Unbeaten Vargas stops Japan's Miura

LAS VEGAS— Mexico's undefeated Francisco Vargas rose from his first career knockdown to capture the World Boxing Council super featherweight title Saturday by dethroning Japanese champion Takashi Miura with a ninth-round stoppage.

In his first world title bout, the 30-year-old endured a fourth-round knockdown and a right eye nearly swollen shut to seize the crown when referee Tony Weeks halted the bout after 1:31 of the ninth round.

Vargas improved to 23-0 with one draw with his 20th victory in a row and 17th triumph inside the distance.

Miura fell to 29-3 with two drawn, a nine-fight win streak snapped by his first defeat since 2011. The 31year-old Japanese southpaw was making his fifth defense of the crown he took from Gamaliel Diaz in 2013.

When the bout was halted, Miura was ahead on the scorecards of two of the judges and the third had scored the fight evenly to that point.

Vargas pounded Miura in the opening round, the Asian fighter taking hard overhand rights to the head but still attacking.

Miura battled back in the second and third rounds and smashed Vargas with a powerful left to the face in the fourth round, sending the Mexican to the canvas for the first time in his career and opening a deep cut under Vargas' right eye.

Both fighters traded punishing body shots over the next few rounds, testing the limits of each other's endurance.

But it was Vargas who took the decisive edge early in the ninth round, landing an uppercut left that stunned Miura and set the stage for a flurry of punches that sent the champion down to the canvas.

Miura gamely rose and battled on, but his determination in the wake of punch after punch to the head only prompted Weeks to stop the onslaught.