Russell Lamour won the vacant New England middleweight title Saturday night with a command performance at the Portland Expo. His fight with Laatekwei Hammond of Worcester, Massachusetts, was stopped two minutes into the eighth after Hammond went down on one knee for the third time.

The fight was scheduled to go eight rounds but it ended with referee Steve Smoger cradling Hammond’s head with his right hand and signaling with his left that it was over.

The crowd of more than 2,500 celebrated with Lamour, who jumped onto the ropes, his hands high. The 30-year-old graduate of Deering High traded punches with Hammond early but was never in trouble.

“Very happy,” said Lamour. “I hit his body in the early rounds and he made a little ‘uh’ sound. My corner could see it. I said to myself, ‘OK, he doesn’t like to get hit to the body.’ ”

Lamour was half-a-head taller than Hammond, a native of Ghana who lost for only the seventh time in 28 fights.

Lamour’s PBC teammate Jorge Abiague ran his record to 6-0 with a second-round TKO over Johnny Frazier of Las Vegas. Frazier was ill in the center of the ring and was unable to continue.

Unbeaten Brandon Berry, the pride of the tiny western Maine town of West Forks, was a second-round TKO winner over Moises Rivera of Boston.

Chris Gilbert of Windsor, Vermont, chased Daniel Sostre of Highland, New York, from one corner to the next but never could do enough damage. Two judges had Sostre up by identical 78-74 scores in the eight-round fight. The third favored Gilbert by the same score.

Brandon Brewer of New Brunswick won a first-round TKO in the first of the night’s five pro fights.

Three amateur fights, all won by PBC fighters, warmed up the crowd. Novice lightweight Chi Wong dropped Richie Augostini of Lawrence, Massachusetts, twice early before the referee signaled a TKO. Lindsay Kyajohnian and Casey Kramlich won three-round decisions.

Copy the Story Link