Nonito Donaire made it 29-straight wins as he successfully defended his WBO 122-pound title on Saturday, stopping Toshiaki Nishioka in the ninth round

Nonito Donaire put on a solid performance to stop Japan's Toshiaki Nishioka in the ninth round on Saturday, in the HBO Boxing After Dark main event. 

Donaire clearly took all eight rounds prior to the stoppage, looking faster and stronger, though Nishioka made the fight sloppy and quite a bit slow. That's always a risk when you're a counter-puncher - the excitement level of your fight generally depends on your opponent's willingness to engage.

Nishioka avoided prolonged engagements through the early rounds, and the booing set in right at the beginning. Donaire is a fighter who appreciates his fans, but he's not going to change his style to engage someone like Nishioka outside of his comfort zone.

Nishioka engaged in the sixth round, but was dropped by a left uppercut from Donaire. He tried to rush forward again in the ninth, but was put down with a straight right counter and the referee called a stop to the fight. With the win, Donaire defended his WBO 122-pound title, and picked up his 29th-straight victory.

Donaire also re-injured his left hand in the fight, though it's unclear how seriously.