beginning of the end for his Panamanian opponent. "I took advantage and got a clear shot.
"As a fighter the first thing you learn is to protect yourself at all times."
Referee Harvey Dock stepped in to stop the fight with just over a minute to go in the round and he did so at the first sign Nunez was unable to defend himself.
Dock's quick halt to the slaughter was a sign that boxing is still reeling from two very recent deaths involving fighters in the ring.
Argentinian junior welterweight Hugo Alfredo Santillan died on Thursday from injuries suffered last Saturday in Buenos Aires, and Russia's Maxim Dadashev succumbed to injuries four days earlier in a fight in Maryland.
"I saw him defenceless and so it was time to stop the fight. He got hit by some serious shots," said Dock.
Davis, who improved to 22-0 with 21 knockouts said, "I want to send my condolences to the two fighters we lost last week."
Hometown hero Davis bided his time in the first round feeling out Nunez before unleashing the first power shots of the fight in the second in front of a sold out crowd of 14,600.
He seemed focussed on the task at hand and didn't get caught up in the hoopla of a boxing star fighting at home. All it took was one opening - where Nunez seemed to look away in the direction of the crowd - and Davis was ready to pounce.
"This is not only a win for me but for all of Baltimore," said Davis.
This is the second time Davis defended the crown he won by stopping Argentina's Jesus Cuellar in the third round in April 2018.
Davis also knocked out Mexico's Hugo Ruiz in the first round last February.
The only bump in the road was a six-round decision over German Meraz on October 8, 2014. The bout was Meraz's 80th pro fight while Davis entered it with an 8-0 record.
Davis said he hopes his next fight is against IBF champion Tevin Farmer.
Nunez, who turns 26 on Sunday, had his string of 10 straight wins stopped. He was seeking his first world title and was fighting in the US for the first time.
