Junior bantamweight world champion Juan Francisco Estrada knocked out Dewayne Beamon in the ninth round in a homecoming fight on Saturday night at the Centro de Usos Multiples in Hermosillo, Mexico.
Estrada had not boxed in his hometown since winning a nontitle fight there in 2014, and his fans filled the arena for a 12,000-seat sellout as he dominated Beamon to retain his 115-pound world title for the first time.
The fight came four months after Estrada took the belt by hard-fought and action-packed unanimous decision in a title bout with Thai star Srisaket Sor Rungvisai at The Forum in Inglewood, California, an April 26 victory that avenged a 2018 decision loss.
Estrada (40-3, 27 KOs), 29, a former unified flyweight world titlist and ranked No. 8 on the ESPN pound-for-pound list, was in his first bout of the co-promotional agreement with Matchroom Boxing promoter Eddie Hearn, and the victory could set up the title unification fight Estrada wants.
Estrada hopes to meet fellow titleholder Khalid Yafai (26-0, 15 KOs), 30, of England, who is also promoted by Hearn, on the undercard of the rematch between unified heavyweight titleholder Andy Ruiz Jr. and former titlist Anthony Joshua, who are scheduled to meet Dec. 7 in Diriyah, Saudi Arabia.
Beamon (16-2-1, 11 KOs), 34, a Goldsboro, North Carolina, native fighting out of Las Vegas, who has been a professional since only August 2015, was taking a massive step up in competition. It proved to be way too much, although he showed a big heart and had some moments, as he landed many right hands in his seventh fight in a row in Mexico.
Estrada had a big second round in which he scored two knockdowns. He dropped Beamon with a left hook about 30 seconds into the round and then sent him to a knee moments later with a right hand to the body, although Beamon did not appear hurt.
Estrada continued to bang away in the third round and had Beamon in continued trouble, but Beamon survived and came back to have some good moments in the fight. He landed several nice overhand rights and never stopped coming forward.
Estrada countered and danced, then nailed Beamon with a clean uppercut that badly rocked him in the seventh round. Estrada continued to pour it on and had Beamon staggering from a right hand just as the seventh round came to an end.
Estrada opened a cut over Beamon's left eye in the eighth round and landed several clean right hands that seemed to sap Beamon of his energy.
Estrada continued to pound away in the ninth round, and when he had Beamon on the ropes and was teeing off, including landing a debilitating left hook to the body, referee Abdiel Barragan stepped in to wave off the fight at 51 seconds.