BROOKLYN, New York — Unbeaten Danny Garcia stopped Erik Morales with a powerful left hook in the fourth round Saturday to retain the World Boxing Association and World Boxing Council light welterweight titles. Garcia's punishing left hand spun Morales and sent him falling onto the bottom rope of the ring on his back. When a Morales cornerman climbed into the ring, referee Benji Esteves stopped the fight 83 seconds into the fourth round. “He's a crafty veteran,” Garcia said. “I wanted to set up my power punches and give him a little extra. I thought this fight was going the distance. I'm glad to have it done early.” Garcia improved to 25-0 with his 16th early stoppage, dropping Morales to 52-9, and thanked his mom for the winning punch. “I get that from my mom,” he said. “All my family is left-handed.” Garcia beat Morales by unanimous decision in March, when Morales was overweight at the weigh-in and unable to win the crown, and stopped former champion Amir Khan of Britain in the fourth round in July. A Khan rematch is among the options for Garcia's next fight. Malignaggi edges Cano by split decision Hometown hero Paulie Malignaggi edged Mexico's Pablo Cesar Cano by split decision Saturday in what was to have been a title defense for the World Boxing Association welterweight champion. Malignaggi won 114-113 on two judges' scorecards to claim the victory even though the third judge saw Cano as a 118-109 winner. The narrow victory margin surprised Malignaggi even though Cano sent him to the canvas with a hard right to the jaw late in the 11th round. “I thought I won the fight. I thought I won pretty handily,” Malignaggi said. “He was pressing the action but he wasn't laying a lot of shots. “I got a little bit lazy. I was controling the action. He came over the top and he got me good. But I felt like I won the fight.” Malignaggi's crown was not at risk because challenger Cano could not make the 147-pound weight limit Friday. Alexander beats Bailey US southpaw Devon Alexander took the International Boxing Federation welterweight crown Saturday with a unanimous 12-round decision over compatriot Randall Bailey. Alexander dominated from the start, opening a cut over Bailey's right eye in the 10th round, and winning by judges' scores of 115-111, 116-110 and 117-109. Former junior welterweight champion Alexander improved to 24-1 while Bailey fell to 43-8. Quillin prevails Hometown hero Peter Quillin knocked down France's Hassan N'Dam six times, twice in the final round Saturday, to win a battle of unbeatens for the World Boxing Organization middleweight title. Cuban-American Quillin, who had never been past the 10th round in his career, won a unanimous decision by scores of 115-107 from all three judges, improving to 28-0 while N'Dam, a Cameroon-born Frenchman, fell to 27-1. — Agencies
