Frank Sanchez puts Junior Fa down three times, stops him in seventh round

Frank Sanchez put Junior Fa down three times before stopping him in the seventh round Saturday in Saudi Arabia.

Frank Sanchez got the featured bouts off to an explosive start Saturday in Saudi Arabia.

The skillful Cuban knocked put fellow heavyweight contender Junior Fa down three times before finally stopping him in the seventh round of a 10-round bout.

The fight was largely uneventful until the final seconds of Round 6, when Sanchez (24-0, 17 KOs) put Fa (20-3, 11 KOs) down with a straight right hand to the chin.

Another big right from the Cuban, followed by a flurry of hard shots, put Fa down again and hurt him about a minute into Round 7. The Kiwi was able to get up but he went down once more — again from a right — with about 30 seconds to go.

This time the referee stopped the fight, giving Sanchez his fourth consecutive stoppage. The end came with 18 seconds remaining in the round.

Fa has now lost three of his last four fights.