ONTARIO, California – Travon Marshall made a statement Saturday night against the most experienced opponent the 22-year-old welterweight prospect has fought as a professional.

The hard-hitting Marshall dropped and stopped veteran Justin DeLoach with a right hand in the third round of their eight-round bout at Toyota Arena. Marshall’s overhand right knocked DeLoach to the canvas face first with 1:05 to go in the third round.

DeLoach beat referee Thomas Taylor’s count, but Taylor stopped their bout because DeLoach didn’t respond to his command to walk toward him. The official time of the stoppage was 2:07 of the third round.

Marshall, of Capitol Heights, Maryland, improved to 8-0 and recorded his seventh knockout. The 29-year-old DeLoach (19-6, 10 KOs), of Augusta, Georgia, lost by knockout in a second straight bout and by knockout or technical knockout for the fourth time in his 10-year pro career.

DeLoach drilled Marshall with a left hook about 20 seconds into the third round, but he couldn’t handle Marshall’s power later in that fateful round.

Marshall’s power appeared to have an effect on DeLoach during the second round.

Marshall nailed DeLoach with a left hook with just over a minute remaining in the second round. Shortly thereafter, Taylor warned Marshall for pushing DeLoach through the ropes.

Marshall’s right hand turned DeLoach’s head around a little less than a minute into the second round.

Marshall and DeLoach traded hard shots on the inside for most of an action-packed first round. Marshall continually went to DeLoach’s body during those opening three minutes.

Marshall hammered DeLoach with a right to the body and then quickly came up top to land a right uppercut a few seconds before the first round ended.

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