DONETSK, Ukraine (AP) — American Paul Malignaggi stopped previously undefeated Ukrainian Vyacheslav Senchenko in the ninth round Sunday to take the WBA welterweight title Sunday.
The referee stepped in to halt the fight at 1:10 in the ninth after Malignaggi pounded the left side of Senchenko’s face until his eye closed.
The 31-year-old Malignaggi, the former IBF junior welterweight champion, improved to 31-4 with his seventh career knockout. The 35-year-old Senchenko dropped to 32-1 in front of a sparse home crowd at Donbass Arena.