'It wasn't as easy as it looked' Klitschko on WBC triumph.

Byline: ALAN EASEL

VITALI KLITSCHKO scored a convincing victory to retain his WBC heavyweight title but claimed his 10-round stoppage of Cris Arreola was not as straightforward as it appeared.

Klitschko, just three fights into a comeback following a four-year retirement from the ring, was in impressive form as he out-fought and out-thought his Mexican-American rival at the Staples Centre in Los Angeles, Arreola's corner calling it quits at the end of the 10th after a game but ineffective challenge.

Vitali The 37th stoppage of the Ukrainian's professional career took his record to 38-2 as he outclassed Arreola, 10 years his junior at 28, using his height and reach advantage to great effect as he brought to an end a 27-fight unbeaten professional run.

Yet Klitschko, whose younger brother Wladimir holds the IBF, WBO and IBO heavyweight titles, said: "It's never easy. You have to be at your best.

"Arreola had his chance, he had a great performance and I was very surprised.

"He had a great chin and after my right hook, many opponents go to the floor but he still stayed up. Big respect.

"All my left jabs he was very well prepared for."

Klitschko admitted that he was not feeling his age.

"I'm 38, I'm not the youngest in the heavyweight division and I don't want to break the record of George Foreman (who won the heavyweight title at 45) but I feel very good and I feel like I'm 25."

Klitschko was fighting in the United States for the first time since defeating Britain's Danny Williams in 2004 and in the same arena in which he was stopped by Lennox Lewis due to a cut in 2003.

The 6ft 7in Ukrainian was the better man throughout, dictating the pace of the fight and slowing Arreola's busy workrate by keeping the American, 3' inches shorter, at arm's length.

Arreola kept the champion busy with his go-forward style but took a lot of punches in the process and despite a brief rally in the eight round, was never in with a chance of victory.

Klitschko Two more clinical rounds from Klitschko sealed his fate and at the end of the 10th his corner decided enough was enough and referee Jon Schorle waved the fight off, reducing the beaten man to tears in the process.

Still tearful, Arreola apologised to his fans before saying: "I worked my butt off to be the champion but Vitali's strong, he hits hard and I never wanted to quit. That's never in me - I wanted to go the full 12 rounds.

"I couldn't get to him, he was fighting the fight he was supposed to fight. He ran when he was supposed to and I just couldn't get to him.

"Whatever I did he found a way to counteract that. He found a way to win and I found a way to lose."

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