Zhilei Zhang scored a third round stoppage over Joe Joyce to retain his interim WBO Heavyweight Title at Wembley Arena in London, England.

Zhang dominated the action and at the end of round three, landed a booming right hook on the jaw that put Joyce on the canvas face-first. Joyce got to his feet, but the fight was waved off at 3:07.

Zhang of China is now 26-1-1 with 21 knockouts. Joyce of London is 15-2.

The fight was a rematch of a Zhang stoppage from April.

Former two-time world title challenger Anthony Yarde stopped very late replacement Jorge Silva in round two of their light heavyweight fight.

In round two, Yarde landed a right hand that dumped Silva in the corner and the fight was stopped at 2:07.

Yarde, 177.9 lbs of Essex, ENG is now 24-3 with 23 knockouts. Silva, 178 lbs of Portugal is 22-9.

Ezra Taylor scored a eighth and final round stoppage over Joel Mcintyre in a light heavyweight bout.

Taylor dominated the bout and then opened up a big flurry in the corner and got the last second stoppage at 2:59.

Taylor, 176 lbs of Nottingham, ENG is 7=0 with five knockouts. Mcintyre, 178 lbs of Portsmouth, ENG is 20-8.

Tommy Fletcher dropped Alberto Tapia five times en-route to a fourth-round stoppage in a scheduled six-round cruiserweight bout.

In round one, Fletcher dropped Tapia with a hard straight left to the body. At the end of the round, Fletcher landed an uppercut that put Tapia on his knee. In round two, Fletcher landed a left on the inside that put Tapia down once again. Later in the round Fletcher scored a fourth knockdown with a left to the body. In round three, Fletcher dumped Tapia yet again with a left to the body.

In round four, Fletcher landed a flurry that included a hard right hook to the head and a straight left that forced the corner to throw in the towel at 1:28.

Fletcher, 198.2 lbs of Norfolk, ENG is 6-0 with five knockouts. Tapia, 197.5 lbs of Spain is 3-5.

Sean Noakes remained undefeated with a six-round decision over Lukasz Barabasz in a junior middleweight bout.

Noakes won by a 59-55 score and is now 6-0. Barabasz is now 2-9.

TOMMY FLETCHER COMPLETED a KO-hatrick at The O2 in November with a howitzer of an uppercut and with it he believes he delivered a message that the rhetoric is real.

The strapping cruiserweight, who goes by the name of the ‘Norfolk Nightmare’ took just 139 to poleaxe Jiri Krejci with a devastating left hand manoeuvre that the Czech was never going to recover from.

The 20-year-old’s trainer Mark Tibbs has long preached the bludgeoning power possessed by the 6ft 7″ prospect and Fletcher now suspects he is beginning to justify his journey on the hype train.

“Mark has said before many times that I have got proper punch power,” reflected the 3-0 Fletcher, who next features on the undercard of the blockbuster Artur Beterbiev-Anthony Yarde unified world light heavyweight title card at the OVO Arena, Wembley on January 28, live on BT Sport.

“It is not hype, it is real and when people see statements like that they want to see proof of it. They won’t take anyone’s word for anything and I think I really showcased what I am about in that fight.

“That uppercut is just another shot in my toolbox, to be honest. I wouldn’t say it is this devastating punch that I’ve been drilling.

“It was just clean, straight on the chin and put him straight over. I’ve got many more shots than that, which I feel I am strong at.

“At the end of the day, I feel that if I hit someone clean on the chin – whether it is a jab, backhand, left hook or whatever – I think they will be knocked out and that is my opinion on it.”

Rewind a couple of months to his second pro fight in Manchester and Fletcher was not quite so glowing in his assessment of his performance against Toni Visic.

However, Fletcher was the float on the night and went through the experience of playing the waiting game, switching his fight face on and off until finally getting the call following the main event.

“On my second fight I was a float and was having my gloves put on and then off. I didn’t get on until about 12.30am so it was a very long time to wait.

“I think it maybe impacted my performance a little bit, but I still got a stoppage with a fourth round knockout.

“For the fight I just had, I got off the bus, straight into the changing rooms, kit on and ready to roll. I had more energy, I wasn’t waiting about and was straight in there with a good support.

“I was on TV too, which adds to the spectacle of getting in there.

“I made a statement with a first round knockout and that is what I am about. People want to see knockouts and I think I am the man to tune in to watch.”

So make sure to tune in to BT Sport on January 28.

Artur Beterbiev v Anthony Yarde for the WBC, WBO and IBF world light heavyweight titles takes place at the OVO Arena, Wembley on January 28, live on BT Sport. The bumper card also features the WBA world flyweight title fight between unbeaten fighters Artem Dalakian v David Jiminez.

