KING OF PRUSSIA, Pa.

Immanuwel Aleem may have been barely old enough to play a hand of poker — his favorite card game — at the Valley Forge Casino Resort in suburban Philadelphia on Saturday night. But the 21-year-old boxer’s fists had enough experience to floor his opponent in an eight-round bout by King’s Promotions.

Aleem, the 5-foot-10 pugilist and graduate of Richmond’s Thomas Jefferson High School, knocked down Emmanuel Sanchez of Laredo, Texas, three times in the second round before the referee mercifully ended the fight.

Aleem’s ascension throughout the middleweight ranks continues. He remains undefeated with a 12-0 record with eight knockouts.

“He came at me with a few shots that I just ate, so I could counter with my left hook,” Aleem said of the first knockdown. “His punches weren’t fazing me, but mine had more effect.”

Less than a minute later, Aleem sent Sanchez (6-3) to the canvas with a thunderous overhand right. When Sanchez staggered to his feet to remain competitive, Aleem greeted him with another power punch that turned his legs into linguine. Sanchez wobbled into the arms of the referee, who stopped the bout with 46 seconds left in the second round.

“He had nothing left, so it was time to take the cake,” Aleem said.

Eight months removed from making his national television debut on ESPN’s Friday Night Fights, Aleem is on the prowl for bigger matches, yet understanding that a boxer’s development is a slow process.

And having trainer George Peterson in his corner, as well as manager Al Haymon, the adviser to Floyd Mayweather Jr. and the biggest broker in the sport, has given Aleem the belief that he will soon contend for a belt.

“Regardless of what you do in life, you need someone who can teach you the business — someone you can trust,” Aleem said of Peterson, who trained former world champion Paul Williams.

“George isn’t rushing me. He’s schooling me, bringing me along slowly.

“I’m blessed to be able to work with him because there are a lot of crooked people in boxing,” he said.

“We’re carefully watching his progress,” Peterson said of Aleem, who now has boxed 44 rounds as a professional. “Al has 12 champions in his stable, and Immanuwel is on the fast track because he follows instructions so well. He’s got heart, hunger and the will to win. Very soon, we’re going to be seeing big things from him. Showtime and HBO — he’s a prospect for all that.”

Peterson credits Aleem’s upbringing in Richmond as the reason for his early success in the sport.

Immanuwel’s parents, Deidre and Omar Aleem, introduced him and his older brother, Moshea, to the sport.

Moshea, a pro with a 4-0 record, is on the mend from Tommy John surgery and hasn’t fought in a year.

Mrs. Aleem, a native of Long Island, grew up with Howard Davis, a lightweight who captured gold in the 1976 Olympics in Montreal. Mr. Aleem, who hails from Jamaica, was a correctional officer who trained amateurs on the island.

The couple, who cheered ringside for Immanuwel on Saturday night, settled in Richmond in 1997. Ten years later, their love for the sweet science prompted them to buy a vacant building at the corner of 25th and Hull streets and convert it into the Ninth Dimension Sports Circle. There, city youths now learn the basics of the sport at a facility sanctioned by USA Boxing.

It’s where Immanuwel became known as “The Chosen One,” a nickname he gives credence to every time he steps into the ring.