Ricardo Mayorga stopped Vernon Forrest in the third round to claim the World Boxing Council welterweight title in a unification bout.

Referee Marty Deakin stopped the fight in Temecula, California, after Mayorga floored Forrest with an overhand right.

The 29-year-old Nicaraguan came out from the opening bell throwing everything he had at Forrest, knocking the former 147lb WBC champion down in the first round.

Mayorga, who was a 6-1 underdog, now has another belt to go with the World Boxing Association title he won with another surprise decision over Andrew Lewis.

"I hit him with a hook and a cross and I knew it was going to knock him out," said Mayorga, who now has 25 wins, three losses, a draw and 23 KOs.

Trained hard

Forrest had no defence for swarming style of Mayorga whose fifth-round stoppage of Lewis last March was his only fight in 2002.

Forrest drops to 35-1 with 26KOs in his first title defence since beating Shane Mosley twice last year.

Asked if he took Mayorga too lightly, he said: "No, I trained hard for this.

"I don't know how I feel right now. I am going to go home and reflect. I will play the fight over in my head. Even now I am playing it back."

Forrest had been hoping to beat Mayorga and then meet current IBF champ Michele Piccirillo.

The Italian is slated to defend his title in March in a rematch against American Cory Spinks.

Forrest wants a re-match with Mayorga, and said: "I will be more angry and more determined when I come back."