Jack Turner showed why fight fans in his hometown of Liverpool are excited about his developing boxing career Saturday night.

The powerful bantamweight dropped and stopped Tanzanian veteran Adam Yahaya in the first round of their scheduled four-rounder on the Jack Catterall-Jorge Linares undercard at Echo Arena in Liverpool. Referee Mark Lyson halted the action 2:27 into the first round, before Yahaya could reach his feet.

The 21-year-old Turner has knocked out all three opponents he has faced during his brief pro career. The 33-year-old Yahaya (23-11-2, 12 KOs) has lost by knockout or technical knockout four times in nearly 17 years as a professional.

Turner staggered Yahaya with a left hook less than 15 seconds into their fight. Turner tried to tie him up later in the first round, but Turner kept the distance he needed to get off effective flush punches.

Turner landed several lefts to Yahaya’s body before Lyson called for a break so that Yahaya could have the laces tied on one of his boots.

A flurry of Turner’s punches to his head and body sent Yahaya to the canvas with just under 45 seconds on the clock in the opening round. Lyson stopped their scheduled four-rounder soon thereafter.

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