NEWARK, New Jersey – It took Karl Dargan two-plus rounds to get into an offensive groove Saturday night.
Once that happened, however, the Philadelphia native gave what was left of the crowd at Prudential Center a memorable knockout. Dargan dropped Ivan Delgado twice during the third round before referee Harvey Dock stopped a scheduled eight-round junior welterweight fight FS1 aired after heavyweight Jonnie Rice upset Michael Coffie in the main event.
Dock halted the action 1:09 into the third round, immediately after Delgado went down awkwardly for the second time. Dargan fought for the first time in two years and recorded his first knockout since 2014.
The 36-year-old Dargan got off to a slow start, but he blasted Delgado with a right uppercut that knocked him flat on his back. Los Angeles’ Delgado (13-4-2, 6 KOs) got to his feet, but he appeared dazed as he responded to Dock’s commands.
Delgado valiantly tried to fight out of the trouble. Dargan landed several clean right hands, though, before his last right hand sent Delgado to the canvas a second time and their bout ended.
Keith Idec is a senior writer/columnist for BoxingScene.com. He can be reached on Twitter @Idecboxing.