SIDELINES : Luisito Espinosa Stops Snead, Retains Bantamweight Crown

Luisito Espinosa of the Philippines stopped American Hurley Snead in the eighth round today and retained his World Boxing Assn. bantamweight crown.

The 23-year-old Filipino punished Snead throughout the fight, knocking him down in the first and second rounds and closing his right eye in the eighth.

Snead’s manager stopped the scheduled 12-round fight when his stunned and battered boxer could barely see when the eighth round ended.

The taller Filipino dominated the fight from the beginning, targeting Snead’s face and connecting with powerful jabs.

Espinosa sent Snead to the canvas for a nine-count in the first round but the American recovered quickly, only to be felled again in the second by a series of lightning jabs.

Snead connected in the seventh with a left jab but when Espinosa hit the deck, he did a rapid backward somersault and leaped to his feet to continue the fight.

Espinosa, who had problems before the fight getting down to the 118-pound limit, now has a record of 23 victories, eleven by knockout, and five losses. Snead has a 40-3 record.