Joe Mesi won for the seventh time since returning from a brain bleed injury, stopping Shannon Miller at 2:51 of the first round on Friday night at Twin River Event Center in Rhode Island.

The 33-year-old Mesi improved to 36-0 (29 KOs).

He knocked down Miller midway through the first, and then dropped him with a right hook along the ropes to close the show, the AP says.

Joe Mesi spoke after the bout: “I’m pleased. Obviously any quick ending to a fight is pleasing. A made a few mistakes, it had been a few months since I’d last fought. I was still surprised. Shannon is durable and courageous. I didn’t expect this (1st round KO). I didn’t want to expend too much early, but I guess I expended enough. This was my first fight for CES and Jimmy Burchfield. I think three more fights, stepping up each time, and I could be in line for a title shot. I hope to be back in the top 10 soon. I feel like I’m getting back to where I was. My timing, conditioning, and weight are all back.�

Miller, from Troy, N.Y., dropped to 15-4.