Connecticut heavyweight prospect, Tony "TNT" Grano (10-0-1, 9 KOs) made quick work of Baltimore, Maryland's Jed Phipps (17-7, 10 KOs), Friday night at the Connecticut Expo Center in Hartford, CT. Grano, who was making his professional headlining debut, exchanged jabs with Phipps for about the first :30 seconds of the bout, before unleashing a furious offensive attack that simply overwhelmed his veteran opponent.

After trapping Phipps against the ropes, Grano unleashed a countless barrage of power punches that caused referee Johnny Callas to step in and issue Phipps a standing-eight-count. Though it was evident that Phipps was agitated by the fact that Callas intervened, Grano too appeared to recognize that Phipps might be in trouble.

Following the eight-count, Grano immediately pounced on his weakened foe, once again letting loose with another vicious offensive attack. This time, Grano, the 2005 United States National heavyweight champion, put on the finishing touches. With Phipps already in serious trouble, Grano concluded his barrage with a devastating straight-right-hand to the side of Phipps head, and the impact was immediate, as Phipps crumbled to the canvas.

As Callas began his count, he recognized almost instantly that Phipps was not going to recover, and waived off the bout prior to reaching the count of ten. "I trained hard for this fight, " stated Grano, who prepared for his first eight-round affair by sparring with the likes of Elvir Muriqui, Curtis Stevens, and former heavyweight title challenger Monte Barret.

"I was prepared to go the eight rounds, but he just couldn't handle my power. I just wanted to get started, and touch him a little. But, when you touch someone with these hands, that's the result you get!" The official time of the stoppage was 1:25