Pryce Taylor continued his development as one of boxing’s more intriguing heavyweight prospects on Saturday, stopping Calvin Barnett at 2:59 of the second round at the Gateway Center Arena in College Park, Georgia, with a sustained body attack that his corner ultimately could not allow to continue.
The 29-year-old from Brooklyn started the opening round brightly, landing a right hand that initially dazed Barnett before the 34-year-old from Port Orange, Florida, responded with a looping punch that leveled things out. The first round ended as a competitive, if rough, exchange between two fighters finding their footing.
Taylor made a decisive tactical adjustment in the second, targeting Barnett’s midsection with a focus and consistency that changed the fight entirely. A visit to the canvas for Barnett during the round was ruled a slip, but the body shots continued landing with cumulative effect. When Taylor unleashed a finishing flurry to the body that put Barnett down at the round’s end, Barnett beat the count but his discomfort was unmistakable, and his corner intervened.
Taylor improved to 12-0 with eight knockouts and is now on a two-fight knockout streak. Barnett fell to 7-5.