Vergil Ortiz Jr. continued his 100% knockout streak and on Saturday in Fort Worth, Texas, he clinched his welterweight world title fight by knocking out Michael McKinson in the ninth round.

Ortiz Jr (19-0, 19 KO) made the decisive breakthrough in the eighth round, defeating previously undefeated McKinson (22-1, 2 KO) with a brutal body shot.

Although the Briton survived the round, another body blow in the ninth throw knocked him to the ground again and despite valiantly beating the count, the Briton’s rousing challenge came to an end moments later as his father and coach had a towel in hand, calling for a halt to the contest.

Both welterweight pairs were undefeated heading into their clash at Dickies Arena and five months after they were first set to fight, with Ortiz Jr pulling out of fight week due to illness.

McKinson defeated replacement Alex Martin on points to take the biggest step forward in his career to date.

The American showed no signs of resting in the ring despite a year off since his last fight, an eighth-round victory over Egidijus Kavaliauskas, and looked to consolidate his position in a dominant opener, landing a flurry of punches and giving his opponent a reminder of his devastating power.

However, the 24-year-old returned to the corner with blood streaming down the left side of his face after suffering a nasty cut following an accidental head collision.

McKinson, who was expected to cause problems for the home favorites with his deft style of play, had a better second round and managed to limit Ortiz’s success.

The Texan was in near-complete control by the middle of the match, though, constantly firing to the body to snail-paced McKinson and alternating his attacks up top, although the guy’s chin held up under relentless attack.

RESPECT between these two warriors after a tough fought war by both.#OrtizMcKinson pic.twitter.com/bxJdL4jTGb

— Golden Boy (@GoldenBoyBoxing) August 7, 2022

The visitors struggled to make any real impact on Ortiz Jr., although he began to establish himself in the seventh round and was causing his opponent to miss more often than many before, with his elusive moves causing problems.

However, Ortiz Jr.’s pressure was unrelenting and it was noticeable in the eighth round.

A wicked body threw McKinson to the canvas for the first time in his career.

The 28-year-old southpaw got up and circled Ortiz Jr, signaling the end of the round.

Vergil Ortiz Jr. knocks down Michael McKinson with a perfectly placed body shot 👊#OrtizMcKinson pic.twitter.com/GHcfqxv3k7

— DAZN Boxing (@DAZNBoxing) August 7, 2022

Ortiz Jr, who was in unfamiliar territory after eight rounds, first threw himself at his opponent early in the ninth, and with McKinson still clearly feeling the effects of the knockdown, another body shot ripped through him and dropped him.

His race appeared to be over and as Ortiz Jr applied the pressure, McKinson’s father and trainer, Michael Ballingall, had the towel in hand and the fight was over, with the Portsmouth fighter wincing in pain from what appeared to be a hip injury.

The fight was a WBA world title eliminator, and Ortiz Jr was the number one contender behind “super” champion Errol Spence Jr and “regular” titleholder Eimantas Stanionis.

Ortiz Jr was asked after the fight about fighting WBO holder Terence Crawford, who was watching from ringside, although a fight between Spence and Crawford seems unlikely considering the pair are in negotiations to fight in a highly anticipated undisputed title fight later . year.

“He’s a little tied up right now” Ortiz Jr. he told DAZN’s Chris Mannix.

“But if the opportunity arises, I will be more than content to fight him.”

In McKinson’s case, his stock will only rise in defeat. “The Problem” put in a solid performance on the biggest stage of his career so far against a world-class cameraman who has come further in the pro game than he’s ever come before.

The Esparza flows from Guzman

Marlen Esparza defended her WBC and WBA flyweight world titles by unanimous decision against Eva Guzman.

In an action-packed match, Guzman (19-2-1, 11 KO) put on a rousing display and had some inspiring moments, although the cleaner and more consistent shots came from the unified champion.

These two are moving forward 🧨#OrtizMcKinson pic.twitter.com/o5LktNuC9y

— DAZN Boxing (@DAZNBoxing) August 7, 2022

Esparza (13-1, 1 KO) secured a clear victory, as reflected in two scores of 98-92 and another of 99-91.

Cobbs too robust for Hooker

Blair Cobbs returned to his winning ways, dropping Maurice Hooker three times en route to a well-deserved unanimous decision victory.

Cobbs, who recovered from a knockout loss to Alexis Rocha in March, looked the sharper of the two from the very beginning and defeated Hooker (27-3-3, 18 KO) in the first round.

An uppercut followed by a right jab from above left the hometown man shaking on his legs, and a follow-up attack dropped him on the seat of his pants.

THREE GOOD LUCK IN TWO ROUNDS FOR BLAIR COBBS 🔥 pic.twitter.com/HYoOzDIVx6

— DAZN Boxing (@DAZNBoxing) August 7, 2022

Cobbs (16-1-1, 10 KO) upped the ante even further in the second round, and in his most dominant round, he dropped Hooker twice with straight left hands.

