LAS VEGAS, Nevada (AFP) - Nonito Donaire of the Philippines retained his International Boxing Federation flyweight world title Saturday with a sixth-round technical knockout of South African Moruti Mthalane.
Referee Joe Cortez stopped the fight at 1:31 of the sixth after Donaire had opened a cut on the inside of Mthalane's left eyelid.
Donaire improved to 21-1 with 13 victories inside the distance, while Mthalane fell to 22-3, with 15 knockouts.
Donaire showed himself the more skillful fighter, controling the contest from the start.
In the sixth, the ringside doctor stopped the action to examine the bleeding Mthalane, and determined the fight should be halted. The South African was taken to hospital for treatment.
Mthalane had won nine straight fights before he was stopped for the second time in his career.
It was the second title defense for Donaire, who has stopped each of his last four opponents.
The 25-year-old claimed the belt with a fifth-round technical knockout of Vic Darchinyan on July 7, 2007.
On the undercard Jorge Arce stopped Isidro Garcia in the fourth round in a super flyweight belt.
Arce knocked down Garcia with a body shot early in the fourth. He rose, but Arce didn't let up, and referee Tony Weeks called a halt to the contest at 48 seconds of the fourth.
Arce improved to 51-4-1, with 38 wins inside the distance. Garcia, who has lost three of his last four fights, fell to 25-6-2.
