The calculated pressure of Issac “The Headsplitter” Hardman proved too much for Troy Coleman, stopping the Brit in the opening seconds of the fifth round and taking home the vacant WBO intercontinental middleweight title.
The bout served as the semi-main event of the Nikita Tszyu vs Dylan Biggs bout on Wednesday night in Newcastle.
Hardman invested heavily to the body of Coleman in the opening round before bringing some big shots upstairs in the second.
While Coleman began to find some success in the third, Hardman fired back strongly to close out the round.
Hardman continued to pour on the pressure in the fourth, scoring a knockdown with 20 seconds left on the clock, leaving Coleman just able to see out the round and visibly in trouble.
Coleman had no time to recover, and after the break Hardman landed a barrage of overhands leading to a referee stoppage, early in the fifth round.
After returning to head-splitting form following some crafty bodywork in the first, Hardman told a packed-out Newcastle Entertainment Centre that “I made a statement, and I’m getting better… I’m at 70 percent.”
After a much-needed win, Hardman looks to grace the international arena, and called out several boxers including the main event’s brother, Tim Tszyu.
Undercard Results
After knocking each other down in a thrilling opening round, Newcastle’s Brandon Grach knocked out previously undefeated Sydney southpaw Liam Talivaa with a brutal left hook near the opening bell of the second.
Gold Coast’s Joel Pavlides’ relentless pressure proved too much for a slick Mounir Fathi in an action-packed middleweight bout, taking home a unanimous decision win.
In a super welterweight clash, Cronulla’s Jason Fawcett came out strong and rallied late in the fight to take the unanimous decision win over southpaw Jordan Martin, despite a second-round knockdown.
In an action-packed welterweight opener, Sydney’s Dharringarra Trewhella secured a unanimous decision win against Newcastle local Brent Walton after scoring a knockdown in the first round, with both taking home a fight bonus.
