Unbeaten Chavez Jr retains WBC crown

Washington: Mexico`s unbeaten Julio Cesar Chavez Jr kept his World Boxing Council middleweight title after beating Irish Andy Lee Saturday in El Paso, Texas.

Chavez, 26, made third defense of his title, improving to 46-0 and one drawn. 2004 Olympian Lee, 28, fell to 28-2 and saw his four-year, 13-fight win streak snapped in his first world title fight. Chavez and Lee exchanged flurries of hard punches in the fourth round and Chavez stung the Irishman with body blows in the fifth, Lee unafraid to take the power punches of the champion but taking the worse of the punishment. Lee tried in vain to make Chavez chase him around the ring. Late in the seventh round, Chavez unleashed a flurry of punches to the head and body that left Lee doubled over with his back against the ring. The Mexican continued the pounding until the referee stepped between them to end the bout. ANI