By Jake Donovan
Unbeaten local middleweight Adam Etches lived up to his 'Bomber' nickname, destroying Brazil's Samir Santos inside of three rounds Saturday evening in Sheffield, England.
A right hand put Santos down and out in the third round, bringing an abrupt end to the main event.
The motivation heading in to the fight was for Etches to force the middleweight division to stand up and take notice. Santos was chosen as a measuring stick-type opponent, having been in the ring with several current and past contenders, including Hassan N'Jam N'Dikam, who stopped the Brazilian in four rounds in their March '09 affair.
Etches easily trumped that feat, jumping out to a commanding start and never easing off the gas. Santos (35-11-3, 25KOs) was in trouble in round three when he was rocked by a left hook, before a right hand separated him from his senses in forcing the stoppage.
With the win, Etches advances to 17-0 (14KOs). A title eliminator is being sought for his near future, possibly as early as his next ring appearance as he is aiming for a shot at current titlist Sam Soliman.
In the televised co-feature, Kid Galahad scored a dominant 12-round win over Adeilson dos Santos.
Both bouts aired live on Channel 5 in the United Kingdom.
Jake Donovan is the Managing Editor of BoxingScene.com, as well as a member of Transnational Boxing Ratings Board and the Boxing Writers Association of America. Twitter: @JakeNDaBox
