A masterful defence and purposeful attack ensured Bernard Dunne maintained his unbeaten professional record as he emerged victorious in an entertaining featherweight contest with Sergio Carlos Santillan in Turin on Monday night.
Dubliner Dunne was in breathtaking form on RTÉ.ie's first live sports webcast as he took the fight to his Argentinean opponent and, despite sustaining a cut above his right eye early in the second round, the victory never looked in doubt.
The South American super flyweight champion was in resilient mood as he withstood all Dunne could throw at him over the full eight rounds, without troubling the Dubliner offensively, and Dunne can feel confident ahead of any potential European title bout with Michael Hunter.
In what was a polished performance by the Neilstown man, Dunne never allowed Santillan the chance to settle and he took advantage with a series of powerful combinations to ruffle the Argentinean's feathers early on.
Indeed, the 26-year-old had Santillan on the canvas just 50 seconds into the bout following a vicious right hand to the head, and some decent body shots ensured the South American didn't get time to settle into his stride.
Dunne took that first round easily on points, but the second was a more even affair as Santillan recovered from his early setback.
A series of punches midway through the second round saw Dunne pepper Santillan's body to good effect.
Dunne, the IBC super bantamweight champion, used his superior height and reach to keep Santillan at a safe distance as he continued to accrue points in the third and fourth rounds.
A powerful right hand over the top followed by another Dunne combination of head and body shots continued to test Santillan's resilience, but it was obvious that it would have taken something special to stop the hardened Argentinean champion.
Santillan, who had only been stopped once in his professional career, did see Dunne lose his footing and stumble to the canvas in the final round.
However, that proved just a minor blip on a polished evening for Dunne, whose attention will now turn to an as yet unnamed opponent in the National Stadium on June 3.
