By Keith Idec

NEW YORK – It took two-plus rounds Saturday night, but Daniyar Yeleussinov ultimately made an impressive pro debut.

Kazakhstan’s Yeleussinov knocked down Noah Kidd twice during the third round and won their scheduled four-round, 150-pound bout by technical knockout on the Daniel Jacobs-Maciej Sulecki undercard at Barclays Center in Brooklyn. Kidd gave the highly touted Yeleussinov some difficulty during the first two rounds, until Yeleussinov unloaded a straight left hand that knocked Kidd under the bottom rope with just under one minute to go in the third round.

Kidd got up and tried to fight through the trouble. Trading with Yeleussinov led to his downfall moments later.

Yeleussinov landed a straight left to Kidd’s midsection that sent Kidd to the canvas again. Referee Eddie Claudio quickly stopped the fight following the second knockdown, at 2:52 of the third round.

Yeleussinov, 27, won the welterweight gold medal at the 2016 Summer Olympics in Rio de Janeiro. The 22-year-old Kidd, of Jefferson City, Missouri, lost for the first time as a pro (3-1-1, 2 KOs).

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