Devin Haney cruised past Yuriorkis Gamboa with a unanimous decision to defend his WBC lightweight title behind closed doors in Florida on Saturday.
The unbeaten Haney was fighting for the first time since last November after undergoing shoulder surgery in January.
Two judges had the 21-year-old American leading for every round while the other had him winning all but two.
Following the fight, Haney said Teofimo Lopez, who holds the other belts, is the “main fight I want to make happen”.
Cuba’s former WBC title holder and Olympic gold medallist Gamboa, 38, started well but began to tire as the fight went on.
Haney rocked Gamboa with several solid jabs and left hooks, improving his record to 25-0 with 15 knockouts.
American Lopez, meanwhile, beat Vasyl Lomachenko by a unanimous points decision in October to become the undisputed world lightweight champion.
The 23-year-old is the youngest fighter to become a four-belt undisputed champion, with an unbeaten record of 16 wins from 16 bouts.