Steven 'So Cold' Nelson ended the longest layoff of his pro career with one of his quickest knockouts.

The unbeaten stablemate of WBO welterweight titlist Terence ‘Bud’ Crawford ended a 27-month inactive stretch with a vicious first-round knockout of Detroit’s James Ballard. A right hand sent Ballard crashing to the canvas, prompting an immediate stoppage at 2:47 of round one Saturday evening at CHI Health Center in Omaha, Nebraska.

A sign of things to come was provided in the fighters’ respective ringwalks. Nelson was dressed in gladiator attire, while Ballard—sporting a fedora—tripped over the bottom rope while climbing into the ring.

The mismatch on paper grew worse once the opening bell sounded to begin the BLK Prime Pay-Per-View event. The locally based Nelson played to his hometown crowd while walking through Ballard’s punches, few of which found the mark. Nelson was sharp with his right hand, which was key in closing the show.

The fight ending sequence saw Ballard—whose mouthpiece was previously dislodged—take an overhand right to the jaw. Nelson followed with a left hook and then a right hand to the temple, causing Ballard to freeze in mid-air before falling sideways onto the deck which prompted an immediate halt to the contest.

Ballard—who hadn’t fought in 14 months—falls to 10-5 (3KOs), with all five defeats coming in his past six starts.

Nelson improved to (18-0, 15KOs) with the win. The Top Rank-promoted prospect was due to fight on a May 21 ESPN show in Las Vegas but was pulled from the card after weighing more than six pounds above the contracted limit for his canceled fight with Louis Rose. The 34-year-old boxer last fought in a sixth-round knockout of DeAndre Ware in September 2020.

His career back on track, Nelson insisted he can return to super middleweight where he would like to next face fellow unbeaten Top Rank boxer Edgar Berlanga.

Headlining the show, Crawford defends his WBO welterweight title versus streaking contender David Avanesyan (29-3-1, 17KOs).

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