Round 9: Hatton at last stops Rios to claim his 33rd win and 33rd stoppage. The challenger soaks up everything that comes his way until the champion switches to the head late in the round and this time drops the Argentine to his knees with a left.

Rios looks certain to be counted out but the bell comes to his rescue. However, once back on his stool, referee Micky Vann decides he has taken enough and stops the fight.

Round 8: Hatton hurts Rios with a vicious left to the body a minute into the round, the perfect riposte to the decent right he had just taken from the challenger. But Rios again digs deep and recovers his poise to reach the safety of the bell once more.

Round 7: Rios shows why he has never been stopped as the fight moves into its second half. Hatton tags him with a right early on but the challenger barely flinches and frustrates the home favourite for another round.

Round 6: Rios is again wrestled to the floor and this time is told to stop holding by referee Micky Vann. The Argentine catches Hatton with the occasional shot as the champion comes forward but his punches lack the weight to stem the blue tide.

Round 5: Rios continues looking like a fighter who is stepping up a weight as Hatton carries on dishing out the punishment while receiving little in return. But the 29-year-old again survives the round.

Round 4: Hatton is straight back to work with lefts and rights to his opponent's ribs. Rios absorbs the punishment, though, and is looking to land punches of his own. His bravado too remains intact and he ends the round waving Hatton towards him.

Round 3: Rios is now getting on his bike to keep Hatton at bay and is wrestled to the canvas early in the round. Then, for the first time, Rios catches the champion with a left, but Hatton finishes the round with some more powerful body punching that emphasises his superior strength.

Round 2: Hatton continues to pound Rios' ribcage and slows the challenger again with a sharp uppercut late in the round. The statistics show Hatton has landed three times as many body shots as Rios.

Round 1: Rios has never been on the floor before but Hatton takes less than a minute to drop him with a left. The Argentine is quickly back on his feet but takes some heavy body shots before the bell rings.