Liam Smith vs Jessie Vargas RESULT: Smith batters and stops Vargas in thrilling battle on undercard of Katie Taylor vs Amanda Serrano epic
The fight began with an entertaining opener as the pair got up close and personal straight away, exchanging hooks and uppercuts from the off.
This pattern continued into round two as Vargas initially showed little-to-no ring rust despite the fact he’d been out of action for over two years.
Smith suffered a cut over his right eye in the third as his opponent appeared to get the better of the early action.
However, the Brit continued marching forward and pushed his American foe back against the ropes throughout round four.
The fifth was another positive session for Smith as Vargas seemed tired and soaked up more punishment on the ropes.
As they reached the halfway point, Smith had certainly seized control of the contest and was breaking Vargas down, though he refused to wilt.
The American appeared briefly hurt by a body shot in round seven with Smith dominating the action.
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