The hard-hitting Cuban contender unloaded a variety of punishing punches on longtime contender Terrell Gausha for three-plus round until ultra-cautious referee Allen Huggins determined he shouldn’t continue.

Huggins stepped between them after Hernandez hit Gausha with a right hand and stopped their scheduled 10-round bout at 1:17 of the fourth round at MGM Grand Garden Arena.

Gausha (24-6-1, 12 KOs) was still standing and complained when Huggins halted the one-sided action on the Sebastian Fundora-Keith Thurman undercard. He nonetheless lost by knockout for the first time in 31 professional fights.

Hernandez, who trains in Providence, Rhode Island, improved to 10-0 and produced his ninth knockout.

“I was breaking him down, so I just wanted to turn it up a little more each round,” Hernandez said. “The intensity was rising and my shots were getting harder. People can say what they want about the stoppage – maybe they’re right. But it was only going to get worse.”

The Ring’s No. 2 contender for a vacant championship hopes his destruction of the durable Gausha moves him closer to a title shot. The 28-year-old Hernandez, who was a decorated amateur, is ranked No. 1 by the WBA and No. 4 by both the WBC and WBO.

Gausha, 38, fought for the first time since March of last year, when the Cleveland native lost a controversial 10-round, split decision to Elijah Garcia.

Gausha had much more difficulty dealing with Hernandez’s diverse offensive repertoire. Despite Huggins’ seemingly premature stoppage, it appeared inevitable that Hernandez would break down Gausha and stop him.

Prior to the fourth round, Hernandez’s right hand knocked Gausha into a neutral corner and made him try to hold Hernandez, who freed himself and continued to assault Gausha until the third round concluded. A left hook by Hernandez knocked Gausha off balance 30 seconds into the third.

Hernandez kept the pressure on Gausha during the second round, when he landed several thudding body punches to slow down his opponent.

Hernandez hit Gausha with an array of hard head shots throughout the first round. Gausha tried to throw punches at times, but he was mostly forced to retreat and cover up in the first three minutes of one-sided action.

Enormous Armenian heavyweight prospect Gurgen Hovhannisyan’s volume punching overwhelmed Cesar Navarro late in the fifth round and forced referee Robert Hoyle to stop their scheduled 10-round bout.

Hoyle urged Navarro to throw punches back as Hovhannisyan hammered him with head and body shots in the Fundora-Thurman pay-per-view opener. Navarro stayed against the ropes. And although he tried to move away, he didn’t offer enough resistance for Hoyle to allow their fight to continue.

The official time of the stoppage was 2:45 of the fifth round. Navarro never went down and disagreed with Hoyle’s decision.

Los Angeles’ Hovhannisyan improved to 10-0 and recorded his ninth knockout. Phoenix’s Navarro (15-4, 13 KOs), who kept the bout respectable before Hovhannisyan’s onslaught, lost by knockout for the first time in 19 professional fights. Keith Idec is a senior writer and columnist for The Ring. He can be reached on X @idecboxing.