Carl Frampton has made a successful first defence of his IBF super-bantamweight title with a fifth-round stoppage of American Chris Avalos.
The challenger was talking to Frampton in the ring during the opening round and appearing to goad the champion, but the home fighter was unmoved.
When the pair were separated by referee Howard Foster in the second, Avalos turned his back and held his arm in pain. However, Foster did not call an injury time out and Frampton stepped with a combination of punches, catching the Californian cold.
Frampton continued to find success, despite a shorter reach, but Avalos tried to trade blows in the early rounds.
However, Avalos looked in trouble by the fifth round and, to the delight of a partisan crowd at Belfast's Odyssey Arena, Frampton continued to unleash blows before Foster stepped in to stop the fight.
Chris O'Keefe
