(Photo credit: Tom Casino/Showtime) By Allan Fox: Lucas Matthysse (32-2, 30 KO’s) is now the WBC interim light welterweight champion after defeating previously unbeaten #1 WBC Olusegun Ajose (30-1, 14 KO’s) by a 10th round TKO on Saturday night in their battle for the vacant World Boxing Council interim 140 pound title on Showtime at the Hard Rock Hotel and Casino, The Joint, in Las Vegas, Nevada.

Matthysse, 29, had Ajose in trouble off and on from the 7th round on and finally put him out of his misery in the 10th round after knocking him down. The fight was stopped at 2:59 of the 10th. It’s a credit to Ajose that he was able to take so many hard head and body shots from the Argentinian Matthysse, because had this been someone like Amir Khan, Matthysse likely would have scored a knockout much earlier in the fight.

Matthysse was really teeing off on Ajose from the 3rd round. Ajose fought well in the first two rounds as both guys went toe-to-toe. However, Matthysse really took over after the 2nd and consistently punished Ajose with hard right hands to the head and body, as well as a lot of power left hooks. It was a complete dominate by Matthysse. Ajose kept fighting back, but his power had no affect on Matthysse whatsoever. He couldn’t hurt him, but Matthysse’s shot definitely were hurting Ajose.

Ajose didn’t have enough power to really worry Matthysse and that was he major problem in this fight. He couldn’t hurt him.

In other fights on the card:

Daquan Arnett TKO 4 Jesus Tavera
Ishe Smith UD 10 Irving Garcia
99-90, 100-89 & 100-89
Melinda Cooper MD 6 Celine Salazar
J’Leon Love DQ 8 Ramon Valenzuela