Andre Ward stopped Sergey Kovalev in round eight to win their rematch and retain his unified light-heavyweight world championship.
The 33-year-old American extended his perfect career record to 32 wins from 32 in an impressive performance, albeit with a controversial ending, at the Mandalay Bay Hotel and Casino in Las Vegas.
Ward won the pair's first meeting last November via a unanimous but tight decision, with Kovalev aggrieved at the result having knocked Ward down in round two, and the rematch was eagerly anticipated.
Again the Russian started stronger, with Ward firing off enough counter-shots to keep himself in the fight but looking weary between rounds.
The momentum began to shift the American's way as the fight reached halfway, though, with both fighters landing some fierce shots in a more open and aggressive encounter than their first bout.
And after wobbling Kovalev midway through the eighth round with a straight right hand, Ward finished the job with a series of powerful body shots - albeit with a suspicion of low blows.
There had already been controversy on the undercard as Guillermo Rigondeaux knocked out Moises Flores right at the end of the first round to retain his WBA world super bantamweight title. The verdict was only confirmed after a long review, during which r eferee Vic Drakulich initially suggested he would rule the fight a no-contest due to Rigondeaux holding Flores behind the head and possibly landing the knockout punch after the bell.
Source: PA