Hooker, fighting for the first time since a seventh-round knockout loss to Ortiz in March 2021, was urged to boost his performance by trainer Brian “BoMac” McIntyre and Crawford, but was unable to significantly disrupt “The Flair,” who boxed his way to victory in the final few rounds after suffering a nasty cut following an accidental head collision in the sixth round.

Two scores of 97-90 and another of 96-91 confirmed Cobbs’ victory.

Melikuziev overtook Janjanin

Bektemir Melikuziev continued his career resurgence after stopping the underdog Slandan Janjanin in three rounds.

Melikuziew (10-1, 8 KO) outweighed Janjanin (32-12, 24 KO) in the first 30 seconds of the fight, defeating the Bosnian with a vicious body shot.

After 3 knockdowns of Melikuziew, the referee ends this one 😤#OrtizMcKinson pic.twitter.com/I5tYT0EccE

— DAZN Boxing (@DAZNBoxing) August 7, 2022

The 2016 Olympic silver medalist dished out more punishment in the second round, with the 31-year-old knocking down with a pair of hooks.

The end seemed inevitable and Janjanin bravely rose from the canvas after taking another brutal shot in the third round, referee Neal Juvenile stepped in.

Melikuziev is currently undefeated in three fights since his only professional loss to Gabe Rosado.

Remaining Undercard

The aforementioned Alex Martin (18-4, 6 KO) bounced back from a loss to McKinson in his last fight and rose to the top, defeating veteran operator Hank Lundy (31-11-1, 14 KO) with a dominant performance in the super lightweight match.

The 33-year-old was forced to get up from the floor in the first round, but he won with scores of 97-92 (x2) and 98-91.

Elsewhere, Floyd Schofield (11-0, 9 KOs) extended his undefeated lightweight record with a fifth-round stoppage of retired Rodrigo Guerrero (26-15-2, 16 KOs).

In the other two super lightweight fights, Rohan Polanco (8-0, 5 KOs) knocked out Dedrick Bell (31-33-1, 17 KOs) in the second round, while Carlos Nava (9-0, 6 KOs) stopped Rodolfo Hernandez Montoya (30-11-1, 28 KOs) in the fourth.

Figo Ramirez Gonzalez (2-0, 1 KO) picked up his second professional victory, defeating Francisco Bonilla Zambrano (6-14-3, 3 KO) by unanimous decision.

Aleksander Usyk defended the WBA (Super), IBF, WBO and IBO heavyweight titles and added the Ring Magazine belt with a split decision victory Anthony Joshua in the rematch in Jeddah, Saudi Arabia.

Their original meeting took place in September last year, and Usyk’s biggest surprise was the ease with which he scored points at the Tottenham Hotspur Stadium, hurting Joshua on several occasions. Usyk had previously gained weight after clearing the cruiserweight division while Joshua had previously lost and regained belts, and for the Briton, who turned to recent trainer Robert Garcia, it was a must-win opportunity.

It was a cautious opening, with Usyk (20-0, KO13) finding clever angles and possibly shading the first round, and JOshua (24-3, KO22) didn’t employ much energy. Joshua did land a decent punch in the second minute, but Usyk’s movement and jab were causing problems for the former champion. The Ukrainian dominated the center ring, and Joshua had trouble pinning his fighter down, though he did land a right hand in the third period. After the fourth quarter, Joshua focused on Usyk’s body in round five, and it seemed to pay off, although the champion continued to find success with his counterattacks.

Joshua kept up the pressure and there was more good bodywork in the sixth set but Usyk was his usual tranquil and classy self, responding with shots to his own body. Usyk’s footwork and arm speed seemed to win out but Joshua again landed on the body more than once in the eighth, catching the 35-year-old’s attention. Joshua was increasingly successful, causing Usyk to lose his bearings in the ninth and bankrupt, but Usyk again avoided trouble and finished the session. Usyk responded in kind, starting the tenth in excellent style with a few spotless shots but a powerful counter right found refuge for the former champion, which was exhausting for him as combinations rained down. Another body shot troubled Usyk in the penultimate round but he shook it off and landed more effective and precise shots that Joshua could not avoid. The Londoner went for glory in the final frame but was understandably tired and unable to secure the knockout he desperately needed as the fight went the distance.

Scores of 115-113 and 116-112 won the fight for Usyk, while Glen Feldman somehow scored in the fight 115-113 for Joshua.

Joshua was very upset after the fight and threw the belts out of the ring before going to the microphone to congratulate his opponent.

The main support was also the fight in the heavyweight division and in the thriller, Filip Hrgović (15-0, KO12) won a controversial points victory Zhilei Zhang (24-1-1, KO19) in the IBF heavyweight title eliminator final.

A heated right hand dropped the Croatian in the first frame, and Zhang staggered Hrgovic behind schedule in the fifth and gave him a close sixth. Hrgovic hung in there and had some success, but by the end of the ninth he was tired and under a lot of pressure. Hrgovic found his second wind, though, and in the tenth he unleashed a barrage of combinations to the head and body that hurt Zhang, but he was strangely spaced out and disinterested. Both men were exhausted by the finish and the thrilling fight went down to the cards.

Two scores of 115-112 and the third 114-113 won the fight for Hrgovic.

