Vitali Klitschko v Juan Carlos Gomez

Vitali Klitschko successfully retained his WBC world heavyweight title with a ninth-round stoppage of Juan Carlos Gomez in Stuttgart on Saturday.

The 37-year-old knocked down Gomez, a former WBC cruiserweight champion, three times, the last of which prompted referee Daniel van de Wiele to stop the fight.

It was Klitschko’s first defence of the belt he won in October against Samuel Peter. That bout marked his return to the sport after four years in retirement.

The Ukrainian was made to work hard during the start of the contest but his 19-pound advantage over his opponent meant that he dominated as the fight progressed.

Klitschko finally stopped the bout as he struck the Cuban with a series of left jabs in the ninth round.

“He was a hard opponent, I have known him for a long time,” said Klitschko to AFP after the bout.

“I was a bit hectic against him, he frustrated me with his blocks.”