British super-middleweight Paul Smith has suffered a ninth-round stoppage defeat to Andre Ward in California.
Ward, the WBA Super champion, controlled the bout from the opening bell before Smith's trainer Joe Gallagher threw in the towel.
The build-up to the fight had been dominated by Smith's failure to make the designated catch-weight limit of 172lbs, but it made no difference as Ward showed no signs of ring rust on his first appearance since November 2013.
The opening two rounds were uneventful as Smith remained behind his guard, but as the fight progressed, Ward looked sharp behind his jab while he always looked threatening with a straight right.
At the midway point, Ward had won every round, but Smith had some joy in the seventh when he caught Ward with a strong right hand of his own, but it was quickly shaken off by the unbeaten American.
That blow only upped the urgency in Ward's performance, and after opening up a cut above Smith's left eye, he landed at will in the eighth and at the start of the ninth before Gallagher decided that he had seen enough.
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