Cherneka Johnson retained her WBA bantamweight title when Nina Hughes was pulled out in the seventh round of their rematch. Johnson, 17-2 (7 KOs), bossed proceedings inside the Qudos Bank Arena in Sydney, Australia, with spiteful attacks and Hughes, nursing a cut nose from the first round, was left blooded, bruised and bedraggled.

The sequel was spawned from controversy when Hughes was announced the winner of their first fight in May last year – only for Johnson’s arm to be raised. “I just don’t get it,” Hughes said after losing the majority verdict in Perth.

The Briton, now 42 years old, initiated a quick pace in the return and the rivals exchanged with haste from the opening bell. By the second round, however, the more cultured work of the champion was starting to take over and, in the fourth, a short right uppercut jolted Hughes’ head upwards and caused her to hold.

Things got worse for the challenger in the fifth when she was deducted a point for holding. When Hughes, bleeding from a gash on the bridge of her nose, sat on her stool at the end of the session she was warned by her corner that she had to turn things around in the sixth.

But Johnson retained control, upping the pressure with accurate right hands that pounded the body and head of the challenger. When the 30-year-old started the seventh in similar fashion, hacking rights into the ribcage of Nina, the corner of Hughes had seen enough. The referee accepted the retirement after 46 seconds of the round.

“I’m over the moon and this was my moment,” Johnson said. “It was my plan to make it convincing, put this whole thing to bed and without controversy. My power, my strength and beating her workrate won it for me tonight.”

Earlier, rising Russian-born light heavyweight Imam Khataev turned back a spirited Durval Elias Palacio on points after 10 bruising rounds. The adopted Australian, 10-0 (9 KOs), was deducted a point in the fifth from a low blow but otherwise had things his own way. Palacio, from Argentina, proved stubborn and willing throughout as he dropped to 14-4 (11 KOs). The scores were 90-98 and two of 99-89.

At heavyweight, New Zealand’s Hemi Aho moved to 24-1 (18 KOs) when he halted Thailand’s overmatched Aekkaphob Auraiwan, 9-4-1 (7 KOs), in the opening round.