ATLANTIC CITY, New Jersey – LeShawn Rodriguez didn’t even need two minutes to get rid of Sixto Suazo on Saturday night.

The undefeated junior middleweight blitzed Suazo as soon as their fight started. Rodriguez didn’t drop Suazo, but he backed him into the ropes, unloaded an array of power punches and left Suazo unable to continue in a non-televised fight on the Gary Russell Jr.-Mark Magsayo undercard at Borgata Event Center.

Referee Shada Murdaugh stopped the action 1:36 into the first round of a scheduled six-rounder.

Rodriguez, of Port Jefferson, New York, improved to 13-0 and recorded his 10th knockout. Atlanta’s Suazo (9-3-1, 7 KOs) lost by technical knockout for the second time as a pro.

Earlier Saturday night, Katsuma Akitsugi beat an undefeated prospect for the third time in his past four fights.

Japan’s Akitsugi (8-0, 1 KO) was the aggressor throughout his six-round featherweight fight against Rasheem Brown and won this battle of unbeaten southpaws on all three scorecards. Judges Anthony Lundy (58-56), Robin Taylor (60-54) and Ron McNair (59-55) all scored their fight for Brown, who had faced only one opponent prior to Akitsugi with a winning record.

Philadelphia’s Brown (11-1, 7 KOs) was competitive while fighting mostly off his back foot, but he wasn’t strong enough to keep Akitsugi from coming forward in this non-televised fight.

Brown clipped Akitsugi with a flush right hook in the middle minute of the sixth round. Akitsugi was aggressive again in that round, but Brown mostly kept his gloves held high and blocked Akitsugi’s shots.

Akitsugi knocked Brown off balance with a jab about 40 seconds into the fifth round. A right-left combination by Brown landed with just under 50 seconds on the clock in the fifth round.

Brown defended himself better during the fifth round than in previous rounds.

Akitsugi landed two left hands that backed Brown into his own corner just before the midway mark of the fourth round. Brown, who bled from his nose in the fourth round, tried to fend off the aggressive Akitsugi with short shots on the inside.

Akitsugi backed Brown into the ropes and landed a hard left hand about 35 seconds into the third round. Brown remained on his back foot for most of the third round, but he stood his ground and landed a hard left of his own with just under 50 seconds to go in the third round.

In the opening bout Saturday night, Max Garland dominated Marik Black on his way to a second-round, technical-knockout victory in Garland’s pro debut.

Garland, of Washington, D.C., attacked Black as soon as their welterweight fight started and landed an array of power punches for a round-and-a-half, before referee Shada Murdaugh stopped the action at 1:44 of the second round. Black never went down, but clearly was overpowered.

Black, of Versailles, Kentucky, lost for the first time as a pro (1-1-1, 1 KO).

Keith Idec is a senior writer/columnist for BoxingScene.com. He can be reached on Twitter @Idecboxing.