Kieron Conway stays on course for $1m prize as he sets up Aaron McKenna semi-final

And the Team Shoe-Box man also earned himself a $33,000 bonus as he secured a seventh-round stoppage in his fight at the Yamato Arena in Osaka.

It was the first night of Matchroom’s new Japanese venture, and it was an action-packed night with four 10-round middleweight showdowns on the card.

Prize-Fighter is going to be staged over three different nights, and on each fight night there is a $100,000 bonus to be shared among the boxers who win by stoppage.

Conway's clash with Yilixiati was the first of the four quarter-finals, and the Northampton man dominated throughout as he proved too strong and too good for an opponent who went into the showdown having lost just once in 20 professional fights.

Yilixiati had been unbeaten since 2017, but Conway, nicknamed 'Too Class', lived up to that moniker as he overpowered his opponent, forcing the referee to clal things off with a minute left in the seventh.

The win was the 21st of the Team Shoe-Box man’s professional career and his third on the spin.

Conway will now go into a semi-final showdown against Ireland's Aaron McKenna who also won by stoppage, seeing off American Jeovanny Estela with less than a minute left in the final round.

The win was McKenna's 18th of his pro career, and saw the Monaghan fighter maintain his 100 per cent win record.

The fight between the pair is due to be staged at the same Osaka venue in October.

The other semi-final will also be staged that night, and that will see Japanese pair Kazuto Takesako and Riku Kunimoto square up.

Takesako saw off England's Mark Dickinson on points to progress into the semis, while Kunimoto beat another home fighter in Eiki Kani.

Kunimoto stopped Kani in the fifth round to become the third fighter to end their contest early, which saw the $100,000 bonus split three ways, with Conway taking his slice.