LEVALLOIS, France (AP) — Souleymane Mbaye of France has earned a unanimous decision over Antonin Decarie of Canada to win a vacant interim welterweight title.
Mbaye knocked down Decarie in the fourth round and won all three judges’ scorecards. Jose Ignacio Martinez and John Coyle scored the bout 116-113, and Pierluigi Poppi had it 116-112.
The 35-year-old Frenchman, a former junior-welterweight champion, improved to 39-3-1 while Decarie lost for the first time in 24 fights.
Mbaye, who has won three straight since losing to Herman Ngoudjo in a junior welterweight eliminator, becomes the interim WBA champion. Vyacheslav Senchenko is the recognized titleholder after Shane Mosley was stripped of the belt.
