Bermane Stiverne won a dominant unanimous decision over former heavyweight title contender Chris Arreola on Saturday night.
Stiverne (23-1-1, 20 KOs) apparently broke Arreola’s nose early in the fight, and he knocked down Arreola with a big right hand shortly before the third-round bell. The Haitian-born fighter from Canada bloodied Arreola’s face and survived trouble in the ninth for the most impressive victory of his career.
Two judges at the Citizens Business Bank Arena saw it 117-110, and the third scored it 118-109.
Arreola (35-3) had won seven straight fights since losing to Tomasz Adamek in April 2010. He lost to WBC heavyweight champion Vitali Klitschko in 2009.
Stiverne earned a theoretical title shot at Klitschko, although it’s unclear when the 41-year-old Ukrainian politician might resume his boxing career.