Willy Hutchinson and Karol Itauma fight for the WBO Intercontinental and WBC International light heavyweight titles respectively, with the show also featuring top prospects Charles Frankham, Umar Khan, Sean Noakes, Joshua Frankham, Khalid Ali and Masood Abdulah.

The show also features the highly-anticipated professional debut of World Youth Champion Moses Itama.

Tickets for Beterbiev vs Yarde are priced from £50 and are available from AXS.com and Ticketmaster.co.uk.

John Ryder captured the WBO Interim Super Middleweight Title via stoppage after round four when previously undefeated Zach Parker could not continue due to an injured right hand at The 02 Arena in London.

It was a close fight until Parker bowed out of the fight.

Ryder will not head the short list for a possible May fight with Canelo Alvarez and is now 32-3 with 18 knockouts. Parker is 22-1.

Hamzah Sheeraz stopped River Wilson-Bent in round two of their 12-round middleweight bout.

Sheeraz was dominant from the opening bell ny rocking him several times. At the end of round two, the pressure finally undid Wilson-Bent and a right hand put him down and the fight was stopped at 2:55.

Sheeraz, 159 lbs of London is 16-0 with 13 knockouts. Wilson-Bent, 159.7 lbs is 13-2-1.

“Zach started well, got behind the job well and was peppering me a bit there,” reacted Ryder afterwards. “I felt like the tide might be starting to turn and I was getting more on top, but these things happen in boxing. It is a bad injury for him and it feels like half a robbery victory for me.”

“Obviously I am absolutely gutted,” added Parker. “It was at the start of the round, I hit him with an uppercut and you can see from my hand that it is out now. He is obviously a good lad who will go on and do good things in boxing and I will come back stronger.

“I was warming into the fight and it was becoming a good fight. When the injury happened at the start of that last round I kept having to move because every time I jabbed him it was hurting and clicking.”

Noakes Stops McCord in 4

Sam Noakes stopped Calvin McCord in round four of a 12-round lightweight fight.

In round Noakes dropped McCord with a right to the body. Noakes dropped McCord again with a hard right hand. Noakes finished things when he sent McCord to a knee with another hard right to the body at 2:14.

Noakes, 1234.5 lbs of Kent, ENG is 10-o with 10 knockouts. McCord, 135 lbs of Scotland is 12-1.

McCann Stops Ham in 8

Dennis McCann stopped a gritty Joe Ham in round eight of their 12-round super bantamweight bout.

In round five, Ham began to bleed from his nose.

In round eight, McCann unleashed a series of flurries and the bout was stopped at 2:28.

McCann, 121.4 lbs of Kent, ENG is 14-0 with eight knockouts. Ham, 121.5 lbs of Glasgow, SCO is 17-4.

O’Leary Decisions Mungandjela

Pierce O’Leary won a 10-round unanimous decision over Emmanuel Mungandjela in a super lightweight bout.

In round one, O’Leary dropped Mungandjela with a perfect counter uppercut. At the end of round five, dropped Mungandjela with a right uppercut followed by a vicious left hook.

O’Leary, 139.5 lbs of Dublin, IRE won by scores of 99-90, 99-89 and 96-92 and is now 12-0. Mungandjela, 139.9 lbs of Namibia is 16-4-1.

Tommy Fletcher took out Jiri Krejci in the opening round of their four-round cruiserweight bout.

In the opening round, Fletcher landed a nasty left uppercut to the chin that put Krejci down and completely put at 2:!9. Krejci needed medical attention, but was able to leave the ring on his own power.

Fletcher, 201 lbs of Norfolk, ENG is 3-0 with three knockouts. Krejci, 197.8 lbs of CZE is 1-3-2.

WBO number-one heavyweight contender Joe Joyce stopped Christian Hammer in round four of the 12-round heavyweight bout at the OVO Arena Wembley in London, England.

In round one, Hammer was able to get through with several power shots. In round two, Hammer was cut around the right eye. At the end of round three, Joyce dropped Hammer with a left to the head. In round four, it was a left to the body that sent Hammer down. Joyce sent Hammer to a knee with a flurry of punches. Joyce ended the fight by dropping Hammer with a right to the body and the fight was called at 1:20.

Joyce, 265 lbs of London, ENG is 14-0 with 13 knockouts. Hammer, 263 lbs of Hamburg, GER is 27-10.

Tete Stops Cunningham in 4

Former world champion Zolani Tete took out Jason Cunningham in round four of their 12-round super bantamweight fight.

