Vitali Klitschko overcame a nervous start to claim the vacant WBC heavyweight crown with a technical knock-out of Corrie Sanders. The Ukrainian finally put away his brave South African opponent when the referee stopped the fight with 14 seconds left of the eighth round.
A packed Staples Centre in Los Angeles saw Sanders adopt a one-punch strategy as he troubled the favourite early on.
But the 38-year-old's resistance ended when referee Jon Schorle stepped in.
Klitschko exacted a measure of revenge for his brother Wladimir's knock-out defeat to Sanders 13 months ago.
The 32-year-old eventually wore down his overweight opponent but will need to improve if he is dominate the heavyweight division like his predecessor Lennox Lewis.
Klitschko made a ponderous start and a left hook from Sanders at the end of the opening round had him back-pedalling furiously.
 Klitschko survived several nervous moments |
The favourite recovered slightly in the second but Sanders, who had not gone beyond two rounds in any fight since 1997, again took the initiative in the third. The southpaw twice shook Klitschko with left hooks before the Ukrainian made some progress with his jab in the fourth.
Klitschko remained wary of the South African's obvious punching power but had Sanders staggering backwards with a potent combination at the end of the fifth.
Sanders survived to the bell and, despite a bloodied face, counter-attacked impressively in the sixth to dent Klitschko's growing confidence.
Sanders' sapping energy appeared to be taking its toll in the seventh and he literally fought himself to a standstill in the eighth.
With Sanders wobbling and Klitschko moving in for the kill, the referee stopped the fight after two minutes and 46 seconds of the round.
MMIX
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