By Chris Williamson

Echo Arena, Liverpool - WBC cruiserweight champion Tony Bellew (28-2-1, 18KOs) destroyed BJ Flores (32-3-1, 20KOs) in three rounds, scoring four knockdowns before the fight was waved off. It was the first stoppage loss of Flores' career. Bellew retains his title for the first time.

Bellew wore a t shirt reading "RIP Mike Towell" as a mark of respect to the Scottish boxer who died after injuries suffered in a recent bout. The challenger started positively shooting out left-right combinations as he circled to his right. A sharp right in particular stung the champion as the visitor won the opener.

In the second round the champion quickly established control. A right and left hook floored the visitor for a mandatory eight count. Bellew smelled blood, following up with a clubbing right and left which floored Flores again. The Liverpool crowd cheered as a wild Bellew looked for the finisher, with a right flooring the challenger right on the bell to end the second. Under WBC rules, of course there is no automatic three knockdown rule.

The American had been parachuted into the WBC top 15 following a six-round comeback win over journeyman Roberto Santos after a failed WBA "regular" title challenge against Beibut Shumenov last year. As the third started it looked like a poor decision from the sanctioning organisation, but Flores at least went down fighting. A left right combination from the challenger scored but had the feeling of a last hurrah. Bellew hurt Flores with a hard body shot and finished the fight with a powerful left hook, flooring Flores for the full count.

"I'm ruthless when I get going," Bellew said immediately after the bout. "I just pummelled him. That's what I do. That's what I'm about. I'm not called the Bomber for nothing (sic)."

The champion moved on to call out former cruiserweight champion and heavyweight belt holder David Haye. "I'm the proudest WBC champion in the world but all that matters is getting home safely to my kids. He (Haye) has been conning the British public. (Haye) will get smashed."

Bellew was making his first defence after wining the vacant title at Goodison park, home of his beloved Everton Football Club with a third round knockout of Illunga Makabu and has a number of other options now, including a potential unification against Denis Lebedev (IBF/WBA) or WBC mandatory against Mairis Breidis. It seems clear a heavyweight blockbuster against Flores's close friend David Haye is the one he really wants.

IN THE CO-FEATURE

Olympic gold medal winner Luke Campbell (15-1, 12KOs), now trained by Cuban coach Jorge Rubio, had too much for dangerous veteran Derry Mathews (38-11-2, 20KOs).

After landing some damaging shots to the body, Campbell scored a fourth round knockout to retain the WBC silver lightweight championship.

The bout stared tentatively with southpaw Campbell pushing out jabs to body and head. Matthews, with a home crowd behind him, hurt the Hull man with a stinging left hook at end of the first. Both lightweights stung each other with body shots in the second as Matthews pressed forward. Campbell was getting the better of these exchanges; a sign of thing to come.

Matthews, who won a junior Olympic gold medal in what seems a lifetime ago, has been prone to cuts and marked up as early as the second.

Matthews started the third aggressively with a series of stinging straight rights. Campbell came back strongly and caught Matthews with a beautiful left hook which knocked the scouser down just before the bell to end the third.

It seemed Campbell's left couldn't miss by the fourth as he continued hurting Matthews. The Liverpool man was now telegraphed the right badly, which the 2012 Olympic gold medalist evaded easily and caught Matthews on the ropes with a left hand body shot which dropped the local man. Matthews bravely beat the count and staged a short and exciting fight back in the centre of the ring - before another inevitable left hand body shot left Matthews in a heap on the canvas for the full count.

Campbell is now on a three fight win streak after losing to Yvan Mendy in December last year and looks well positioned for a world title shot.