Gary Cornish stopped David Howe inside 90 seconds in a comfortable return to the ring at Glasgow’s Crowne Plaza.
The 30-year-old was in charge from the start and never let his opponent settle, landing a series of heavy body shots that paved way to a simple victory.
Howe never troubled his opponent and looked little more than cannon fodder from the first bell which, given the extensive camp and travelling done for sparring in the build-up to the fight, will have disappointed those in Cornish’s camp.
This was Cornish’s first bout since his defeat to Sam Sexton in the British heavyweight title fight in October.
A six-rounder against six-foot-eight Howe – who came in with a record of 14 wins and six losses from 20 fights – was to provide Cornish with a “live opponent” in his return to the ring, according to his manager Sam Kynoch.
It also marked his first contest since reuniting with his coach Liam Foy, who worked with the Highlander during his days as an amateur fighter in Inverness.
First on the bill in MTK Scotland’s Burns Supper evening, Cornish, who had not had a stoppage since his win over Zoltan Csala in May 2015, started the aggressor and landed a body shot on the Sheffield fighter, flooring him inside the first minute and setting the tone for the rest of the bount.
Under firm instructions from Foy in his corner the Merkinch heavyweight had Howe on the canvas three times more in the first round, prompting the referee to stop the fight with less than 1:29 on the clock.
Howe looked dishevelled and out of his depth, with the victory coming as comprehensively as Cornish could have hoped for but with a tinge of frustration, in that it didn’t provide the full workout he was hoping for.
Straight after the fight Foy and Cornish went to do some pad work as the Inverness boxer still had plenty of energy to expend after his brief outing.
He will return to Inverness and the gym with Foy before heading out to spar again, before Kynoch and MTK announce his next opponent.
