Rob Brant eyes future bout with Canelo Alvarez

Rob "Bravo" Brant crashed the world boxing scene last October with a dominant decision over Ryota Murata to win the WBA middleweight title. For title defense number one, he returned to his home state and sent the partisan crowd home happy.

Brant (25-1, 16 KOs) cruised to an 11th-round TKO over Khasan Baysangurov (17-1, 7 KOs) Friday evening at the Grand Casino Hinckley, a short drive from Brant's hometown of St. Paul.

A sold-out crowd of 2,225 watched as Brant overwhelmed Baysangurov with consistent, effective pressure. In the 11th, Baysangurov, who was knocked down in the second round, could not keep Brant at bay. A knockdown and a follow-up attack, punctuated by a right hand, forced referee Mark Nelson to stop the fight.

This is what Brant had to say in the ring after he retained the title.

"Today, I feel like a true champion. I was happy with my performance. I had some cramps later in the fight, but this shows I can carry my power later in fights."

"Middleweight is one of the deepest divisions in boxing. There are fights to be made. We just have to keep pushing forward. Canelo Alvarez is recognized by many as the champion at middleweight, and I'd love a fight with him down the road."

"{Baysangurov} had a good jab. I started a little sloppy, and my trainer (Eddie Mustafa Muhammad) told me in the corner to relax. I waited for the opportunity to come, and it came in the 11th round."

In other results, Joshua "Don't Blink" Greer Jr. (20-1-1, 12 KOs) extended his knockout streak to seven and defended his WBC Continental Americas bantamweight title with an eighth-round stoppage of Giovanni Escaner (19-4, 12 KOs).

Mikaela Mayer (10-0, 4 KOs) won an old-fashioned, toe-to-toe battle, grinding down Yareli Larios (13-2-1, 3 KOs) to prevail via eight-round unanimous decision and defend her NABF super featherweight belt.