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AP
Klitschko beats Chagaev in front of 61,000
Wladimir Klitschko handed Ruslan Chagaev his first loss on Saturday with a technical knockout to retain his IBF and WBO heavyweight titles.
The hastily put together fight was held in front of 61,000 fans at Veltins Arena in Gelsenkirchen, the biggest boxing audience in Germany in 70 years.
Klitschko relied on a powerful left-right combination to send Chagaev to the mat in the second round, and exploited a cut that opened over the Uzbekistan-born fighter's left eye in the eighth.
Referee Eddie Cotton called the fight for Klitschko at the opening of the 10th round.
The Ukrainian's 13-centimetre height advantage and superior power helped him wear Chagaev down from a safe distance.
"You can't underestimate Chagaev," Klitschko said in the ring after the fight. "He did everything today, but I was better."
Chagaev's left-eye cut was similar to the one that ended his fight in February against Carl Davis Drumond in Rostock, Germany.
