Bektemir Melikuziev has rediscovered his knockout ways.

The 2016 Olympic Silver medalist made quick work of San Diego’s Ulises Sierra, scoring two knockdowns en route to a third-round knockout. Sierra was decked twice as he was stopped at 2:59 of round three in their DAZN-aired bout Saturday evening at YouTube Theater in Inglewood, California.

Melikuziev and his team made a point to mention their intention to go rounds in this fight. That theory was put to the test in the opening round. Sierra was hurt by a body shot but literally let off the hook as Uzbekistan’s Melikuziev eased off and allowed the San Diego native to survive the round.

Disaster threatened to strike in round two. Melikuziev was still in cruise control until he suffered a cut just outside of his right eye. The wound was ruled to have been caused by a punch, which meant that the Uzbek southpaw was at risk of losing by technical knockout if the fight was stopped due to the cut. It never came to that point, though still not enough to cause a sense of urgency in the fight.

Sierra eventually folded in round three. A left hand to the body sent the fringe super middleweight contender to the canvas early in the round. Sierra—who was the last knockout victim on the resume of Edgar Berlanga—beat the count and even managed to land a crisp one-two combination later in the round. It was immediately followed by a left hand to the body which forced Sierra to crumple. Referee Thomas Taylor saw no need for the bout to continue, immediately calling a halt to the contest.

Melikuziev (11-1, 9KOs) won his fourth straight bout after a stunning third-round knockout loss to Gabriel Rosado in June 2021. The super middleweight hopeful is eager to avenge the defeat, calling for a rematch with the former title challenger.

Headlining the show, local favorite Alexis Rocha (21-1, 13KOs) of nearby Santa Ana faces Ghana’s George Ashie (33-5-1, 25KOs) in a scheduled twelve-round, welterweight contest.

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