Zsolt Erdei retains title

Budapest:

Hungary's Zsolt Erdei retained his WBO light heavyweight title on Saturday, stopping American challenger George Blades in the 11th round.

Referee Joe Cortez halted the bout at 2:27 of the round after Erdei unleashed a flurry of blows and staggered Blades with a right hook.

It was Erdei's eighth successful title defense since winning the belt in January 2004 in a unanimous decision over Mexico's Julio Cesar Gonzalez.

Nicknamed "Firebird," Erdei (27-0, 17 KOs) dominated the bout from the beginning, repeatedly scoring with a left jab.

"It wasn't as easy as it looked and I lost my breath a couple of times, but I quickly regained my momentum each time," Erdei said after his first fight in his homeland in almost three years.

"I think the referee had enough of my opponent getting soundly beaten and he was right to stop the fight."

"Honey Boy" Blades began the initial rounds energetically but landed few solid punches. He tired noticeably after the sixth round, hitting Erdei several times below the belt.

Erdei often planted himself in the middle of the ring, easily avoiding Blades' punches and retalliating mostly with left jabs and right hooks.

In January, Blades (21-3, 16 KO) won the WBC Latino light heavyweight title with a seventh-round knockout of John Romans Williams of Costa Rica.