Justin Hodges wins first pro fight in 75-second mismatch

Retired NRL great Justin Hodges has made a successful boxing debut in little more than a minute of action.

On the undercard of Paul Gallen’s easy win over John Hopoate, Hodges had Anthony Mundine in his corner and Greg Inglis sitting close by.

The former Broncos captain was far too good for his opponent, a fellow debutant in Rob Baron.

The fight needed just 75 seconds to be called a TKO victory to Hodges, who dropped Baron three times.

“I was nervous once I got into the ring. He got me once on the chin and I thought ‘holy hell we’re in for a fight’. My plan went out the window,” Hodges said.

“Then I caught him and hurt him and I wanted to get him out of there as quick as I could before he got his second wind.

“I knew if you knock them down three times the fight’s over so that’s what I tried to do. I caught him there nice a couple of times and I’m just glad it’s finished and I’ve got my first fight out of the way.

“I’ll just enjoy this one. I’ve got a full on schedule with the footy starting soon but I’m keen to go again with another fight as soon as possible.”

Perhaps predictably, the mismatch did not go down well with the punters:

Son of a gun continues rise

Meanwhile, Tim Tszyu – the son of Kostya – stopped Britain’s Denton Vassell in the second round for his own TKO victory.

Tszyu, the new interim WBA Oceania super-welterweight champion, is now 12-0 in his career.