Emmanuel Navarrete scores 11thround TKO of Filipino challenger Jeo Santisima

IN the end, Emmanuel Navarrete proved why he was the overwhelming favorite to retain his World Boxing Organization (WBO) superbantamweight crown.

The 25-year-old Mexican totally outclassed and dominated Filipino challenger Jeo Santisima to score a late stoppage in their title bout that served as undercard in the Deontay Wilder-Tyson Fury heavyweight championship showdown on Saturday at the MGM Grand in Las Vegas (Sunday, Manila time).

Navarrete relentlessly punished the 23-year-old Santisima throughout the fight, before the corner of the heavy Filipino underdog rightfully threw in the towel in the 11th round.

The champion backed Santisima off the ropes after an overhand right and hammering him with a barrage of combinations when referee Russel Mora waved off the fight, at the very same time when the Filipino's corner also decided the challenger had enough.

Time of the technical knockout came at the 2:20 mark of the 11th.

Santisima, fighting in the US for the first time, was initially installed as a big 50-1 underdog to dethrone Navarrete. It was down to 30-1 on fight night.

The Filipino challenger, fighting out of Cebu-based ALA boxing promotions, had his best round in the fourth when he backed off Navarrete on the ropes with some solid blows.

But the champion came back strong in the fifth when he hurt Santisima with a smashing left hook to take control of the fight anew.

Santisima, who fell to a 19-3 (16 KOs) record, found himself in trouble again in the 10th round, before Navarrete

pressed on the action and finished him off the following round.

The Mexican improved his record to 31-1 (27 KOs) as he defended his 122-lbs title belt for the fifth time in nine months.

He also made no issue on the supposed injury he suffered on his right hand.

"I hurt him weirdly with my right hand and hurt my thumb, but I had to plough through i," said Navarrete afterwards.

Santisima was the second Filipino who failed to unseat Navarrete after Juan Miguel Elorde lost by a fourth round stoppage to the champion in September last year. Spin.ph