By Jake Donovan
Unbeaten super middleweight Zac Dunn picked up his second knockout in as many fights in 2016, this time forcing Les Sherrington to wilt inside of three rounds Saturday evening at The Melbourne Pavilion in Flemington, Australia.
The 25-year old boxer from Melbourne was relentless from the start, his body attack proving to be far too much for his overmatched foe to handle. Dunn scored three knockdowns on the night, the last of which prompted an immediate stoppage.
The writing was on the wall from the opening bell that Sherrington (35-9, 19KOs) was in way over his head. Never boasting a sturdy chin and also lacking the equalizer to hold his own in a shootout, the 33-year old from Queensland, AU - who earlier this week celebrated 14 years in the pro ranks - was brutalized by a two-fisted body shot attack.
Dunn continued to target the midsection in round two, producing the bout's first knockdown in that frame. Sherrington beat the count, but didn't bear the look of a boxer who was going to be able to stick around much longer.
His night wouldn't last but another three minutes. Dunn ramped up the attack in round three, scoring two more knockdowns in forcing a mercy stoppage.
The win advances Dunn's record to 21-0 (17KOs). As he is ranked in the Top 15 by all of the major alphabet organizations, his team has visions of moving towards a title shot in the near future.
"All the Super Middleweight titleholders have been put on notice," promoter Joe DeGuardia insisted afterward, in a statement through the Star Boxing press office. "Zac is ready for anyone in the world."
The boxer himself didn't seem quite as brave, opting to call out Italy's Giovanni De Carolis (24-6, 12KOs), who recently picked up one of several World Boxing Association (WBA) super middleweight titles floating around in the division (the "Regular" version, to be exact).
As many belts as there are to be had these days, there is a bit of a traffic jam at super middleweight.
Badou Jack and James DeGale - providing they win in separate bouts later this evening in Washington D.C, - are due for a unification bout later this fall. Felix Sturm recently dethroned Fedor Chudinov for the WBA "Super" version of the super middleweight title (as "Super" super middleweight champ just sounds silly), but his title status is already in jeopardy as a recent positive post-fight drug test is under review and could result in the title being returned to its original claimant.
Gilberto Ramirez recently snatched the World Boxing Organization (WBO) crown with a 12-round whitewash of Arthur Abraham earlier this month in Las Vegas. The unbeaten camera-friendly southpaw from Mexico is due to make his first defense on July 23 versus an opponent to be determined.
Whatever is in store for Dunn, he continues to rise in popularity at home in Australia. Whether or not he's ready for the title stage - perhaps depends on which titles he chooses to pursue.
The event aired live on C31 Melbourne, also simulcast on the network's website.
Jake Donovan is the managing editor of krikya360.com. Follow him on his shiny new Twitter account: @JakeNDaBox_v2