Beterbiev beats Brown with another KO to retain belts in bloodfest

Artur Beterbiev retained his light heavyweight titles with a ninth-round stoppage of Marcus Browne as he preserved his perfect knockout record on Saturday.

In a brutal bloodfest in Montreal, unbeaten champion Beterbiev defended his unified WBC and IBF belts against mandatory challenger Browne courtesy of his 17th knockout in 17 fights.

Both men were left bloodied following a clash of heads in the fourth round – Beterbiev (17-0) had a deep gash that poured blood from the centre of his forehead, while Brown was leaking from the outside of his eye.

Beterbiev eventually overpowered Brown (24-2), flooring his opponent in the seventh round before a body shot in the ninth saw the fight come to an end.

"We win this fight," said Beterbiev. "This is another experience in my career. This is boxing.

"You never know what happens in boxing. I'm happy to get the win. I have two world titles. I am open to fighting the other champions in my division.

"I am happy I had the opportunity to give the great fans of Montreal a memorable championship fight."