LAS VEGAS – Raymond Muratalla accomplished something Saturday night that none of Jeremy Hill’s first 18 opponents could do.

The rising lightweight prospect knocked out Hill in the third round of their scheduled eight-rounder on the non-televised portion of the Shakur Stevenson-Oscar Valdez undercard at MGM Grand Garden Arena. With Hill flat on his back, referee Tony Weeks waved an end to the action at 2:27 of the third round.

The 25-year-old Muratalla, of Fontana, California, improved to 14-0 and recorded his 12th knockout. New Orleans’ Hill (16-3, 11 KOs) had lost only a pair of eight-round unanimous decisions to Steven Ortiz (then 11-0) and Nahir Albright (then 12-1) before Muratalla knocked him out.

Before he finished the 29-year-old Hill in the third round, Muratalla rocked him with a right hand when there was just under a minute to go in the second round. That shot backed Hill into the ropes and made him move away from the hard-hitting Muratalla.

Muratalla previously scored a knockdown when his right hand sent Hill into a squatting position with 1:25 to go in the first round. An aggressive Muratalla attempted to capitalize on buzzing Hill, but Hill withstood Muratalla’s hardest shots and made it to the end of the opening round.

Keith Idec is a senior writer/columnist for krikya360.com. He can be reached on Twitter @Idecboxing.