Jonnie Rice knocked off another undefeated prospect Saturday night.

The veteran heavyweight stopped Guido Vianello because of a cut above Vianello’s left eye in the seventh round of a co-feature ESPN televised from Turning Stone Resort Casino in Verona, New York. A ringside physician determined during a break 42 seconds into the seventh round that a bloodied Vianello shouldn’t continue.

Referee Benjy Esteves thought that an accidental head-butt caused the consequential cut above Vianello’s left eye. After looking at a replay provided by ESPN, however, Esteves acknowledged that Rice’s right hand actually opened the cut during the sixth round that eventually caused the stoppage.

The 28-year-old Vianello, who represented Italy at the 2016 Summer Olympics, lost for the first time as a pro (10-1-1, 9 KOs). Though Vianello was undefeated, most sportsbooks listed Las Vegas’ Rice (16-6-1, 11 KOs) as a slight favorite when they entered the ring.

“I did it again,” Rice said. “Another undefeated fighter. I’m not here to call anyone out right now. I’m going to enjoy this victory and then see what’s next.”

Aside from the right hand the completely changed their fight, Rice was reluctant for most of their bout. Vianello worked off his jab and although he didn’t land many flush punches, either, he appeared to control the action through six rounds.

CompuBox credited Vianello for landing nearly twice as many punches prior to the stoppage (55-of-210 to 30-of-125). If the official ruling was that Vianello's cut was caused by an accidental head-butt, he would've won a technical decision because he led Rice on all three scorecards through six rounds (59-55, 59-55, 58-56).

The 35-year-old Rice replaced Stephan Shaw as Vianello’s opponent on less than one month’s notice. Shaw was moved into the main event versus Efe Ajagba on Saturday night because Colombian contender Oscar Rivas sustained a detached retina while training last month.

Rice hadn’t boxed in more than a year, not since he defeated Michael Coffie (13-3, 10 KOs) by unanimous decision in their 10-round rematch last January 1 at Seminole Hard Rock Hotel & Casino in Hollywood, Florida. Five months earlier, Rice, on less than one week’s notice, stopped the heavily favored Coffie in the fifth round of their July 2021 fight at Prudential Center in Newark, New Jersey.

Esteves called for a break in the action roughly 40 seconds into the seventh round, so that a ringside physician could examine Vianello’s cut.

Rice rocked Vianello with a thudding right hand 1:15 into the sixth round. That shot opened the nasty gash above Vianello’s left eye.

A right-left combination by Vianello backed up Rice 45 seconds into the sixth round.

Rice and Vianello exchanged right hands with just over 10 seconds to go in the fifth round. Vianello landed a right uppercut on the inside 1:05 into the fifth round.

Vianello lunged forward and landed several left hands during the fourth round.

Rice didn’t have much success in the first two rounds, but he nailed Vianello with a right hand that connected to the side of his head with just under 1:10 on the clock in the third round.

Vianello landed a right hand as Rice moved away from him a little less than a minute into the second round. Rice had trouble getting beyond Vianello’s jab for most of the second round.

Vianello landed a short, left hand just before the halfway point of the first round. About 30 seconds later, Vianello connected with a left hook that backed up Rice.

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