All Blacks star and part-time boxer Sonny Bill Williams won the vacant New Zealand heavyweight title in style with a first-round knockout in Hamilton.
Williams, 26, rocked Clarence Tillman with a thundering left hook midway through the round and followed up with a flurry of blows before the referee ended the bout just before the bell.
The easy win over Auckland-based American Tillman takes Williams' professional boxing record to five wins, three by knockout, against no losses.
Tillman, 34, was supposed to represent a step up in opponent for Williams, whose most recent contest last June was a points win over an overweight 43-year-old.
However, Tillman, a journeyman with an unspectacular record of 11 wins, eight losses and two draws, managed only to land a blow on the dual code rugby professional in a pre-fight face-off between the pair.
Williams was originally supposed to fight fellow Kiwi Richard Tutaki but had to call in Tillman as a late replacement when Tutaki was arrested on drug-related charges.
