UNCASVILLE, Connecticut, CMC – Guyana’s former world boxing champion Wayne Braithwaite sounded a warning that he is ready to return to the world’s top flight with a swift first-round knockout of American Adam Harris in their cruiserweight non-title bout on Saturday night.

Braithwaite landed several crushing blows and stopped Harris at two minutes, 29 seconds of the opening round at Mohegan Sun Casino where the bout was co-feature for the world unification title fight between Devon Alexander and Juan Urango.

With the result, Braithwaite improved his record to 24 wins (20 knockouts) against four defeats, while Harris slipped to 10 wins (seven knockouts) against three defeats.

Coming off four defeats in his last six bouts, Braithwaite badly needed an impressive win to restore his status as one of the world’s leading cruiserweights.

The 34-year-old ex-World Boxing Council (WBC) king made quick work of Harris, landing two straight lefts followed by a left uppercut at the end of the first round.

The combination sent Harris to the canvas and referee Dick Flaherty reached the count of 10 at 2:59 of the first round.

Braithwaite, who came in at the cruiserweight limit of 200 pounds, had dropped out of the top frame in all the world bodies following defeats in the past five years to big name cruiserweights Jean-Marc Mormeck, Guillermo Jones, Enzo Maccarinelli and Steve Cunningham.

Braithwaite previously held the WBC title, which he lost to Frenchman Mormeck in a WBC/World Boxing Association (WBA) unification bout in April 2005.

In October 2002, Braithwaite had beaten Italian Vicenzo Cantatore to win the WBC belt, which he successfully defended three times – against Ravea Springs, Luis Pineda and Louis Azille — before losing to Mormeck.

In Saturday night’s main event, undefeated American Alexander floored Colombian Urango twice in the eighth round en route to a spectacular technical knockout win to add Urango’s International Boxing Federation (IBF) 140-pound title to the WBC belt he already had.