BELFAST, Northern Ireland — Carl Frampton stopped American challenger Chris Avalos in the fifth round to win his first defense of the IBF super bantamweight belt on Saturday.
Boxing in front of his hometown fans, the unbeaten Frampton rocked Avalos in the second round, and upped the tempo in the fifth to force referee Howard John Foster to stop their contest at 1:33.
Frampton, who won the title from Kiko Martinez in September, improved to 20-0 (14 KO). Avalos, stopped for the first time, dropped to 25-3.
