(September 29, 2007) Sacramento, California (Arco Arena)—-

There is an age-old question on just how much punishment a fighter should take? Fortunately referee Jon Schorle is a man of mercy and Epifanio "Diamante" Mendoza did not have to exit Arco Arena on his shield.

Double right hooks upstairs and enough brutal body shots to drop most load bearing walls were the storyline, as the world's best light heavyweight "Bad" Chad Dawson scored a scalding 4th round TKO over the late replacement Mendoza. The southpaw WBC 175-pound king Dawson began taking the challenger apart in the opening stanza and never eased off the throttle.

The dismantling reached a fever pitch in the 3rd and Mendoza was lucky to make it back to his stool and 60-seconds of sanctuary. Prior to the start of the 4th, the ringside physician cautioned the referee Schorle to pull the plug if necessary and that's exactly what the veteran Californian official did after Dawson trapped Mendoza on the ropes and unloaded a withering volley of hooks, straight left hands and searing body shots.

If it was difficult to watch the defenseless assault without wincing and Schorle halted the carnage at 2:30 of the fourth round.

"I did what I had to do," Dawson said after the one-sided victory. "I got him out of here fast. I know he came in on 12 days notice, but he didn't make any excuses. I was supposed to execute and I did."

Mendoza was a late substitute for the free-swinging number-one contender Adrian Diaconu, who injured his wrist in training camp and was forced to pull out of the title fight. Only a year ago, Mendoza was toiling in the middleweight ranks and his level of opposition was somewhat suspect. Nevertheless, when the call came he took a shot at trying to upset the world's best light heavyweight.

"I feel fine right now," Mendoza said several minutes after being on the business end of so many hammering blows. "I am not hurt, just a little overwhelmed with how fast he was."

--Southpaw Serenade--

The champion opened up early in the 1st and with 2:16 to go in the opening round, Dawson (25-0, 17 KO's) jolted Mendoza (28-5-1, 24 KO's) and rocked him back on his heels after landing a straight left cross to the chin. Midway through the round, Dawson (172 ľ) connected with a flurry of blows to the head and belly and the route was on. It was quickly evident that the champion simply had too much hand speed for the challenger and Dawson tagged Mendoza, Barranquilla, Atlantico, Colombia with another blistering combination before the close of first round.

Dawson's new trainer Eddie Mustapha Muhammad implored his fighter to keep firing jabs in the second round and the champion began pulling the trigger on his right hand only to follow up with punishing heavy artillery and wicked left crosses the thudded off of Mendoza's profile. Several more scalding left crosses rocked Mendoza back on his heels again, as Dawson, New Haven, Connecticut caught the challenger on the ropes and systematically began tearing him apart.

The champion capitalized on Mendoza's wide looping punches in the 3rd, and Dawson drove the challenger back against the ropes after hurting him with double right hooks to the side of the skull and one clean left cross that snapped his head straight back. Dawson maintained his poise and then went right back to work by scoring with ramrod right jabs and wicked left hands down the middle. With 1:38 to go in the 3rd, Dawson hurt the challenger with a straight left to the midsection and a digging right hook to the ribs that sounded like he working overtime with a sledgehammer. Seconds later, Dawson sent Mendoza careening back across the ring after bouncing a double right hook off of the challenger's head followed by a volley of brutal punches that momentarily pinned him against the ropes.

Mendoza managed to escape but with ten-seconds to go in the 3rd, Dawson connected with yet another ripping volley that again trapped the challenger on the ropes and then propelled him sideways along the perimeter after a steady diet of eight-ounce leather. Mendoza almost went down but he managed to clinch and hold on with a death grip around the champion at the bell. Schorle followed the challenger to his corner, as Mendoza staggered back along the ropes with a glassy eyed gaze before sitting down on his stool.

--Show Stopper--

Dawson returned to blasting away with both hands and at the 2:30 mark of the 4th, a clean right hook to the temple drove the challenger sideways but he managed to remain vertical. With a little over two-minutes to go in the round, Dawson began busting Mendoza up with a bone jarring body shots that would have made Mike "Bodysnatcher" McCallum smile. Double right hooks to the face and ribs were followed by scalding left hands just under the heart and then several more brutal combinations that richochtted off of Mendoza's body.

