Kell Brook marked his first bout at light-middleweight with a victory as he stopped Belarusian Sergey Rabchenko in the second round at Sheffield Arena.
Brook was making his return to the ring after losing his IBF welterweight title to Errol Spence Jr in May.
The 31-year-old sustained a fractured left eye socket in the bout but came back to improve his record to 37 wins and two defeats.
“I’m the terminator and I’m back. I’m here to stay,” said Brook.
“My life could not be any better right now. I felt very comfortable, I felt relaxed, I felt strong and I felt stable.”
Brook said the “weight was good” and that he “needed to get back to winning ways” having lost his two previous fights.
Gennady Golovkin stopped Brook in the fifth round when the Sheffield fighter challenged for his world middleweight crown in September 2016.
If Brook felt any nerves on his return to the ring on Saturday, they were quickly eased by the vocal Sheffield Arena crowd, who loudly cheered their home boxer when his name was announced.
Rabchenko made an aggressive start but Brook’s superior footwork enabled him to avoid many of the Belarusian’s lunges.
Brook landed an early straight left hand down the middle and grew in confidence as the first round wore on before stepping things up in the second.
He caught Rabchenko with a crunching left uppercut before a straight right put the 32-year-old on the floor.
Rabchenko attempted to rise to his feet but was unsteady as he was counted out by referee Steve Gray, confirming a confidence-boosting victory for Brook.
Brook now has his sights set on becoming a two-weight world champion, something he is “absolutely” confident he can achieve.
Brook’s victory also sets up the possibility of an-all British fight with long-term rival Amir Khan, who makes his return to the ring against Canadian Phil Lo Greco on 21 April.
“Kell Brook has passed the test, Amir has to pass the test on 21 April,” said promoter Eddie Hearn.
“It is the fight everyone wants to see.”
