Video: Jermell Charlo brutally knocks out Erickson Lubin in one round

Jermell Charlo retained his WBC 154-pound belt with a sensational one-punch finish of Erickson Lubin.

Showtime Boxing had a tripleheader of 154-pound title fights on Saturday night at the Barclays Center in Brooklyn, New York. The night began with an action-packed war between Jarrett Hurd (21-0, 15 KOs) and Austin Trout (30-4, 17 KOs), with Hurd successfully defending his IBF belt via 10th round TKO in one of the best fights of the year. Trout had a clear advantage over Hurd in the first-half of this contest, as he set an unusually fast pace that he ultimately could not sustain. Hurd took over in the later rounds, and upon advice of the ringside doctor, Trout was stopped in the corner due to the worsening condition of his eyes.

After Hurd vs. Trout got the crowd in a frenzy, WBC champ Jermell Charlo (30-0, 15 KOs) took on rising 22-year-old up-and-comer Erickson Lubin (18-0, 13 KOs) in what was pegged as the fight likely to produce the most entertainment. Unlike his twin brother Jermall, Jermell isn’t known for his punching power. However, over his last few fights, he’s turned things around and also become a knockout specialist. A short right uppercut put Lubin down and out towards the end of the first round.

Charlo called out Hurd for a unification bout, and that seems like it would be an absolute thriller. Lubin’s quest for a major championship ends in devastating fashion, and he really thought that he could’ve kept fighting, even though he was so out of it that referee Harvey Dock didn’t bother to count past six.

The main event featured WBA champion Erislandy Lara (25-2-1, 14 KOs) against US Olympian Terrell Gausha (20-1, 9 KOs), and it may as well have been the equivalent of closing out a rock concert with Michael Buble. Lara knocked Gausha down in the 4th, but otherwise the Cuban won in his usual fashion, which isn’t a good thing for viewers. Fans literally were leaving in droves as the fight dragged on, and those who stayed were chanting things such as, “This is boring!” and counting down the clock for their own amusement. It was the least compelling and least competitive of the three title fights on paper, and it played out as such.

And to tie things up, here are the fight purses for all six fighters:

Erislandy Lara $700,000
Terrell Gausha $250,000

Jermell Charlo $450,000
Erickson Lubin $225,000

Jarrett Hurd $330,000
Austin Trout $225,000