By Elliot Foster

Cristofer Rosales retained his world title with a stoppage win.

The Nicaraguan, who went to Japan and stopped Daigo Higa earlier this year to win the crown, stopped Paddy Barnes inside four rounds at belfast’s Windsor Park football stadium, exclusively live on BT Sport.

Rosales’ team were visibly delighted with the victory away from home, as part of the supporting cast to Tyson Fury’s second return outing against Francesco Pianeta and Carl Frampton’s clash against Luke Jackson for the former’s WBO interim featherweight title.

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Barnes, who was on the eight-stone limit at Friday’s weigh-in, started the fight well and had good spells in the second and third round before being scythed down by a Rosales bodyshot.

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The shot took all the wind out of Barnes and sent him back to changing room, albeit being cheered by the crowd, disconsolate after the referee Victor Loughlin reached his 10-count.

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Now, Barnes, trained by Danny Vaughan and a previous holder of the WBO European title at flyweight, will have to forge his way back to the top of the division.

Rosales will be licking his lips in terms of the number of mouthwatering showdowns he now has at his disposal with the likes of WBO king Sho Kimura, WBA champion Artem Dalakian and the IBF’s current ruler Moruti Mthalane of South Africa.

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