LOS ANGELES — Mexico's Julio Cesar Martinez stopped Nicaragua's Cristofer Rosales in the ninth round Friday to win the vacant World Boxing Council flyweight title.

Martinez improved to 15-1 with his 12th victory inside the distance while Rosales fell to 29-5 with the loss at Phoenix, Arizona.

After dropping his 2015 pro debut, Martinez has won 15 fights in a row, although he needed two tries to claim the WBC flyweight crown.

Martinez, 24, knocked out Charlie Edwards in August at London to first claim the title but the fight was later ruled no contest when the Mexican was found to have hit Edwards while the Englishman was on one knee.

The 112-pound division's other world champions include South Africa's Moruti Mthalane, who defends the International Boxing Federation crown later this month in Yokohama against Japan's Akira Yaegashi, and Ukraine's unbeaten Artem Dalakian, the World Boxing Association champion.— AFP