David Avanesyan eyes Josh Kelly fight after stunning first round KO win over Jose del Rio

David Avanesyan may have set up a mouth-watering match-up with Josh Kelly after a sensational first round knockout win over Jose del Rio.

The Russian-born fighter, who is trained by Newark's Carl Greaves, needed just two minutes to put the experienced Spaniard on the canvas in Barcelona, during the launch of Matchroom Spain.

From the off the 31-year-old was the aggressor, catching del Rio with a temple shot after 70 seconds.

The home fighter was rocked and Avanesyan pounced, throwing a mix of shots both to the body and head.

And, to Russian's surprise, nothing was coming back as he finished the fight with just over a minute of the opening round remaining.

The knockdown came after a flurry of combinations. A clean right uppercut set up a perfect left hook to the body, which dropped del Rio, who didn't survive referee Robin Dolpierre's count.

As Greaves previously told the Advertiser, the win moved Avanesyan one step close to world level, with a mandatory title defence against Sunderland's Josh Kelly signed.

In response to the win, promoter Eddie Hearn tweeted: "Wow. Brutal performance from Avanesyan."

Avanesyan's manager, Neil Marsh, said he was so proud of his fighter.

Reaction from trainer Greaves to follow...