BOXING ROUNDUP : Chavez Tunes Up for Taylor by Stopping Cortes

Julio Cesar Chavez knocked out Argentina’s Alberto Cortes with a right-left-right combination in the third round Saturday night in Mexico City to retain his World Boxing Council super-lightweight title.

Chavez dominated the fight from the start, driving Cortes backward for most of the first two rounds. He opened a cut on the bridge of Cortes’ nose in the first round and another cut on his cheek in the third.

Chavez, who weighed 140, knocked Cortes down and into the ropes 1:56 into third round of the scheduled 12-round bout. Cortes, 139 3/4, took a seven-count before standing up, but referee Arthur Mercante stopped the fight.

“I never felt like I was stretched to the limits of my capacity,” Chavez said. “I was always within my capacity.”

Chavez said he felt he was ready to defend the title against Meldrick Taylor on March 17 in Las Vegas, and after that would consider moving up one weight class to welterweight to try to win another world championship.

If he were to move up to the welterweight class, Chavez would face either WBC champion Marlon Starling or World Boxing Assn. champion Mark Breland.

“I did what I had to do to keep the championship,” Chavez said. “I was 100% for 100% of the time.”

Cortes called Chavez “a great fighter” and said he didn’t know what hit him.

The fight was Chavez’ 68th without a loss and his 59th knockout. The loss was Cortes’ first after 44 victories, including 22 knockouts.

Chavez has held world titles in the super-flyweight, lightweight and super-lightweight classes. He won the super-lightweight title last May 12 against Roger Mayweather. He is 16-0 in title bouts.

Francesco Damiani of Italy successfully defended his World Boxing Organization heavyweight title when he knocked out Daniel Netto of Argentina in the second round at Cesena, Italy.

Damiani drove Netto to the canvas twice with a series of combinations. Netto got up both times, but after the second knockdown, his corner threw in the towel with 1:02 left in the round.

The easy victory gave Damiani, 31, his 24th win as a professional. Netto, 28, lost for the first time as a pro. His record fell to 17-1-1.

Damiani, who won 19 of his previous fights by knockouts, almost stopped Netto in the first round with a left hook to the jaw that knocked the challenger down.

Netto, who weighed 198, struggled to his feet, only to be rocked by several combinations. But Damiani, 229, could not finish him off before the bell.