Dartmouth’s Custio Clayton dominates to win WBO International welterweight title

LAVAL, Que. – Custio Clayton dominated Cristian Coria of Argentina to claim the minor World Boxing Organization International welterweight title on Saturday night.

The bout was on the undercard of the WBO middleweight title fight between British champion Billy Joe Saunders and David Lemieux of Laval, Que. later Saturday night.

Clayton (13-0), a 2012 Canadian Olympian, won all 10 rounds on all three judges cards over Coria (27-6-2) before a large crowd at the Place Bell arena.

“It feels very good,” said Clayton. “I was just happy to get in the ring on a card like this. The fans were amazing.”

Tweet This Click to share quote on Twitter: "It feels very good," said Clayton. "I was just happy to get in the ring on a card like this. The fans were amazing."

Clayton took control early and was never in trouble against the Argentine, who kept his record of never being stopped before the limit intact even though he had to take a knee after a right to the ribs in the ninth and was dropped for an eight-count by a right uppercut in the 10th.

“I wasn’t thinking that way at all,” Clayton said of trying to end it early.

“I knew he was tough. I had to stay composed and fight the way I know how.”

Tweet This Click to share quote on Twitter: "I knew he was tough. I had to stay composed and fight the way I know how."

Clayton was ranked 15th by the WBO going into the fight and should climb into the top 10. His goal is to get into position for a world title bout by the end 2018 or early in 2019.

He expects to fight next in February, but for now he intends to return to Dartmouth, N.S., and spent the holidays with his family.

In other bouts, heavyweight Simon Kean (12-0) of Trois-Rivieires, Que., dispatched American Mike Sheppard (25-22-1) 39 seconds into the second round of their scheduled eight-round bout.

Steve Butler (21-1-1) of Montreal stopped American Lanardo Tyner (32-12-2) in the second round of their light middleweight eight-rounder, while American prospect Ryan Garcia (13-0) took out

Mexican Noe Martinez (10-10-2) in the eighth and last round of a super-featherweight contest. Light welterweight Mathieu Germain (12-0) of Montreal scored a unanimous decision over Juan Garcia Mendez (19-4-2) of Mexico, while light welterweight Batyr Jukembayev (11-0) won all eight rounds over American Wilberth Lopez (20-9).

In women’s bouts, former national team boxer Kim Clavel of Montreal posted a four-round unanimous decision over Yoseline Maretinez (3-3) of Mexico in her debut as a professional light flyweight, while the 2012 and 2016 Olympic gold medallist Nicola Adams (3-0) of Britain stopped Soledad Macedo (13-14-1) of Uruguay at 1:26 of the third round of their flyweight bout.