In the evening’s opening bout, Cleveland’s Terrell Gausha (22-2-1, 11 KOs) scored an impressive second-round technical knockout over fellow Ohioan Jamontay Clark (15-2-1, 7 KOs) of Cincinnati. Gausha, 33, did not land a single power punch in the opening round but worked well behind the jab, winning the round on two of the judges’ scorecards. As the second round neared completion, Gausha beautifully countered a lunging left hand from the southpaw Clark which sent the 26-year-old to the canvas for the first time in his professional career. Clark beat the count but moments later was met by a barrage of unanswered punches in the neutral corner. Referee Arthur Mercante jumped in and called a halt to the bout at 2:44 of the second round.
With his emphatic stoppage win, the 2012 Olympian emerges as a contender for a title shot in the super welterweight division. In his first and only world title shot in 2017, Gausha dropped a unanimous decision to current super welterweight world champion Erislandy Lara.