Powerful light-heavyweight Anthony Yarde showed yet again why he is quickly become a force in the 175lbs division.

A win over Montenegro’s Nikola Sjekloća improved Yarde’s record to 14-0-13KO tonight with a stoppage win that could set up big things in 2018 for the 26 year old from Hackney, London.

His opponent Sjekloća clearly came to fight from the opening bell as he marched forward into Yarde – but found jabs, left hooks and straight right hands for his trouble.

Yarde looked tactically superior in the early rounds and showed excellent footwork to back up his crisp combinations he was putting on display.

The second round saw Sjekloća hit the deck from a combination that ultimately had a heavy right hand on it, dropping him badly.

To his credit he got up however and fought on bravely, battling back in the third round with some nice work of his own.

But Yarde was not to be denied.

A right hand left hook combination dropped the man from Montenegro for the second time and Yarde walked away with the stoppage victory becoming the first man to do so to Sjekloća in his professional boxing career.

Here is how Yarde celebrated after:

Anthony Yarde becomes the first man to stop Nikola Sjekloća 👐😉

"It's an accomplishment…the only people he's lost against are world class." pic.twitter.com/zDOfdvlOGV

— Boxing on TNT Sports (@boxingontnt) December 9, 2017

Some interesting fights at light-heavyweight no doubt await Yarde in 2018.