The Associated Press

MIAMI - Wayne Braithwaite retained his WBC cruiserweight title after stopping Ravea Springs in the fourth round Friday night.

Braithwaite, of Guyana, overwhelmed Springs, of Cincinnati, with two fourth-round knockdowns in the scheduled 12-round bout at Miccosukee Indian Gaming.

Braithwaite first sent Springs to the canvas along the ropes with a right to the head. Springs reached his feet, but could not shake off the knockdown's effects as Braithwaite eagerly chased him across the ring.

Sensing a wobbly opponent, Braithwaite (19-0, 16 KOs) landed unanswered combinations to the head. Braithwaite finished Springs with two lefts to the head, flooring his challenger a second time.

Springs (25-3) beat referee Tommy Kimmons' 10-count, but Braithwaite's shots had taken their toll and Kimmons stopped the bout at 2:40 of the round.

"I didn't know if he was going to get up after the second knockdown but if he did, he was going to go down again," Braithwaite said.

For Braithwaite, it was the first defense of the 190-pound crown he won in a vacant title fight against Vincenzo Cantatore last October.

"It was beautiful, to make my first defense of the title with a knockout," Braithwaite said.

Braithwaite was effective from the opening round with lefts to the head, while Springs led with a right jab to Braithwaite's head.

But Braithwaite continued to press the attack in the following rounds, connecting with rights to the head and lefts to the body. Braithwaite tried to confuse Springs by frequently changing from conventional to left-handed stances.

Braithwaite weighed 186 pounds, while Springs was 184 for the fight.