Charlo KOs Hatley to keep crown
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Unbeaten Jermell Charlo knocked out Charles Hatley just 32 seconds into the sixth round on Saturday to retain his World Boxing Council super welterweight title in an all-American showdown.
Charlo landed a flurry of punches to open the sixth round, the decisive one a stunning right hook to the chin that caused the challenger to fall forward to the canvas, prompting an immediate stoppage.
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"I knew Charles Hatley goes down sometimes and gets back up – he's a warrior and won't go down easily," Charlo said. "I knew I had to be a lion in there."
Charlo improved to 29-0 with 14 knockouts while Hatley fell to 26-2 with one drawn.
Asked after the triumph whom he might like to fight next, Charlo said he was interested in a unification bout against compatriot Jarrett Hurd, the
International Boxing Federation champion.
Charlo's unbeaten brother, Jermall, vacated the IBF crown in the 154-pound weight class two months ago to advance into the middleweight ranks, Hurd winning a February fight to claim the crown.
Charlo, making his first title defence, had not fought since last May, when he won the crown with an eighth-round knockout of US Virgin Islands fighter John Jackson.
The bout was a match-up of Texas rivals, but Houston's Charlo, 26, dominated Dallas-based Hatley, 31.
Charlo, who suffered a cut over his left eye in a second-round clash of heads, knocked Hatley into the ropes with a hard right at the end of the round and flattened the challenger once before the knockout blow.
Hatley, who saw a nine-fight win streak snapped, had not fought for 17 months, since knocking out Australian ex-champ Anthony Mundine in November 2015.
The fight was on the undercard of an all-US welterweight match-up at Barclays Centre between former champions Shawn Porter and Andre Berto.
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