Ben Whittaker blew Benjamin Gavazi away with a brutal first-round stoppage in his Birmingham homecoming.

The Olympic silver medallist knocked his German opponent down and then out inside two minutes and 15 seconds of the opening round at the NEC Arena.

Gavazi entered the ring as an unknown quantity, but Whittaker immediately exposed the gulf in class with ruthless and devastating precision.

Whittaker’s fast hands unleashed a flurry of shots that sent Gavazi crashing to the canvas. When he rose to his feet, he was emphatically dispatched by a huge overhand right.

The victory marked Whittaker’s statement debut under Matchroom Boxing, secured in spectacular fashion.

Whittaker: Damn, I looked good

“When you walk out pretty like that, you have to back it up and that’s what I did,” Whittaker said post-fight on DAZN.

“Andy [Lee] said in the locker room, ‘What you do in sparring is enough. Just go out there, work behind your shots, and it will all come together’.

“And damn, I looked good. At the end of the day, I could see he was a game kid; I could see it in his eyes. This was an opportunity to change his life.

“But at the press conference, he let something slip. He said, ‘I’ve got nothing to lose’. Well, I’m a person who has everything to lose.”

Hearn: A wow performance

Whittaker’s promoter Eddie Hearn added: “All I can say is wow. Sometimes people come into an arena and light up the place. But what matters is what happens in here, the ring.

“We know there are many levels above Gavazi that we need to reach, but when you face that level, you go in, destroy them clinically, and produce a showreel knockout the whole world watches for the next week.

“Millions and millions of views are watching this young man, who is truly special.”