Alen Babic continued his rise through the heavyweight ranks as he bludgeoned Tom Little to defeat in the third round at Wembley.

The raw Croatian came swinging from the first bell and although Little soaked up plenty of punishment and came back, Babic got through to him in the third, knocking him down twice and leaving him sprawled on his back

“He was in very good shape, he took a lot of punches, I think I broke both my knuckles on his head,” Babic said.

“This is what I do, I can do it ten times better than this. But I can’t test myself against Tom Little. He said he is going to go to war – everybody says that; nobody does that.  I want a challenge.

“I was in no way shape or form nervous. It was like a walk in the park. I wanted it in the first round. I shook him up two times, but Tom was so hard. He is two-stone heavier than me, but it has nothing to do with boxing. He does cross-fit, I do boxing. If I do benches, I will be 170 kilos.I don’t need it, I am perfect.”

Little, who had lost his four previous fights, came in a career lightest 234½ pounds, but was under the pump from the first round as Babic went right after him. He was caught clean a couple of times in the first round, but seemed to rise in confidence after surviving Babic’s onslaught at the start of the second.

“Come on Babic,” Little said as Babic opened up on the ropes, before catching the Croatian with a good body punch.

Any hopes Little had that Babic would just punch himself out proved unfounded, though. Early in the third, Babic got through with a left to the side of the head and then a right hook on the chin that dropped Little. He rose on unsteady legs, but tucked up to try and ride out the storm. Eventually Babic got through again, with a right, followed by two left hooks that saw Little sink into the ropes and slide to the floor, referee Bob Williams not bothering to count as he waved it off at 2:38.