With the challenger pinned on the ropes and taking punishment, Schorle seemed poised to stop the contest but occasionally after getting clipped by 8, 10 and 12 shot flurries Mendoza would throw a punch and buy himself more time. Dawson was relentless and he repeatedly nailed the challenger with crippling body punches but somehow Mendoza was able to remain upright.

Dawson simply pummeled Mendoza along the ropes by scoring with neck snapping precision punches and body blows that would keep most urologists in business. Two more screaming right hooks found their mark followed by another flurry of punishing punches and finally the referee Schorle stepped between the boxers and waved off the contest.

Epifanio Mendoza was still sanding but the world's best light heavy Chad Dawson had used him as extended target practice until clemency was finally granted at 2:30 of the fourth round.

--Agbeko Stops Perez Claims Crown --

Ghana's Joseph "King Kong" Agbeko (25-1, 22 KO's) captured the IBF 118-pound title by scoring an impressive seventh round TKO over Nicaragua's Luis "El Demoledor" Perez (25-2, 16 KO's).

Riveting right crosses to the jaw and scalding left hooks to the head turned the champion's face into a ugly series of brutal welts, cuts and bruises after seven mostly one-sided rounds for the challenger. At the end of the 7th, Perez (118) sat dejectedly down on his stool with very heavy swelling around his left eye and cheekbone. There was also bruising and swelling on Perez'' right cheekbone and after examining the champion's eyes the referee Dan Stell stopped the fight on the recommendation of ringside physician Dr. Smith Ketchum.

"I thank God for my talent and allowing me to get to this point and I thank my opponent for giving me this world title shot," Agbeko said after the victory. "I am presenting this win to my motherland Ghana for her 50th Anniversary."

The southpaw titleholder Perez, Managua, Nicaragua and the challenger began trading shots in the 1st, as both men landed but the champion's lefthanded stance caused problems and their legs became entangled and there was a hard yet accidental clash of heads. In the 2nd, Perez, 5'5", landed several sharp left hands but he was unable to slip Agbeko's riveting counter right crosses that nailed the champion and rocked the Central American back on his heels.

The challenger continued to turn up the heat in the 4th and he repeatedly beat Perez to the punch with ramrod left jabs and then blasted the champion with hard right hands upstairs. Late in the round, Perez became so frustrated that he switched to an orthodox stance in an attempt to throw off the challenger. Carrying his gloves down around his waist, Agbeko, Bronx, New York, via Accra, Ghana repeatedly dared the champion to throw punches and when Perez took the bait the challenger answered with crisp, clean counters.

In the 5th, sliding to his left and getting the angle on the champion, Agbeko, 5'6", scored with lead right hands to the face that continued to catch Perez flush and turn his profile a series of nasty welts and bruises. Perez struggled with his own accuracy and the referee warned the champion to get his punches up for the second and third time, while Agbeko returned to scoring points and wining rounds.

Agbeko, 27 continued to land with sweeping shots and also crisp counters as he repeatedly picked the champion apart in the 6th and the 7th rounds, and Perez simply had no answer for a challenger who would not be denied on his way to claiming the IBF bantamweight crown.

"I was destined to be a world champion," said Agbeko, who joins Azumah Nelson and Ike Quartey on the list of Ghanaians who have won world title. "I knew he was going to fight his best tonight, but there was no way he was going to stop me from achieving my dream."

The greatest concern for Dr. Ketchum was the amount of damage to Perez's eyes and when the champion didn't respond well to the basic examination the ringside physician advised the referee to halt the contest. Kendrick Garcia, Perez' manager, said that Perez didn't agree with the doctor's decision to stop the fight.

"Perez was willing to continue," Garcia said. "He is very upset with the doctor's decision. Agbeko is a strong puncher, but Perez was doing a great job of absorbing the hits. He doesn't agree with the doctor's decision to stop the fight. Like I said, he is very upset because he felt he could continue."

Luis Alberto Perez's disappointment was only overshadowed by Joseph Agbeko's joy. The citizens of Ghana were all ready celebrating boxing newest world champion.