Klitschko stops Gomez

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

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.