DAVID HAYE stopped Audley Harrison in the third round at the MEN Arena to retain the WBA heavyweight title with ease.
This all-British bout had been built up massively over the last few weeks but it ended up being embarrassingly one-sided as Haye utterly dominated.
Bermondsey-born Haye won by technical knockout in the third as the fight belatedly opened up.
There was barely a punch thrown in either of the first two rounds which ended in a chorus of boos from the Manchester crowd.
Even Puerto Rican referee Luis Pabon urged a step up in the quality but the opening minute of the third round looked set to go the way of the first two.
Then, all of a sudden, Haye delivered a firm right-hander and followed it up with a left-right combination to floor Harrison.
Harrison, who threw just one punch all the way through, got up from the canvas on an eight count but, just seconds later, the fight was over after the ref called it to a halt.
The result was a considerable embarrassment for former Olympic champion Harrison who spent most of the last week talking up his chances.
Harrison, at 18st 1lb, weighed in three stone heavier than Haye and had a reach advantage of eight inches in the first all-British world heavyweight clash since Lennox Lewis beat Frank Bruno in 1993.
But, since winning his first 19 professional fights against hand-picked opponents in the wake of his Sydney Games success, Harrison has just eight wins and now five losses in the last five years.
His poor record showed as he attempted to stifle the fight early on before eventually being overwhelmed after one minute and 53 seconds of the third round.
Even 30-year-old victor Haye would have struggled to take full pleasure from this. But, to spout an old cliche, he could only beat the opponent in front of him.
Haye promised in September that the fight would be "as one-sided as a gang rape" and he was proved correct in his assessment of a derisory challenger.
It seems inevitable now that Haye will face the Klitschko brothers over the next 12 months with his manager stating the Londoner intends to retire next year.
Older brother Vitali, 39, is the WBC belt holder while 34-year-old Wladimir is the IBO/WBF champion.
Beating both men would make Haye the undisputed heavyweight champion and the anticipated bouts would go a long way to restoring the division back to its former glory.
After tonight's farce of a fight, it certainly needs some lifting.
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