WBA third-rated welterweight contender Jamal James of Minneapolis stopped Janer Gonzalez of Colombia at the end of the sixth round Saturday night at the Armory in Minneapolis.

James (25-1, 12 knockouts) was in command throughout the bout before punishing Gonzalez heavily in the sixth round. A right from James glanced off the shoulder and face of Gonzalez (19-2-1, 15 KOs); he fell, but it wasn't ruled a knockdown. Gonzalez stood up, smiled and attacked, but James threw two right hands to the head and a left to the body that crumpled Gonzalez in a corner as the round neared its end. The fight was stopped when Gonzalez could not make the bell to begin the seventh round.

In the main event, Anthony Dirrell of Flint, Mich., won the vacant WBC 168-pound title, defeating Avni Yildirim, a Turk, by a technical split decision after the bout was stopped during the 10th round because of a bad cut above Dirrell's left eye. Because the cut was caused by an accidental clash of heads, the fight went to the judges. Two had it 96-94 for Dirrell, the third 98-92 for Yildirim.