DONCASTER, England (AP):

JUNIOR WITTER retained his WBC light-welterweight belt on Friday night, downing Guyanese challenger Vivian Harris with a seventh-round knockout.

Witter never looked troubled by his opponent and ended the bout with a powerful left hook to the head that sent Harris straight to the mat. Harris never attempted to get back up, and Witter raised his arms to celebrate the victory even before the count of 10.

Controlled the fight

"I gave him some seriously powerful shots," Witter said. "He kept fighting back, but when the final shot landed, it was sweet."

Witter controlled the fight from the opening round, keeping his opponent at bay with quick jabs while Harris tried to counter with lunging left hooks.

Harris went down twice in the fourth round. Witter first landed a right hook that caught Harris off balance but he bounced back up without a count.

But before the round was over, the 33-year-old Englishman landed a jarring left hook that kept Harris on the canvas until the count of eight.

The knockout blow came swiftly and elegantly. Harris launched an attack that chased the defending champion into the corner, but Witter dodged a strong punch to move back toward the centre of the ring.

As Harris turned around, Witter was waiting with the decisive left hook.