Jesus Soto Karass of Mexico earned the biggest victory of his career Saturday night when he stopped former two-time welterweight champion Andre Berto at 48 seconds of the 12th round of their main event at AT&T Center in San Antonio.
The fight was even at the time with each fighter having a two-point lead on a card with the other card even.
Berto put himself in good position by dropping Soto Karass in the 11th round with a body shot that appeared borderline low. But Soto Karass returned the favor in the 12th, smacking Berto to the ground with a left hook to the chin. Berto got up right away, but on very wobbly legs and the referee stepped in.
Berto (28-3), of Winter Haven, Fla., has now lost three of his past four. Soto Karass (28-8-3, 18 KOs) has won two consecutive bouts since being stopped in the eighth round by Marcos Maidana in September 2012.
In other action, Omar Figueroa (22-0-1) of Weslaco, Texas, won an interim lightweight belt with a unanimous decision over Nihito Arakawa (24-3-1) of Japan in a 12-round thriller.
Also, Keith “One Time” Thurman knocked out Diego Chaves of Argentina in the 10th round of their interim welterweight title fight. Thurman, of Clearwater, Fla., is 21-0 with 19 knockouts. Chaves (22-1) sustained his first loss.