Terrence Crawford stopped Dierry Jean in the tenth round in Omaha, Nebraska, on Saturday night.
The WBO super-lightweight champion remained undefeated after an impressive performance that took his professional record to 27-0, including 19 wins inside the distance.
Jean suffered knock-downs in the first, ninth and tenth rounds and his record fell to 29-2, with 20 shortcut victories.
The 28-year-old Crawford went after his 33-year-old opponent from the start and Jean, who was born in Haiti but fights out of Quebec in Canada, never looked likely to turn the tables.
Fighting in his home town, Crawford looked ready to take on the best in his division. The former WBO lightweight champion was as impressive as when he stopped Thomas Dulorme in the sixth round in April this year.
Making his first defence of the title he was all over Jean, whose only previous defeat was to Lamont Peterson, whom he challenged for the IBF super-lightweight title in January last year.
On the undercard, Evgeny Gradovich had to work hard to avoid second successive defeat but the former IBF featherweight champion got past the unfancied Aldimar Silva on a split decision ? 79-71 and 78-74 against a strange 57-77.
The Russian improved to 20-1, with a draw and nine knockouts, in his return to the ring after losing his title to Lee Selby earlier this year.
Silva?s record stands at 19-9, with ten defeats inside the distance.
Andy Ruiz remained undefeated after 26 fights, including 17 knockouts, when he beat Raphael Zumbano on points over eight rounds in a heavyweight bout. Zumbano?s fell to 37-12, with a draw and 30 shortcut wins.
Mikael Zewski moved to 27-1, including 21 knockouts, when he beat Ayi Bruce in the fifth round of a welterweight bout. Bruce fell to 23-12; 9.
Earlier, Alex Saucedo took his record to 19-0, including 13 knockouts, when he beat Angel Martinez on points over six rounds in a welterweight bout. Martinez dropped to 12-8-1, with eight shortcut victories.
EUBANK CLIMBS THE LADDER
Chris Eubank Jr enhanced his status among the leading middleweights when stopped Tony Jeter in the second round of their bout in Sheffield, England, on Saturday night.
The son of a former England favourite, Eubank has lost only once in 21 fights, on which he won 15 inside the distance. He has been the WBA?s interim champion and is expected to be matched with tougher opposition next year.
Jeter, who now stands at 20-5, with one draw and 14 wins inside the distance, was knocked down in the opening round and did not reach the 30-second mark in the second.
Promising Gavin McDonnell moved to 14-0, with four knockouts and two draws by beating the experienced Jeremy Parodi in a super-bantamweight preliminary.
McDonnell, the European champion, won by eight points on one card and by seven on the two others. Parodi lost for the third time in his 41-fight career. He has drawn once and won nine inside the distance.
IN PHOENIX, Rob Bravo beat Louis Rose on points over ten rounds in a middleweight bout to remain undefeated after 18 professional fights, of which 11 did not go the distance. Rose dropped to 13-3, with one draw and five shortcut wins.
Earlier, Jarrell Miller knocked out Ahror Muralimov in the third round of a heavyweight bout to improve to 15-0, including 13 knockouts and a draw. Muralimov dropped to 14-2; 11.
In another short fight, light-heavyweight Samuel Clarkson beat Lavarn Harvell in the second round, moving to 17-3; 11. Harvell now stands at 15-2; 8.
FRANKIE GOMEZ STILL UNBEATEN
IN INDIO, California, Frankie Gomez won his 19th fight in a row but had to go ten rounds for a change when he beat Jorge Silva by ten points on each of the scorecards in a super-welterweight bout. He had won 13 of his previous fights inside the distance.
Silva now stands at 19-10, with two draws and 12 knockouts.
Joseph Diaz remained unbeaten in 18 fights when he beat Ruben Tamayo on points in a featherweight bout.
The former Olympian, who had won ten of his previous bouts inside the distance, outclassed his more experienced opponents and won on points. Tamayo left with a record of 23-7, with four draws and 15 knockouts.
