Lightweight prospect Joshua James “JJ” Pagan bloodied and outboxed Maliek Montgomery en route to a ninth-round stoppage victory Thursday at Coliseo Roberto Clemente in San Juan, Puerto Rico.

The final blow was a right uppercut to a bloody Montgomery, who suffered a cut late in the second round plaguing him throughout their fight.

The ringside physician checked the cut on three occasions, including at the beginning of the final round. Each time though, Montgomery (20-2, 18 KOs) pleaded with the doctor to allow the fight to continue.

However when the uppercut landed, referee Ramon Pena had seen enough. He stopped the fight with 16 seconds remaining in the round.

Pagan (14-0, 5 KOs) claimed a vacant WBO regional lightweight title and his first knockout victory since July 2023, when breezing past Texas journeyman Gabriel Smith inside a round.

The 25-year-old from Grand Rapids, Michigan of Puerto Rican descent inflicted a second consecutive defeat on Georgia-based Montgomery's record and career-first by stoppage.

The pair wasted no time getting acclimated, as the fight quickly became a close-quarters brawl and stayed that way for large periods. Montgomery fought on the front foot, pressing the action, while Pagan constantly tried to turn him and split his guard with power shots.

Both fighters found success, but the tide started turning when a punch from Pagan gave Montgomery a nasty gash over his left eye, leaving him a bloody mess for the remainder.

As the fight progressed, Pagan seized control of the bout with his ability to land clean shots worsening the older man's cut and by smothering attacks where possible.

Pagan split Montgomery's guard with numerous right uppercuts and clean straight right hands throughout. Pagan's straight right hand was especially effective whenever Montgomery switched from orthodox to southpaw.

Montgomery mounted a rally late in the sixth round and landed a flurry of punches to body and head, but couldn't sustain the momentum from that surge. Pagan regained control with his ability to outbox Montgomery on the inside up until Pena called a halt to their contest.

Here are the results from the other three fights on the main card: