Mauricio Lara stuns Josh Warrington with vicious KO

Mauricio Lara shocked the boxing world Saturday, knocking out No. 1-ranked featherweight Josh Warrington in the ninth round to hand the British fighter his first career loss.

Lara, a massive underdog, fought outside of his native Mexico for only the second time in his professional career.

The 22-year-old showcased incredible punching power to stun Warrington, including a fourth-round knockdown that rattled the former IBF titleholder and nearly stopped the fight.

After surviving the knockdown, Warrington looked shaky in the following rounds before Lara finished the job in the ninth.

Warrington was on the mat for several minutes after the knockout. He eventually returned to his feet after receiving oxygen from training staff.

With the victory, Lara pushed his record to 22-2 and put the featherweight division on notice. Warrington, who hadn't fought since October 2019 and vacated his IBF title in January, moves to 30-1.