Venezuela's Eidy Moya knocked out Mexico's Adan Vargas in the 11th round yesterday to capture the vacant World Boxing Association bantamweight title.
Fighting in the United States for the first time, the unheralded Moya rose to 15-1 with his eighth knockout. He dropped Vargas in the second round and used his awkward style to dominate the early action.
"I was well-prepared to fight," Moya said through a translator. "I knew I was going to win the fight."
Moya, 36-3 with one drawn, surprised the Mexican with a right hand to the chin in the final minute of the second round. Vargas got up at nine and appeared unfazed for the rest of the round.
Midway through the sixth, Moya snapped back Vargas' head with a hard right hand. Both fighters began to heat up late in the round.
Vargas was credited with a knockdown in the seventh, when Moya lost his balance while in retreat.
With his right eye closing, the 27-year-old Vargas began to take control and rocked Moya with a short right to the head with just over a minute left in the ninth.
Vargas landed the harder punches in a combative 10th round, but Moya ended the fight in the 11th with a long right to the head as Vargas was counted out by referee Lawrence Cole after 1:39 of the 11th round.
"I knew it was over," Moya said. "Even if he got up, I was going to knock him out."
The title previously was held by American Paul Ayala, who was stripped by the WBA for fighting for a fringe title in a higher weight class.
Vargas traveled to Thailand and dropped a unanimous decision to current World Boxing Council champion Veerapol Sahaprom in March of last year in his first title shot.
AFP