Keith Thurman gave Brock Jarvis a harsh dose of reality and set the stage for a potentially huge fight with Tim Tszyu after securing a knockout victory in the third round in Sydney.

Thurman sent Jarvis to the floor with a powerful combination, finishing with a strong uppercut midway through the third round on Wednesday night.

The referee quickly stopped the super-welterweight match soon after when the American knocked Jarvis down again with a stunning left hook to the side of the head.

Jarvis’s defeat must have been a setback for Jeff Fenech, after the Australian boxing legend parted ways with the Sydney fighter last month.

Fenech had concerns that Thurman, a former two-time world champion, would be too powerful for his former trainee.

Curtis Scott, previously a rugby league player, replaced Fenech in Jarvis’s corner and likely felt uneasy watching the 27-year-old being defeated so decisively.

This victory over Jarvis, Thurman’s first fight in three years, proved that the 36-year-old can still compete at a high level.

Thurman now hopes Tim Tszyu wins against Joey Spencer, also American, in Newcastle on April 6, so they can arrange a fight for the Australian’s former WBO title.

‘Yes, Tszyu, I’ve just raised the stakes for you,’ he stated.

‘This is after three years of not fighting. You see what I can do.

‘You want to come back, you need to come back strong. Show them what you are capable of.

‘Good luck to Tim. I am ready to fight anyone in the boxing world.

‘If that fight contract with Tszyu happens, you know Keith Thurman will be ready. Send the contract. I will sign it. I will gladly take the fight.’

The quick ending to Wednesday night’s fight contrasted sharply with the first round, where Jarvis had Thurman under pressure and defending.

The energetic 27-year-old continued to land more hits in the second round, but Thurman exploded into action in the third, with devastating consequences for Jarvis.

In the evening’s co-main event, Michael Zerafa achieved a strong TKO victory over Besir Ay to remain a contender and win the vacant WBO Intercontinental middleweight belt.

The referee stopped the fight just over a minute into the seventh round after Zerafa knocked down the German fighter twice in 20 seconds with powerful head punches.

Zerafa, stating he was ‘happy to be the villain’ in Australian boxing, also challenged Tszyu.

‘I know Tim is here tonight as a commentator,’ he mentioned.

‘That’s the biggest fight in Australia, and I won’t even talk trash.’

Additionally, Mateo Tapia secured the vacant IBF Intercontinental middleweight title with an impressive victory over fellow Australian Sergei Vorobev.

In his first match since a controversial draw against Venezuelan Endry Saavedra in Florida last October, Tapia’s ‘million-dollar right hand’ was decisive again.

Tapia knocked Vorobev unconscious in the fifth round with a powerful blow to the face.

‘It feels great to be back,’ Tapia said after improving his record to 17-1-0 (11KOs).

‘The Orlando fight was the biggest challenge of my life. Not in terms of skill, but what I had to overcome before and during the fight.

‘Two head clashes really swelled up my eye. So, I am just glad to be back and show my strength.’