CARSON, Calif. (AP) — Nonito Donaire stopped Toshiaki Nishioka at 1:54 of the ninth round Saturday night, defending his WBO 122-pound title with a dominant performance in his 29th straight victory.
Brandon Rios also stopped Mike Alvarado in the seventh round of a sensational 140-pound bout in the co-main event at a sold-out Home Depot Center. Both previously unbeaten fighters absorbed enormous punishment and rallied tenaciously in what’s likely to be considered one of the year’s best fights.
Donaire (30-1, 19 KOs) was less thrilling but more dominant, patiently waiting for openings against Nishioka (39-5-3) before knocking down the Japanese veteran in the sixth.
Donaire then put him down again with a vicious right hand in the ninth, and referee Raul Caiz stopped it after Donaire landed an uppercut moments later.
