Junior welterweight Alfredo Santiago entered Saturday night as the No. 1 contender for the WBO title, and that held true after Santiago’s ninth-round technical knockout of Javier Fortuna, which kept him in position to challenge for a belt.

Santiago picked up the stoppage victory when Fortuna’s corner halted the contest as the ninth round began. Fortuna, a former WBA junior lightweight titleholder, was overweight for Friday’s weigh-in.

The fight served as the co-main event at the Coliseo Tomas Dones in Fajardo, Puerto Rico, where Subriel Matias would take on Gabriel Gollaz Valenzuela in the main event.

Santiago, 30, stayed patient against the famously fast-starting Fortuna, who came out looking to land a big shot. In the first round, both fighters hit the canvas as Fortuna’s aggression impacted each. Santiago, a  Fajardo resident born in the Dominican Republic, had the support of the local fans as the two exchanged power shots straight to the end of the fight.

Fortuna, 35, also from the Dominican Republic but training out of Braintree, Massachusetts, pressed forward in the third, though Santiago’s right hand continued to be the most eye-catching shot of the bout. The fight slowed as clinches began to occur as often as punches. Santiago utilized his reach advantage, but the quick reflexes of the counterpunching Fortuna kept Santiago honest, as he only threw one or two punches at a time

Fortuna landed a low blow on Santiago in Round 7 that caused a halt to the action. Santiago immediately went out to seek retribution after that shot. In the eighth round, Santiago dropped Fortuna with a jab as Fortuna protested the call.

Santiago 17-2 (7 KOs), has now won four fights in a row. Fortuna fell to 39-6-1 (28 KOs).

Earlier on the card, veteran junior welterweight Xolisani Ndongeni took the undefeated record of Nestor Bravo, winning a 10-round split decision. Bravo, 31, dropped South Africa’s 34-year-old Ndongeni with a left hook in Round 2, but the judges favored Ndongeni. The scores were 95-94 Ndongeni, 97-92 Bravo and 98-92 Ndongeni.

Ndongeni earned the biggest win of his career, improving to 33-6 (19 KOs). Before Saturday’s contest, Ndongeni had lost four of his previous five fights.

Bravo, of Arecibo, Puerto Rico, fell to 24-1 (16 KOs) after entering the fight ranked No. 6 by the WBA and No. 12 by the WBO.

Heavyweight Pryce Taylor got a first-round technical knockout over Trevor Kotara in the opening bout of the telecast. Taylor, a 28-year-old from Brooklyn, New York, dropped the 35-year-old Kotara, of Mesa, Arizona, with a body shot and then stopped him before the round ended.

Taylor is now 7-0 (5 KOs). Kotara dropped to 4-4-1 (1 KO).

Lucas Ketelle is the author of “Inside the Ropes of Boxing,” a guide for young fighters, a writer for BoxingScene and a member of the Boxing Writers Association of America. Find him on X at @BigDogLukie.