Mikey Garcia became a three-weight world champion by ripping the WBC lightweight title from Dejan Zlaticanin with a sensational third-round knockout.
The hard-hitting Californian produced a brutal finish, a right uppercut, leaving the champion open for a trademark right to send him down.
Referee Tony Weeks didn’t even need to count and initially Zlaticanin lay motionless under the ropes but thankfully recovered and eventually got up, to the relief of the new WBC champion at 135lbs and the MGM Grand crowd.
Garcia was expected to struggle against the southpaw but made light of Zlaticanin’s early pressure, happy to stay behind the jab on the back foot.
A lovely right counter set the tone within seconds of the opening bell and by the end of the opening round, the champion’s face was reddened with constant shots landing.
Zlaticanin tried to respond in the second, but with the left working up and down and Garcia’s fearsome right permanently cocked, as soon as he landed one of his power-shots flush, the coveted WBC belt looked to be staying in America.
