ATLANTIC CITY, July 23: Argentina's Carlos Manuel Baldomir stopped Arturo Gatti in the ninth round here Saturday to retain his World Boxing Council welterweight title.

Baldomir, making his first defence of the title he claimed from Zab Judah on Jan 7, improved to 43-9-6 with 13 wins inside the distance.

He knocked Gatti down in the ninth with a big left hook, and when he dropped Gatti again moments later referee Wayne Hedgepeth called a halt at 2:50 of the round.

Canadian-born Gatti, who had been seeking to add another world title to his resume after stints as the International Boxing Federation junior lightweight champion and the WBC junior welterweight champion, fell to 40-8 with 31 knockouts.

The Argentinian opened a cut under Gatti's right eye early and hurt him in the fifth with a barrage of powerful punches.

He was especially effective with his right hand, repeatedly landing punishing blows as Gatti, a reckless fighter who has shown himself willing to take punches, lived up to his reputation as a brawler.

Even when Gatti landed cleanly, he couldn't hurt Baldomir. And when Gatti began to heed the advice of his corner and try to box more, Baldomir still dominated.

Gatti had hit the canvas twice in the eighth round, but neither was ruled a knockdown.

But he succumbed in the next as, pinned against the ropes, he took a barrage from Baldomir.

Showing his enormous heart, Gatti returned to his feet and regained his composure while taking a standing-eight count after the first knockdown, but the next one forced Wayne Hedgepeth to end it.

Baldomir has lost just once in his last 20 fights, with the only blemish being a disqualification against Joshua Clottey on Nov 29, 1999.—AFP