NXTGEN: Joshua Buatsi and Conor Benn earn knockout victories as Colin Farrell and Michael Buffer watch on at York Hall

JOSHUA BUATSI racked up his second win in the paid ranks with a fifth round knockout victory against Baptiste Castegnaro with Colin Farrell and Michael Buffer in attendance at York Hall.

The light-heavyweight has made the transition from amateur to professional seamlessly, while Conor Benn expertly dispatched Kane Baker in the second round.

The Rio 2016 Olympic bronze medallist  – headlining the NXTGEN bill in Bethnal Green, showed his power in the first round, letting his shots fly with some impressive combinations.

He landed a huge straight right at the start of the second which shook his French opponent up, but he then frustrated Buatsi with his guard high and defensive strategy.

Rapid combos continued into the third round with sharp left hooks hurting Castegnaro as he backed towards the ropes – fearing his power.

Buatsi was left shaking his head at the end of the fourth as somehow his opponent stayed on his feet as he faced an onslaught of power punches to the head and body, but his chin held out – earning the respect of the 24-year-old.

But he finally got the KO he was craving for early in the fifth round as a huge body shot left Castegnaro taking a knee, with the referee immediately stepping in to call the fight off.

Speaking after the fight he said: “I was glad to get the rounds in. Again I felt it was a fantastic opportunity and I am eternally grateful for it and I hope I made the most of it.”

Benn showed why he is one of the most hyped about British boxers with a devastating second round KO over the previously unbeaten Kane Baker.

In a first round slugfest, Baker somehow stayed on his feet after he bounced off the rope and back to unsteady legs as ‘The Destroyer’ showed his immense power.

But the Birmingham man didn’t last much longer as he was floored early on in the second round by the 20-year-old with a sweet left hook, followed by a right hook to the head that left him crashing to the canvas.

Immediately back on his feet and visibly dazed, the referee had no option but to wave off the fight with Baker in no position to continue.

Benn moves up to 8-0 – six by way of knockout, as the son of Nigel Benn looks to finally be stepping out the shadows of his legendary fighter.

Speaking after his fight, he told Sky Sports: “The support I got tonight was unbelievable. I want to box here more often!

“I just picked my shots before I was crash bang wallop, but tonight I took my time and picked them well.”

Elsewhere on the undercard, Welsh wizard Joe Cordina improved his record to 4-0 with a stunning first round KO against Jamie Speight.

The Olympian dazzled as he stepped up to Lightweight fresh from sparring Jorge Linares before his world title against Luke Campbell.

Jake Ball earned a unanimous decision victory over Joe Sheriff in a fiery encounter in an English light-heavyweight eliminator.

Lawrence Okolie kept his unbeaten record in tact as he outpointed Blaise Mendouo over six rounds in their cruiserweight clash – with possible future opponent Isaac Chamberlain watching on from ringside.

Okolie sent the 32-year-old crashing to the canvas in the fourth round, but couldn’t stop him to halt his four consecutive knockout victories.

While Ted Cheeseman overcame Francesco Lezzi after the Italian was disqualified, as Felix Cash earned a quick KO against Spain’s Fernando Heredia.