Dominant Sergey Kovalev stops Jean Pascal in light heavyweight clash
Unbeaten Russian too strong for the Canadian and turns his attention to unifying the division
Sergey Kovalev stopped former champion Jean Pascal in the eighth round to retain his trio of world light heavyweight boxing titles.
The unbeaten Russian improved to 27-0 with one drawn and 24 knockouts, retaining the World Boxing Association, World Boxing Organisation and International Boxing Federation crowns.
He got me a couple of good punches, but I didn't lose control. I gained my control in my mind and did my job
He had captured two of those belts last November with a unanimous 12-round decision over Bernard Hopkins, the first time Kovalev had to go past the eighth round.
He didn't have to go further at the weekend, pinning Pascal to the ropes with a series of blows early in the eighth.
The barrage was interrupted when the Russian slipped to the canvas, giving Pascal a moment to regroup.
When the action resumed, however, Kovalev landed two hard rights to Pascal's head and Puerto Rican referee Luis Pabon stepped in, giving Kovalev the victory by technical knockout at 1:03 of the eighth.