Vitali Klitschko battered a courageous but game Danny Williams, knocking the challenger down a total of four times en route to successfully defending his WBC heavyweight crown in Las Vegas.
Klitschko dominated every round, administering a savage beating on Williams before referee Jay Nady mercifully stopped the slaughter at 1:26 of the eighth round.
"I am the real heavyweight champion of the world," Klitschko said. "This was the best fight of my career."
Briton Williams was also knocked down in the first, third and seventh rounds.
Klitschko finished off an over-matched Williams with a left-right combination that sent the challenger sailing backwards through the air.
Williams landed under the ropes and Nady waved his arms to signal the end of the onslaught.
"My strategy was to use my reach," Klitschko said. "I tried to punch him from a long distance and he was trying to get close to me."
No doubt Klitschko had tougher sparring sessions leading up to
the fight at the Mandalay Bay Resort and Casino.
He landed almost 300 punches, so many that he had to be taken to hospital immediately after the fight for X-rays on both swollen hands. The tests proved negative.
"I was surprised Williams was able to take so many punches. He has a strong chin," Klitschko said. "He has an iron chin and a big heart. I threw a lot of power punches."
Williams also went to the hospital but for a different reason.
He fought with a cut under his right eye from the second round and needed stitches to close the gapping wound.
He landed just six jabs to Klitschko's 99 jabs and never earned the respect of Klitschko who fought most of the time with his hands at his side looking for the knockout blow.
Klitschko was making the first defence of the title he won by stopping South Africa's Corrie Sanders in a similar fashion and also in the eighth round of their bout in April.
Lennox Lewis, one of only two boxers to have beaten Klitschko, praised Williams boxing spirit and ability to take a punch.
"He showed great heart," Lewis said. "He realized this was the only chance he was going to get to fight for the heavyweight championship so he was going to give it his best shot."
Lewis said Williams looked slow because of the added weight he was carrying.
In fact, the combined weight of the two fighters, 520 pounds (236 kg), was a record for a world title fight, beating the 504 1/2 of Klitschko and Lewis on June 21, 2003.
Klitschko weighed in at 250 pounds while Williams weighed in at 270 pounds.
There were a number of orange flags and hats in the crowd worn by supporters of Klitschko to symbolize the election struggle in his homeland.
Klitschko also had an orange flag pinned to his shorts and his corner men, including younger brother Wladimir, wore orange caps.
Orange is the colour of choice by opposition candidate Viktor
Yushchenko's political party which is claiming that the recent federal election was stolen from them.
"This victory was not just for me, but for democracy in Ukraine," said Klitschko, who grew up in the Ukraine but now lives in Los Angeles. "I want to thank all my people who are fighting for democracy and the future of our children in the Ukraine."
