Klitschko is thrown to the floor after walking onto a Sanders left hook at the end of the first round

Sanders looks as though he could end things early, twice shaking Klitschko with left hooks in the third

Klitschko recovers from his ponderous start and has Sanders staggering with a potent flurry at the end of the fifth round

Despite being rocked in the fifth, Sanders rallies well in the sixth to dent Klitschko's growing confidence

Sanders, who had not been beyond two rounds since 1997, runs out of steam in the seventh and begins to ship punches

Sanders is a spent force by the eighth and Klitschko finishes him off with 14 seconds left in the round

Vitali holds the WBC belt aloft with brother Wladimir, who was knocked out by Sanders 13 months ago

Klitschko, who called out former champion Lennox Lewis after the fight, takes the plaudits in Los Angeles