CHARLY SUAREZ poured it all in the 12th and final round to beat via technical knockout Paul Fleming before his home fans at the Kevin Betts Stadium in Sydney, Australia, on Wednesday.
Suarez, a Rio de Janeiro Olympian, captured the International Boxing Organization super featherweight, International Boxing Federation intercontinental, World Boxing Council Asian and World Boxing Association Oceania titles.
Suarez, 34 and a three-time Southeast Asian Games gold medalist, started strong but Fleming controlled the middle rounds with jabs that irritated the Davao del Norte boxer.
Fleming, also 34, had the crowd behind him and used his long reach in the sixth to the ninth rounds, but Suarez dropped the Australian with a solid left hook one minute and 58 seconds into the 12th round.
Fleming couldn’t recover from that knockdown and was ripe for a knockout punch but referee Pat O’Connor halted the fight with a few seconds remaining in the final round.
Suarez is undefeated in 15 fights with nine knockouts while Fleming fell to 28-1-1 with 18 knockouts.
He eyes a world title fight possibility against IBO super featherweight champion Anthony Cacace of Northern Ireland.