Nonito Donaire stopped Vic Darchinyan at 2:06 of the ninth round Saturday in a rematch of their 2007 fight, which Donaire won by a fifth-round knockout.

Donaire (32-2, 21 knockouts) was losing on two of the three cards at the time of the stoppage, a clear indication of how much the unusually passive Filipino-American struggled for most of a competitive fight.

Two judges had it 78-74 for Darchinyan and one had it even 76-76 after eight rounds.

However, Donaire took control with two left hooks, one that stunned Darchinyan and another one that put him down moments later. Donaire continued to punch Darchinyan (39-6-1, 28 KOs) until referee Lawrence Cole ended the fight.

Donaire was coming off a one-sided decision loss to Guillermo Rigondeaux.

A full report will follow shortly.