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Evgeny Gradovich successfully defended the IBF featherweight title tonight with a dominant win over Billy Dib, stopping the Australian former titlist in their rematch tonight in Macao on the Pacquiao vs Rios undercard. Dib's corner threw in the towel to stop the fight in the ninth round.
Gradovich (18-0, 9 KO) was just too ferocious this time around for Dib (36-3, 21 KO), as was the case, really, in their first fight back in March. This time, Dib knew what to expect (Gradovich was a short-notice opponent in the first fight), but Gradovich looked even more confident than before. Dib was game, but he was simply outclassed and beaten up over the fight.
This may have been it for Dib, who said he would consider retiring if he couldn't win this fight.
We've got one more fight to go on the HBO pay-per-view, and it's the big one: Manny Pacquaio vs Brandon Rios, up next!