ATLANTIC CITY, N.J. -- Philadelphia super middleweight contender Jesse Hart went right after Mike Gavronski at the opening bell and didn't let up until he knocked down his opponent twice in the third round of a scheduled 10-rounder at the Ocean Resort Casino on Saturday.
Gavronski, 32, of Tacoma, Washington, beat the count both times, but his legs were gone, and referee Eric Dali stopped the fight 52 seconds into the third round.
At times, Hart's attack was a bit sloppy, but it got the job done. His heavy right hand did most of the damage, including a brutal double right that finished the fight.
Hart (25-1, 20 KOs) floored Gavronski (24-3-1, 15 KOs) the final time like he was trying to drive his opponent through the ring floor. The emphatic ending was reminiscent of Hart's father, Eugene "Cyclone" Hart, a vicious-punching middleweight contender during the 1970s.
It was the 29-year-old Hart's third knockout victory since he dropped a competitive 12-round decision to super middleweight titleholder Gilberto Ramirez in September 2017.
"That's who I want," Hart said. "Give me a chance to redeem myself. He's talking about going up to 175. Why? I'm right here! Come on, man. Stop with the excuses. I'm right here in front of you."
Stevenson stays unbeaten
Shakur Stevenson, (8-0, 4 KOs), of Newark, a 2016 Olympic silver medalist, won a unanimous eight-round decision over Carlos Ruiz (16-4-2, 6 KOs), of Mexico City, in a featherweight bout.
Stevenson had won his two fights prior to Ruiz by knockout, but spent most of the bout moving laterally along the ropes, throwing just enough punches to win every round.
Ruiz followed Stevenson around but never launched an attack. Every round was the same, totally void of highlights.
After the fight, members of Stevenson's camp claimed he broke his right hand in the second round.
All three judges scored the fight for Stevenson, 80-72.
More results
Former junior lightweight titleholder Jason Sosa (21-3-4, 15 KOs), of Camden, New Jersey, won a unanimous 8-round over Reynaldo Blanco (14-5, 8 KOs), of Carolina, Puerto Rico, in a savage junior lightweight bout.
Christian Carto (16-0, 11 KOs), of Philadelphia, won a unanimous eight-round decision over Javier Gallo (25-16-1, 13 KOs), of Tijuana, Mexico, in a bantamweight bout.
Thomas "Cornflake" LaManna (26-2-1, 9 KOs), of Millville, New Jersey, won a unanimous eight-round decision over Matthew Strode (25-7, 9 KOs), of Marion, North Carolina.
Joseph Adorno (9-0, 9 KOs), of Allentown, Pennsylvania, stopped Agustine Mauras (6-5-4, 3 KOs), of Lawrence, Massachusetts, at 1:39 of the first round of a scheduled six-round lightweight bout.
Oleksandr Teslenko (14-0, 11 KOs), of Toronto, Canada, won a unanimous six-round decision over Avery Gibson (9-9-4, 3 KOs), of Los Angeles, in a heavyweight bout.