Klitschko stops Charr in 4th, keeps title

Ukraine’s Vitali Klitschko successfully defended his WBC heavyweight title here Saturday after the referee stopped his bout with Germany’s Manuel Charr in the fourth round due to a cut over the challenger’s right eye. The fight was stopped with 56sec remaining in the round. Klitschko improved his record to 45-2, while Charr, who was unbeaten before his meeting with Ukraine’s 41-year-old veteran, fell to 21-1. “I was a bit disappointed as I wanted to win today by a real knockout, not a technical one,” said Klitschko. “I was ready to contine the bout and Charr was also ready for further boxing but it was the decision of the doctor and the referee, who are responsible for it and we could do nothing about it. Fighting in the 30,000-seater Olimpiyski indoor sports arena, the hugely-experienced Klitschko started the bout as a hot favorite in what was his 17th world heavyweight championship fight. Charr, a 27-year-old Beirut-born former kickboxer, brought with him an unblemished record in 21 fights and a seventh ranking by the WBC, but none of his opponents had been of the highest calibre. The much smaller Charr was immediately on the defensive as the towering Klitschko stalked him behind his powerful jab and it was only in the closing seconds that the German attempted a couple of tentative punches. Klitschko stayed well on top in the second round and he sent Charr crashing to the floor seconds before the bell for a standing eight count with a right hook to the side of the head. The German challenger recovered well though and caught Klitschko with a brief flurry of punches in the third, but it was the Ukrainian who again won the round. The fight then came to an aprupt end in the fourth when a Klitschko left hook brought a gush of blood from above Charr’s right eye and the referee was quick to step in and end the contest. The German was furious with the decision, kicking the ropes in his anger, but it was clear from the amount of blood that there was no way he could continue. “In the first two rounds Charr was concentrated on defense only and it was slightly difficult for me as I like it better when my opponents are fighting back,” Klitschko said. “In the third and fourth he started to come out of his shell more and I had more chances to attack. “But Charr is a true fighter. He was ready to fight to the end. I think this defeat will not stop him and I believe he has chances for a promising career in boxing.”Ward stops Dawson in 10th to retain titles In Oakland, California, Andre Ward stopped Chad Dawson in the 10th round on Saturday to remain unbeaten and retain his World Boxing Association and World Boxing Council super middleweight world titles. Ward pummelled Dawson — the reigning WBC light heavyweight champion who came down in weight to take the fight — sending him to the canvas in the third and fourth rounds before his final barrage ended it at 2:45 of the 10th. Dawson rose from the canvas but looked dazed before referee Steve Smoger called a halt. “These kinds of fights, you’ve got to take risks... you can mess around and lose your title to a fighter of that caliber,” said Ward, who improved to 26-0 with 14 knockouts. Dawson fell to 31-2 with 17 wins inside the distance. Ward’s speed and punishing left hand neutralized Dawson’s height and reach advantage. It was a left to the chin that sent Dawson down for the first time late in the third round. Early in the fourth Dawson was down again as Ward landed another solid left and Ward was on top throughout the round with blows to Dawson’s body and head. It was an impressive performance from the super middleweight champion who is respected for his skills but had not posted a win inside the distance since 2009. “I love to win,” said Ward, who won Olympic gold for the United States at Athens in 2004 and emerged last year on top of the Super Six tournament to unify the super middleweight titles. “Finishing guys is the last piece of the puzzle.” Dawson not only came down in weight, he agreed to fight in Ward’s hometown of Oakland. He praised Ward, but hinted that dropping the weight may have been more draining than he realized. On the undercard, WBC lightweight champion Antonio DeMarco of Mexico stopped John Molina Jr. 44 seconds into the first round. DeMarco improved to 28-2-1 with 21 knockouts while Molina fell to 24-2.