Sammy Vasquez beats down Jose Lopez over five rounds, ready for jump in class

Fighting in front of his hometown crowd, Sammy Vasquez closed the show.

The fast-rising welterweight unleashed a quick-handed barrage on underdog Jose Lopez for the first knockdown, then finished matters moments later with a combination that dropped him to all fours. Referee Gary Rosato waved the Toe-to-Toe Tuesdays PBC bout off without a count at 1:08 of Round 5. The matchup took place on the campus of California University of Pennsylvania, near Vasquez's birthplace of Monessen.

"Amazing feeling. To be able to do that to a tough competitor, it was a blessing," said Vasquez, a U.S. Army veteran. " … The top guys are very tough competitors, and I know every time I get thrown in that pool it's going to be a helluva fight.

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So I'll prepare like any other fight. I think I'm ready and all you can do is throw me in and test me. Anyone in front of me, all of them above me, they're all great fighters. You have to get put in a category to fight guys like that, and that's what we're working our way to."

Vasquez (20-0, 14 KOs) laid a comprehensive beating on Lopez (25-4-1, 15 KOs), a fighter no way near his class. The 29-year-old landed a whopping 45% of his punches (124 of 274), while Lopez, 24, connected on just 16% (49 of 298). It was a mismatch on paper, and Lopez was never in the fight.

But for Vasquez, it's a second consecutive impressive performance. The "Who Can Mexican" topped Wale Omotoso in a wild brawl in June and seems ready for a step-up fight.

Omar Douglas, a 130-pound prospect, improved his record to 14-0 with a two-knockdown decision victory over Braulio Santos in the evening's co-feature.