MANCHESTER, England – Pat McCormack recorded the biggest win of his professional career when stopping Robbie Davies Jnr inside six rounds at Manchester’s Co-op Live Arena.

McCormack, 7-0 (5 KOs) and a Tokyo 2020 Olympic silver medallist, was facing his biggest threat yet in Davies – 24-6 (15 KOs) and a former British and European junior-welterweight champion – since turning professional. McCormack looked levels above the ageing Davies and produced a dominant display that led to Davies’ corner withdrawing him after six hard rounds.

McCormack, 29, greeted Davies to the welterweight division with spite. He asserted his superior size and power by firing his stiff jab into the face of Davies, 35 years old. McCormack’s jab was excellent; it was easy to see why he had such a successful amateur career, and he used it to pick apart Davies before following his jab up with his right hand.

The third round signalled the beginning of the end. McCormack, again behind his stiff jab, started to increase the power of his shots. He landed a sharp right that took Davies by surprise; McCormack then followed it up with another, and Davies hit the canvas. The veteran took the full eight count to recover and returned to his feet. It looked as though Davies had recovered, but seconds before the bell, Davies was dropped by another hard right. He again returned to his feet and heard the sound of the bell as he did so.

Davies appeared at risk of being stopped in the fourth, but he did well to stay on his feet and see out the round. McCormack, calm and composed, pressed forwards, and another right hand caused Davies to take a knee. It looked as though he would stay down for the full count but he bravely returned to his feet, and he again managed to survive.

Davies’ trainer Anthony Crolla, prior to the sixth, warned him that he would need to see something big in the next session or he would be pulling him out. Davies, however, was just not able to cope with the younger, fresher McCormack. He again took hard rights and did well to see the round out on his feet, but Crolla had seen enough, and intervened at the round’s conclusion.