In round round four, Tete landed a hard left hand that sent Cunningham to the canvas. With Cunningham hurt, Tete jumped on Cunningham and dumped him on the canvas from a flurry of punches that was highlighted by a right and left to the chin, and the fight was stopped at 34 seconds.

Tete, 121.1 lbs of Eastern Cape, SA is 30-4 with 23 knockouts. Cunningham, 121.2 lbs of Doncaster, ENG is 31-7.

Chamberlain Decisions Vidal

Mark Chamberlain remained undefeated by winning a 10-round unanimous decision over Marc Vidal in a lightweight bout.

Chamberlain, 134.1 lbs of Portsmouth, ENG won by scores of 100-90 on all cards and is now 11-0. Vidal, 134.6 lbs of Spain is 13-4-5.

Fletcher Takes out Vmoga in 1

Tommy Fletcher made a successful pro debut with a first round stoppage over Aron Vmoga in a cruiserweight bout.

In round one, Fletcher dropped Vmoga with a left hand. It was long until Fletcher ended things as he landed a combination that sent Vmoga to the canvas and the fight was stopped at 58 seconds.

Fltecher, 197 lbs of Norfolk, ENG is 1-0 with one knockout. Vmoga, 193 lbs of Croatia is 1-1.

Burke Decisions Ambomo

Mickey Burke Jr. remained undefeated with a six-round decision over Serge Ambomo in a super welterweight fight.

Burke, 154.1 lbs of Becksley, ENG won by a 60-55 score and is now 7-0. Ambomo, 152.4 lbs of Sheffield, ENG is 7-32-3.

Turner Decisions Laskowski

Henry Turner remained undefeated with a six-round decision over Jakub Laskowski in a super lightweight fight.

Turner, 141.1 lbs of Glambagreen, ENG won by a 60-54 tally and is now 8-0. Laskowski, 142.2 lbs of Poland is 4-17-1.

THE 6ft 7″ CRUISERWEIGHT prospect Tommy Fletcher is joining the professional ranks and has signed promotional terms with Frank Warren and Queensberry.

The big-punching 20-year-old, who calls himself the ‘Norfolk Nightmare’, now trains with Mark Tibbs in Rainham, Essex having bludgeoned his way through his amateur experiences.

He views Queensberry as the only place to be for top young prospects to progress in the sport.

“I think Frank is the best in the business for young fighters. He is definitely great at bringing young prospects along and you can see what he’s done with Dennis (McCann), David Adeleye and people like that, for instance, where they have gone pro from scratch with Frank and now look at them.

“They are becoming big names in the sport and if Frank can do that for them, why can’t he do it for me? He can definitely do it for me.

“I need to get my debut done and get a bit of ring rust off as I haven’t boxed for two years now. Then I will be rolling and ready to get on a few good shows.

“Queensberry, not just Frank, but everyone who is working around him are a close knit team and I believe they can get fighters to where they want to get to.

“Of course I had offers from other promoters but I sat down with my team and family and weighed up the pros and cons. Frank was very interested in me and from what he said it was a no-brainer to go with him.”

Fletcher revealed that his boxing journey began with a bang when he hit the age of 15.

“I went to the boxing gym when I was 14 and had my first fight on my 15th birthday. I stopped my opponent in the first or second round and it was on a big amateur show at Colchester United’s football ground.

“I didn’t really know what to expect, then I walked out there and it was like a professional boxing show, to be honest. I annihilated him and when I was walking back I thought ‘this is a bit of me’.

“So I just carried on training, had a few more fights and then went into the Development Championships and I walked through them, even though I boxed credible opponents. I stopped every boy then went into the Junior ABAs and won that. I went to the European championships and didn’t medal after losing to a good Russian who had a lot of experience on me.

“I did well as an amateur for how many fights I had. I only had 21 fights, but they were of a good quality and I’ve boxed European gold medallists. So I have definitely mixed it with the best.

“I have been sparring with grown men from the age of 15 and when you are putting them to sleep, it says something.”

Hall of Fame promoter Frank Warren said of his new recruit: “Tommy is a young fighter with enormous potential and I am thrilled to bring him on board with us here at Queensberry.

“Taking young prospects from day one to the top is what we specialise in and I believe Tommy has all the ingredients to make a big impression in the sport.

“It is only early days, but the reports on the progress he is making in the gym are hugely encouraging and I feel certain that his journey will be an exciting one.

“Given the size and dimensions of the lad at just 20 – coupled with his obvious punching power – I wouldn’t be surprised if we end up having another heavyweight force on our hands in a few years time.”