Lucian Bute from Montreal, Canada, right, lands a blow to the head of Jesse Brinkley, from the United States, during their IBF super middleweight title bout in Montreal on Friday Oct. 15, 2010. (AP Photo/The Canadian Press, Graham Hughes)
MONTREAL (AP) - Yerington's Jesse Brinkley battled but couldn't gain the upper hand on unbeaten Lucian Bute on Friday.
Bute, who improved to 27-0 by controlling the bout from the opening bell, connected with a debilitating left uppercut to the body at 2:48 of the ninth in front of 11,682 fans at the Bell Centre.
Brinkley, who fell to 35-5, dropped onto the canvas for the third and final time as referee Sam Williams jumped in quickly and stopped the fight. Brinkley, who went down from body shots in the fifth and eighth rounds, stayed down long after the fight was over, needing to be helped to a stool by his corner and ring physicians.