Paddy Donovan continues to cruise in the early stages of his pro career.

The 22-year-old southpaw from Limerick, Ireland advanced to 7-0 (5KOs) following a first round knockout of Argentina’s Jose Luis Castillo. A perfectly placed body shot forced Castillo (9-6-1, 6KOs) to the canvas, producing the stoppage at 1:22 of round one in their ESPN+ aired preliminary bout Friday from Falls Park in Belfast.

Donovan made his pro debut in Belfast, scoring a first-round knockout and then lodging two more wins prior to the pandemic. The three fights preceding Friday’s affair took place behind closed doors, with Donovan getting to fight in front of a rabid crowd for the first time in nearly 20 months. He didn’t disappoint, even if the occasion was brief. Castillo was well within the Irishman’s punching range, leaving his guard just high enough for Donovan to plant a looping left hand to the body, leaving Castillo down and done for the night.

Donovan—who is trained by former middleweight titlist Andy Lee—is expected to fight for a WBC Youth welterweight title in his next fight later this year.

The bout took place in supporting capacity of a WBA interim featherweight title between two-time Olympian and 2012 Bronze medalist Michael Conlan and former junior featherweight champ TJ Doheny

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