Kell Brook will be confident that he has enough left in the tank to win another world title.
The former IBF welterweight king stepped up in weight after a 14-month hiatus to get the better of Mark DeLuca.
Brook, who said recently that it would take seven figures for him to get into the ring with former WBO champion Liam Smith in an all-British showdown, dropped his man in the third at the FlyDSA Arena in Sheffield as he showed flashes of what we know he once had.
But DeLuca, bloodied and bruised, appeared to weather the storm as the pair battled for the vacant WBO Inter-Continental super-welterweight title, exclusively live on Sky Sports in the UK and DAZN Stateside.
‘The Special One’, who had Dominic Ingle back in his corner, was watched on at ringside by the aforementioned Smith.
And it was round seven before Brook let his hands go and unleashed the finishing shot, a left hook which saw the referee Phil Edwards call a halt to the contest at the end if the 10 count.
The official timing of the finish, which was a great shot as Brook timed the left hand over DeLuca’s right jab, came inside the first two minutes of the round.
"I felt very fit,” he said, “and I was a little bit rusty but once I got into it I got the job finished.
“I think you always question yourself but I’m a new kid. I normally go off the rails but I’ve stayed on it, stayed in the gym and this year is the year for world titles.”
Brook and Smith have sparred before and he addressed the potential of a showdown with a warm reception.
“Liam and I have had some good spars in the past and I really like him,” he added. “He’s boxed a stablemate of mine in Liam Williams in the past but this isn’t a sport, it’s a business and I’ll sit down with Eddie Hearn and the team next week and see what happens.”
Smith smiled at the prospect of a fight against Brook, saying he would take the fight in a heartbeat, and the promoter of the pair, Eddie Hearn, has said that the fight could happen next.
“We’ve got both Liam Smith and Kell Brook bidding to become two-weight world champions and if we can do it separately, that would be great. If we can’t, though, they can fight each other. That’s not a problem. That would be a final eliminator for the WBO world title and it’s a fight that we can do.”
That WBO title is currently held by Patrick Teixeira, who was upgraded to full champion following his interim belt win against Carlos Adames and Jaime Munguia’s relinquishment in favour of a jump up to middleweight.
“One thing’s for sure, though, Kell Brook is one of the old crew. He started with me and the people like Darren Barker and Carl Froch, who have since retired, and he’s not finished yet. On that performance, I believe he has another good year or two in him and I think we can see another title belt around his waist."