Chris Eubank Jr beat Liam Smith by TKO in round 10 of their middleweight rematch after knocking him down twice.
Eubank, 33, dropped Smith in the fourth round, the same round in which the Liverpudlian beat him in their first fight back in January.
Although Eubank was not able to press this advantage, he continued to dominate at Manchester Arena with an impressive range of shots.
And in round 10 the referee stopped the fight after Smith, 35, went down again.
“What happened tonight was supposed to happen in January,” Eubank told Sky Sports. “I trained hard, the focus is always there and I dedicate my life to this sport.”
Smith admitted he had not been at his best, as he struggled with his movement after appearing to pick up an ankle injury.
“Chris was the better man tonight,” he said. “Chris knows how I was with the weight and after the injury, I came down three stone.
“I was flat as they come from the get go. I couldn’t move my feet and Chris was sharp.”
Eubank had activated the rematch clause following his first knockout defeat seven months ago, and after numerous delays he returned to the scene of that loss stronger than before.
“I had to fight some demons, a lot of things to prove, a lot of people saying I don’t have it any more,” he said.
“I had to live with that for six months knowing it isn’t true. I enjoy new challenges, and rise to the occasion when I have to.”
Smith came in as slight favourite after his impressive win in January and had the partisan north-west crowd on his side, but Eubank was more than prepared, playing up to his villain role as he cupped his ear to the boos of the audience on entering the ring.
After an even start, Eubank gained the ascendancy and dropped Smith with a fierce uppercut in round four, from which the Liverpudlian never truly recovered.
Eubank attempted to finish the fight soon after, landing a ferocious series of punches in round five that Smith managed to weave away from and give his supporters hope.