Canadian power-puncher Adonis Stevenson successfully defended his WBC light heavyweight title for the seventh time with a violent fourth-round stoppage of Thomas Williams Jr. at the Videotron Center in Quebec, Canada, on Friday.

In an entertaining all-southpaw scrap, Stevenson, who is rated No. 2 by THE RING at 175 pounds, dropped the challenger with his signature left hand in Round 1 and closed out in spectacular fashion by landing the same shot on the point of William’s chin in the fourth. The official time was 2:54, when referee Michael Griffin completed the 10-count.

“This was fire fighting fire,” said Stevenson (28-1, 23 KOs) when interviewed by SpikeTV. “I see that he was applying pressure, so I said ‘Ok, you want to put the pressure, I’m gonna put the pressure too.’

“(Williams) fought a good fight and he’s a power-puncher. People saw what happens when you have two guys that can punch. You see a good spectacular.”

The challenger’s guard was exaggeratedly high in Round 1 but whenever he made a mistake, it was ruthlessly exploited. Towards the end of the session, Stevenson’s powerful backhand landed hard behind the ear and produced a knockdown. Williams was dazed, but he looked towards his corner and mouthed the words “my fault”, before bravely battling back.

The visitor, from Fort Washington, Maryland, continued the attack in the second and posted a very good round. Stevenson’s work lacked accuracy, which allowed the challenger to bridge the gap and let his hands go. Williams landed with one memorable combination to the head and also scored well to the mid-section.

Now convinced that his best defense was a good offense, Williams continued to press Stevenson in the third, but one sensed that danger was just around the corner. The American scored with a brace of right hooks, however another hard left hand hurt him on the inside. Again he stormed back, before a clash of heads opened a gash high on his left cheek bone.

The fourth began with Williams hitting the deck from a low blow but that was the least of his worries. A brutal body attack from Stevenson set up a sequence of vicious uppercuts and the challenger’s face was now being rearranged with every assault. Williams shook his head as the punishment intensified, but there was no way he was beating the count when Stevenson finally turned out his lights.

The challenger’s one moment of protest, as he looked through glazed eyes towards his corner, again, were the words “my fault”.

The only person perhaps at fault was the matchmaker. Williams had won three in a row since being stopped by Gabriel Campillo, in August 2014, but two of those opponents were undistinguished. And while a third-round knockout of Edwin Rodriguez was impressive, he was out of his league against the 38-year-old Stevenson.

A prohibitive 4/1 favorite, the fighter known as “Superman” is staying a very clear distance from light heavyweight kryptonite and would do well to up the ante with immediate effect.

Stevenson weighed in at 173.5 pounds, with Williams at 174.5.

Tom Gray is a UK Correspondent/ Editor for RingTV.com and a member of THE RING ratings panel.  Follow him on Twitter: @Tom_Gray_Boxing