Mikkel Kessler of Denmark has claimed a fifth world championship after relieving Brian Magee of his WBA super middleweight title with a third-round knockout on Saturday.
A right hook sent Magee down for a third and last time, after Kessler had also floored the Northern Irishman twice in the second round.
"Magee came out quickly. But when he got the one in the stomach, I just hoped he wouldn't be able to storm out again,'' Kessler said about the first blow before a roaring and partisan crowd of more than 10,000 fans.
''I came here to fight but that first jab really hurt me a lot,'' his opponent said.
Kessler, who improved to 46-2 (35 KO) last held a world title in 2010, the WBC version.
In 2004, the Warrior Viking beat Manny Sica from Puerto Rico and grabbed the WBA title, two years later he knocked out German boxer Markus Beyer to get the WBC belt; he became WBA champ in 2008 after he defeated Dimitri Sartison of Germany and then took WBA title after winning over Britain's Carl Froch.
Kessler returned to the ring last year after overcoming an eye injury that forced him to withdraw from the Super Six tournament in 2010. The eye injury stemmed from a Super Six bout against American fighter Andre Ward in 2009.
Magee (36-5, 25 KO), lost his second defense of the WBA belt he won in July last year.
He had traveled to Denmark hoping to complete a hat trick of wins over Danish opponents after having beaten Rudy Markussen in February and Mads Larsen in 2010. Kessler stopped him.