WBC lithe heavyweight title eliminator goes his own way Callum Smith (29-1, KO20)and overcame a tardy start to knock out Mathieu Bauderlique (21-2, KO12).

The left counter-attack threw the Frenchman in the fourth quarter, and after the restart, the same shot was fired with much greater force, this time crushing Bauderlique and a break was quickly called.

Former world champion in two weight categories Badou Jack (27-3-3, KO16) was in the action and the Swede was extremely fortunate to receive a split decision after ten rounds in the cruiserweight division Richard Rivera (21-1, KO16).

Jack looked like a faded version of himself and was outplayed for most of the contest, although he had a forceful eight that lasted an astonishing four minutes when he hurt the tiring Rivera. Jack finished well but it looked like Rivera had done more than enough to win but two 96-94 scores for Jack trumped one of the same score for Rivera.

Ben Whitaker (2-0, KO1) fought his second professional fight after winning silver at the Tokyo Olympics last year, with the lithe heavyweight contender amassing six rounds in a wide points victory against Petar Wear (6-1, KO3). Whitaker stopped Nosic in the amateur round, but the Croatian played well before losing 60-54 and 59-55 (twice) on the scorecards.

Ramla Ali (7-1, KO2) AND Crystal Garcia Nova (10-3, KO10) made history as the first two women to box professionally in Saudi Arabia, and Ali wasted no time in stopping the Dominican less than a round into their super bantamweight contest. A large right hand knocked out Nova’s shield, and a body shot finished the deal.

Former contender for the cruiserweight world title Andrew Tabiti (20-1, KO16) made a winning heavyweight debut, and the American earned a fifth-round retirement victory against James Wilson (7-1-1, KO6). Wilson was tired and shaky in the fifth, and the constant attack to the body threw him to the deck. As he ran out of energy, Wilson’s corner pulled him out of the action at the end of the frame.

Ukrainian lithe heavyweight fighter Daniel Lapin (6-0, KO6) secured a half-dozen professional victories, routinely winning 80-72 in eight rounds Józef Jurko (9-7-1, KO6).

Ziyad Almayouf (1-0, KO1) delighted his home fans when the super lightweight defeated him by knockout in the first round José Alatorre (0-1). The pair exchanged from the start, but a tough right hand knocked Alatorre down, and shortly after the restart, the same shot knocked him down again and the fight was stopped.

Bader Samreen (6-0, KO5) extended his undefeated record by stopping Fuad Tarverdi (5-3, KO4) in the fourth and final round of his lightweight competition.

YouTuber Belhas’s “Moneykicks” smashed (0-1) he was nervous about his debut, as was Bulgaria Traycho Georgiev (1-3, KO0) took a split decision, winning over four rounds in the welterweight division.

Liam Smith He stayed on course for another shot at the world title if he stops Hassan Mwakinyo in the fourth round of the super welterweight fight at the M&S Bank Arena in Liverpool.

Smith was previously the WBO 154-pound champion before sending his belt to Saul “Canelo” Alvarez in 2016 and returning to the world’s top, with Mwakinyo’s fame secured by Sam Eggington in the second round of 2018.

The Tanzanian was no match for Smith here and it was over in the fourth round. Under pressure in the fourth round, Mwakinyo dropped to a knee in his own corner. As Smith approached the finish, Mwakinyo dropped again and the Liverpudlian opened up with punches, driving him into the ropes.

The referee took it as a white flag from the guy and waved his hand, ending the fight.

Natasha Jonas (12-2-1, KO8) unified the super welterweight world titles, adding the WBC belt to her WBO championship with a gigantic score victory against Patricia Berghult (15-1, KO3). Jonas won the fight by two scores of 100-90 and the third by a score of 99-91.

Dan Azeez (17-0, KO11) made a successful first defence of his British airy heavyweight title, winning a unanimous decision over former champion, Shakan Pitters (17-2, KO6). The Londoner was one step ahead during the fight and won with scores of 117-111 and 117-112 and the third card 115-113.

Frazer Clarke (3-0, KO3) he wasted no time in extending his undefeated record as the heavyweight division dropped Pencho Tsvetkov (7-1, KO5) twice en route to winning the first round, which was clearly a mismatch.

Adam Azim (6-0, KO5) he’s a precocious talent and needed little time to come to fruition Michel Cabral (5-5, KO1) in the first round of their super lightweight bout.

Diego Costa (8-1, KO5) He was ready to meet John Docherty but the Scot withdrew and Costa was left nervous Musa Moyo (5-0, KO0) in the airy heavyweight division. Moyo took the verdict of 58-56 on the cards.

Frankie Stringer (2-0, KO0) remained undefeated, winning each of the four rounds Karl Sampson (1-11, KO0) lightweight and cruiserweight, Scott Forrest (3-0, KO3) arrested Dmitry Kalinovskiy (13-70-4, KO5) in the third round at cruiserweight.

In the super welterweight division Clark Smith (1-0, KO0) debuted and was a success Petar Aleksandrov (4-21, KO2) over four rounds.