Former flyweight and 115-pound titleholder Vic Darchinyan dropped Javier Gallo four times en route to a fourth-round stoppage in a wild UniMas-televised featherweight main event from Laredo, Texas, on Saturday.

Darchinyan (39-5-1, 28 knockouts), who was stunned by an overhand right from Gallo at the end of the opening round, bounced back hard in the second round, dropping the Tijuana journeyman three times with straight lefts and one-two combinations at the start of the round, midway through and right at the bell.

Still, Gallo (18-7-1, 10 KOs), who stunned the 37-year-old southpaw veteran with a hook in the middle of the second round, remained game. The two stood and traded bombs throughout the third round, but Darchinyan, who was fighting his first bout under the Top Rank promotional banner, abrutply ended the bout with a well-timed straight left that put the tough 29 year old on his back.

The bout was halted 26 seconds into the round. Darchinyan now looks forward to meaningful showdowns with Top Rank’s best fighters at 122 pounds, which includes RING champ Guillermo Rigondeaux and old foe Nonito Donaire, and at featherweight, which includes RING champ Mikey Garcia, IBF titleholder Evgany Gradovich and former beltholders Orlando Salido and JuanMa Lopez.

In the co-featured bout, two-time Mexican Olympian Oscar Valdez (4-0, 4 KOs) made short work of Rocco Espinoza (4-7), dropping the aggressive but outgunned young journeyman four times before the fight was stopped at 2:58 of the opening round.

Photo: Chris Farina-Top Rank