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BIRMINGHAM, England (AP) -Amir Khan got up from a second-round knockdown and stopped Michael Gomez in the fifth Saturday, successfully defending his Commonwealth lightweight title for a fourth time.
Khan knocked down Gomez twice, first in the opening round and again early in the fifth, before a huge right hand forced the former British super featherweight champion against the ropes for a final flurry - when referee John Keane stepped in to halt the fight 2:32 into round.
The victory kept the Olympic silver medallist unbeaten in 18 bouts as a pro and bolstered his stated desire for a title opportunity against WBO champion Nate Campbell next year.
Gomez lost for the fourth time in his last seven fights, and dropped him to 35-9 on his 31st birthday.
Khan tagged Gomez with a sharp left jab in the opening round and followed with a torrent of punches, finally dropping him with a big right.
After surviving the round, Gomez raced out for the second, and - having stormed through Khan's sharp blows - hit Khan's jaw with a left hook which briefly dropped him.
However, Khan quickly regrouped and again used his left to put Gomez back in trouble.
Despite developing a cut around his left eye, Gomez plowed forward in search of another knockdown.
The two exchanged left hooks to close a furious second round, and into the third, Khan continued to connect with his right as Gomez repeatedly moved forward with his head down to regain the initiative.
Khan landed several hard punches in the fourth that hurt Gomez but couldn't knock him off his feet, and Gomez recovered sufficiently to respond with blows of his own.
Khan dropped Gomez early in the fifth with a left to the body, but once more Gomez got to his feet to land a straight left that caught Khan, but without much force.
A jolting right midway through the fifth knocked Gomez back against the ropes one last time, and as Khan repeatedly battered him with both hands, Keane wisely decided to end the bout.
