By Jake Donovan

Alexander Miskirtchian intended to use his stateside debut as means to rebuild towards another run at a featherweight title. Instead, he is forces to reexamine his career after veteran spoiler Cornelius Lock struck again with a shocking 3rd round knockout Tuesday evening at MCU Park in the Coney Island section of Brooklyn, New York. 

Lock dropped Miskirtchian twice in the deciding round, the second knockdown prompting an immediate stoppage at 2:10 of round three. 

The bout was the first in the United States for Miskirtchian—an Armenian based in Belgium—who was also two fights removed from a failed bid at then-unbeaten featherweight titlist Evgeny Gradovich. The former top contender was a big hit in Coney Island, where more than 2,000 fans gathered at the outdoor minor league baseball stadium on the extraordinary efforts of local promoter and former super lightweight contender Dmitriy Salita. 

Unfortuately for the headlining act, a big hit was precisely what changed the course of the fight. 

Miskirtchian had never previously been dropped or stopped as a pro. That changed early in round three, when Lock connected with a left hook for the bout's first knockdown. Miskirtchian beat the count, but Lock jumped on the opportunity to rack up perhaps the biggest win of his journeyman career. Another left hand produced the bout's second knockdown, with referee Steve Willis jumping in to immediately halt the contest. 

Lock had been out of the ring since a knockout loss to William Gonzalez last May, but it stands to reason that he'll be back sooner rather than later. For now, the 36-year old southpaw from Detroit delivers an Upset of the Year candidate, improving his record to 23-7-2 (15KOs). 

As for Miskirtchian, it's back to the drawing board. His record dips to 25-4-1 (9KOs), having now dropped two of his last three starts. 

UNDERCARD 

2012 Olympic Silver medalist John Joe Nevin (4-0, 3KOs) forced Victor Capaceta (4-8-3, 2KOs) to quit on his stool after three rounds of action. 

Capaceta plead to referee Steve Willis that he was dizzy from a blow to the back of the head, but it fell on deaf ears as he was declared a TKO loser at 3:00 of round three. 

Nevin was fighting for the first time since recovering from a brutal attack that left him with two broken legs last year. 

Junior Wright (14-1-1, 11KOs) returned to the win column following a knockout loss to Rakhim Chakhkiev earlier this year, scoring a six-round decision over Harvey Jolly. 

Scores were 59-54 on all three cards in favor of Wright, who floored Jolly (14-23, 7KO) late in round six but couldn't close the show as he was forced to settle for a landslide decision. The bout was the third in New York for the Chicagoland-based cruiserweight since signing with Salita Promotions last year. 

All bouts aired live on ESPN3.com. 

Jake Donovan is the managing editor of BoxingScene.com.
Twitter: @JakeNDaBox
Facebook Page: JakeBScene