By Jake Donovan

Shane Cameron scored the biggest win of his career with a frightening 4th round knockout of Monte Barrett on Thursday in his hometown of Auckland, New Zealand. A right hand put Barrett down and out early the fourth round of their scheduled 12-round heavyweight main event.

The tone for the fight was set early. Barrett was the slightly busier of the two fighters in the opening round, but any damaging blows were being landed solely by Cameron. A jab managed to push Barrett backwards, but not to the point of being hurt.

Not yet, anyway.

Cameron enjoyed the momentary success with his lead left hands and attempted the same pattern in round two. Barrett was more prepared for the moment, managing to slip or block in time to counter but was largely unsuccessful with his telegraphed overhand rights in return. The biggest moment of the round saw Cameron land a right hand that hurt Barrett for the first time in the fight.

The evening would only get worse for the 41-year old American, who hit the canvas in the third round for the first time in the fight. That the referee ruled it a slip didn’t lessen the impact any, as Barrett was visibly shook after getting caught with an uppercut from Cameron, who enjoyed a huge round. 

Cameron wasted no time in closing the show, peppering Barrett with a couple of jabs in the opening seconds of the fourth before connecting with a right hand flush on his opponent’s jaw. Barrett was flat on his back as the referee frantically waved off the fight and ushered in immediate medical assistance.

The official time was 0:18 of round four.

Cameron improves to 29-2 (22KO) with his sixth straight win, this one by far the most significant of a career that has largely underwhelmed beyond his immediate circle.

The last loss suffered by Cameron came three years ago at the hands of David Tua, who could never figure out a way to topple Barrett. This bout happened in large part to Barrett’s points win over Tua in New Zealand last summer, avenging a controversial draw in Atlantic City the year prior.

Barrett’s 12-round win over Tua last year marks the only time the former heavyweight title challenger has seen his hand raised in the past four years. The knockout loss puts his record at 35-10-2 (20KO), including a dismal 1-4-2 in his last seven fights. 

Jake Donovan is the Managing Editor of Boxingscene.com. Follow Jake on Twitter: @JakeNDaBox