He began to fade at times in the second half just as Broner, who was implored in the corner by new trainer Kevin Cunningham to throw more punches, started to let his hands go and rally.

Broner, who cut ties with longtime amateur trainer Mike Stafford in order to take his career more seriously and avoid a second straight loss, fought with heart and passion in his first pairing with Cunningham.

The unbeaten slugger from Houston made quick and destructive work of Hugo Centeno Jr. to claim the interim WBC middleweight title on Saturday and become the mandatory opponent for full champion Gennady Golovkin.

Charlo, the 27-year-old twin brother of WBC junior middleweight champion Jermell, landed a crisp and powerful four-punch combination to drop Centeno (26-2, 14 KOs) under the ropes.

Top contender Danny Jacobs, who faces Maciej Sulecki on April 28, could be in line as a future opponent considering he traded harsh words with Charlo during a backstage argument on March 3 at the Barclays Center.

For all of the hype and pressure placed on the shoulders of Gervonta "Tank" Davis by those, including promoter Floyd Mayweather, who believe he's the next big thing in the sport, the unbeaten junior lightweight sure looked the part on Saturday.

Davis, who knocked out unheralded Francisco Fonseca last August on the Mayweather-Conor McGregor undercard but did so under a chorus of boos for missing weight and showboating, was happy to gain redemption.