Deontay Wilder has defeated Bermane Stiverne on points to win the WBC heavyweight title in Las Vegas.
Despite being taken the distance for the first time in his professional career, Wilder put on a disciplined performance that saw him prevail by wide margins on all three scorecards.
It was anticipated that one of the most intriguing heavyweight clashes in years wouldn't make the halfway stage, but Wilder, who had stopped all 32 of his previous opponents inside four rounds, boxed behind his jab for much of the fight to establish control over his opponent.
Wilder had Stiverne on the canvas in the final seconds of the second but it was unclear whether a knockdown was scored.
However, apart from a brief flurry from the Haitian in the fourth, it was the challenger who was impressing the judges.
The knockout specialist rocked Stiverne in the seventh, but after he managed to survive that onslaught the 36-year-old had some success in the eighth when he engaged Wilder on the inside.
It wasn't enough to discourage Wilder, though, and after the Alabama fighter coasted through the championship rounds, he was awarded a unanimous verdict with scores of 118-109, 119-108 and 120-107 respectively to become the first American heavyweight champion since Shannon Briggs.
Darren Plant
