MONTREAL - Custio Clayton threw everything at Hector Munoz but it took nine rounds to put the Mexican veteran down.

Clayton (7-0) pounded Munoz repeatedly before finally putting him on the canvas with a right hook, prompting referee Junior Padula to stop the bout at 2:54 of the ninth at the Montreal Casino on Thursday night.

"We saw on the tape that he was a tough guy," the Dartmouth, N.S., weltwerweight said. "I wanted to go to the body more but he protected the body so I couldn't get to it like I wanted to.

"And he had a tough head. It was a good fight for me."

Clayton had hoped to get it over with early so he could get home for a first look at his newborn son, Custio Jr., who was born on Wednesday.

"I haven't had a chance to hold him yet," said the father of three.

It was one-sided from the opening round, with Clayton landing rights, lefts and uppercuts in every combination for round after round and the rock-chinned Munoz absorbing it all and staying on his feet.

Clayton finally ended it with a right to the jaw. Munoz (23-18-1) had the wobbles when he tried to get up.

Clayton was in the main event for a second straight fight card at the Casino after dispatching Frenchman Stanislas Salmon of France in the second round on Jan. 21.

He was to have faced Alvaro Robles (19-5-0, 17 knockouts) in the toughest test of his pro career, but Robles had visa problems and had to pull out. Munoz, a former sparring partner of ex-champion Arturo Gatti, was on call as a replacement and he became the first to take Clayton past four rounds as a pro.

Since losing to Antonin Decaire in his last bout at the casino in 2008, Munoz has won only five of 22 fights.

In the co-feature, 45-year-old Raymond Olubowale of Toronto won back the Canadian Professional Boxing Council heavyweight title he lost to 51-year-old Razor Ruddock last March with a third-round stoppage of 38-year-old Eric Barrak (8-4) of Laval, Que.

The six-foot-seven Obuwale, who towered over five-foot-11 Barrak, scored a knockdown in the second and floored him again in the third, prompting referee Marlon B. Wright to stop the bout.

"I tip my hat to him, he's a warrior," Obuwale said of Barrak. "He came to fight, which is rarity in this country in fighters against me.

"He's so short. Arguably the shortest opponent I've ever fought and to make matters worse, he sat on the floor. I had to go scooping to tag his head."

Obuwale now hopes to unify the Canadian titles against Dillon Carmen of Mississauga, Ont.

Super-middleweight Dario Bredicean (8-0), an American based in Montreal, knocked down Frank (The Tank) Miville in the first and third rounds but had to go the six-round distance with the awkward, wild swinger from Longueuil, Que. for the unanimous decision.

A first fight outside Mexico by Jorge Reynoso (10-10-0) lasted only one round as he was knocked down three times by super-bantamweight Vislan Dalkhaev (6-0) of Montreal.

Another super-bantamweight, Yoni Sherbatov (2-0) of Laval, Que., had a tougher battle on his hands against Santos Lira (0-3) than it looked on the scorecards, where he won all four rounds against the gritty Mexican.

Super-middleweight Patrice Volny of Montreal stopped Michel Tsalla (1-12-2) in the second round of his pro debut.

In a women's bout, welterweight Marie-Eve Dicaire (3-0) of St-Eustache, Que., won all four rounds against Marta Patricia Lara (9-5-0) of Mexico.