In front of almost 8,000 fans, the 19-year-old from Bolton overwhelmed the Belarussian boxer Vitali Martynov with sharp, punishing punches to record the quickest win of his short career. Only 1min 15sec had elapsed when referee Terry O’Connor spread his arms to save the stunned Martynov from further punishment. At 22-years-old and having lost just once in his previous 11 bouts, a second-round stoppage last November against Willy Blain in Germany, Martynov was expected to pose a significant threat to a fledgling fighter in only his fifth pro fight.
But Martynov simply could not deal with the speed and potency of Khan’s attack. Maturing physically, the Briton is beginning to punch like the solid professional his trainer, Oliver Harrison, is preparing him to be, like the star promoter Frank Warren has always predicted is his destiny.
“Maybe I’d have liked it to go on a bit longer but I had a job to do and I did it,” said Khan. “I worked hard for this fight and got into great shape and it paid off.” So did his rapidly developing finishing instinct. This was his fourth stoppage but his most impressive. Martynov was on the defensive from the start, locking his arms together in defence, unwilling to do anything of an offensive nature. Khan sized up his task and began ripping in punches to the body to bring down Martynov’s guard. With nothing coming back at him, he moved inside and landed several hard jabs followed up by hooks and uppercuts. Finally, a right hand crashed into the Belarussian’s face and he slid to the canvas by the ropes with a look of horror on his face. Though he was back to his feet before the referee completed the mandatory eight-count, the fight was ended. Khan’s next fight is scheduled for February 25 at the ExCel Arena in London on the undercard of Danny Williams’s first defence of the Commonwealth heavyweight title against Matt Skelton.