Amir Khan defeated Dmitriy Salita in just 76 seconds to retain his World Boxing Association (WBA) light-welterweight title here at the Metro Radio Arena on Saturday.
The 22-year-old Briton ended the unbeaten record of New Yorker Salita after flooring the challenger twice before finishing the fight with a left hook to the chin to complete a speedy first title defense.
WBA champion Khan has declared he wants to fight in the US next year and the victory once again showed how the 2004 Athens Olympic silver medalist is improving since losing his unbeaten record last year.
Salita, who was born in Ukraine but moved to New York as a child, claimed he would expose Khan’s punch resistance, but there was no repeat of the bout in September last year when the Briton was blown away in just 54 seconds by Colombian Breidis Prescott.
Instead, it was Salita who was overwhelmed in the first round. Salita looked mesmerized as Khan launched his ferocious assault and the New Yorker was first dumped on the canvas by a left-right combination.
After taking a standing count of eight, Salita continued but moments later was in more trouble as Khan unloaded a blizzard of punches with the challenger trapped in the corner.
Salita was given another standing count before Khan finished the bout with a sweet left hook that prompted Puerto Rican referee Luis Pavon to step in.
■WILLIAMS V MARTINEZ
AP, ATLANTIC CITY, NEW JERSEY
Paul Williams showed why he’s one of the most respected fighters in the world with a contentious majority decision over Argentina’s Sergio Martinez in a non-title middleweight bout on Saturday.
Pierre Benoist, scored the fight a whopping 119-110 in favor of the American, while Lynne Carter had it 115-113 for Williams. Julie Lederman scored the bout 114-114.
“Either he’s incompetent — or worse, because there is no explanation for that score,” Martinez’s promoter, Lou DiBella, said of Benoist.
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