By Jake Donovan

The irony in Michael Seals’ latest knockout win is that it came on a night when he didn’t seem in a hurry to go anywhere. 

It’s probably because it’s been a while since he made his way to an actual fight.

“It felt great to be back in the ring,” Seals (23-2, 16KOs) said of his savage one-punch 2nd round knockout of Philadelphia’s Christopher Brooker, which aired live on ESPN+ Saturday evening in Reno, Nevada. “It’s been about nine, 10 months. That’s always been my Achilles’ heel, staying active. I’m thankful to Top Rank for giving me the opportunity to fight.”

The night was originally intended for the Mobile (Ala.)-based Seals to face Top 10 contender Sullivan Brrrera in a bout which would’ve aired live on the ESPN portion of the show headlined by Oscar Valdez’s featherweight title defense versus Jason Sanchez.

Barrera was pulled from the fight in agreeing to instead face Jesse Hart next Saturday in Las Vegas, in the chief support to the Sin City debut of top-rated heavyweight Tyson Fury.

Perhaps the late switch threw off Seals, not offering much in the way of offense for the first four minutes of the fight. Brooker (14-7, 5KOs) won the first round on all three scorecards simply by being the more active fighter.

That changed in a very big way late in round two. Seals—best known for his Nov. 2015 condensed thriller with Edwin Rodriguez, albeit in a 3rd round knockout loss where both fighters repeatedly hit the deck in their memorable shootout—offered a stern reminder of his explosive power, trapping Brooker along the ropes and uncorking an overhand right which put the Philly native down and out for the night.

“He’s a tough guy. I did my homework on him,” noted Seals, who has now won three straight. “I knew he was crafty, so I had to take my time. I knew I was going to walk him into something.”

Jake Donovan is a senior writer for BoxingScene.com. Twitter: @JakeNDaBox