Carl Frampton retained his IBF super bantamweight title with a hard-fought points win over Alejandro Gonzalez Jr in Texas on Saturday night.
The Belfast boxer touched down on the canvas for the first time in his career as his Mexican opponent twice floored the champion in the opening round.
Although Gonzalez's long left jab continued to trouble Frampton, 'The Jackal' found a way back into the fight and benefitted from two points deducted from his opponent for a series of low blows.
Gonzalez's short right also proved troublesome for Frampton in an entertaining clash of styles, which was broadcast on terrestrial television in both the UK and the USA, but he began to rack up rounds on the judges' scorecards.
In the end, Frampton earned a Unanimous Decision after 12 rounds.
Meanwhile, his domestic rival Scott Quigg took just two rounds to stop fellow super bantamweight Kiko Martinez in Manchester.
In his post-fight interview, Frampton suggested he may now step up to featherweight after struggling to make weight for the bout.
