Klitschko stops 'focused' Rahman

Ukraine's Wladimir Klitschko retained his WBO, IBF and IBO world heavyweight titles on Saturday night with a technical knockout of Hasim Rahman in round seven.

The referee stopped the fight in Mannheim after Klitschko, 32, landed a series of punches to Rahman's head and the American retreated to the ropes, barely able to stand. The Ukrainian had already knocked him down in round six.

"I thought I could land some punches earlier but it wasn't worth it because Hasim Rahman knew he was up against the best and he was really focused, you could see that," said Klitschko, after improving his record to 52 wins and three defeats.

Rahman was unable to get past Klitschko's left jab to land the kind of big punch that saw him beat world champion Lennox Lewis in 2001, when he knocked out the Briton with a right hook to record one of the biggest upsets in boxing history.

The American tried to take the fight to Klitschko in round five but he was running short of energy and soon started looking wobbly on his feet. The champion was searching for a knockout punch before the referee stepped in.

Earlier, former heavyweight champion Riddick Bowe made a successful comeback at the same venue after three years out of the ring. Despite looking overweight, 41-year-old Bowe beat German Gene Pukall on points on the undercard.