TEMECULA, Calif. — James Toney beat Hasim Rahman in a third-round technical knockout yesterday after Rahman told the ringside doctor he could not continue due to a severe cut over his left eye.

Rahman sustained the injury in the third round after colliding heads with Toney, and referee Ray Corona ended the rematch of former heavyweight champions at Rahman's request.

"I'm not going to fight with one eye," Rahman said. "I couldn't see the punches."

Toney added: "I made him quit. I'm the best heavyweight fighter in the world."

Toney (70-6-3, 43 KOs) scored with several stiff left jabs that forced Rahman to take backward steps in the first round. Rahman fired several right hands to Toney's body in the first round.

The second round saw Toney land counter right hands that snapped Rahman's head several times. Rahman tried to fire more combinations but fell into several Toney traps.

Rahman (45-7-3) started quickly in the third round with some three-punch combinations, but quickly was caught with counter rights

In other bouts, Bakersfield welterweight Mike Dallas Jr. (4-0) used his speed to score effective combinations over the heavier punching Artemio Reyes Jr. (1-1) of Moreno Valley for the first three rounds. In the fourth and final round Reyes stormed back but didn't have enough to score a needed knockout. The judges scores were 39-36, 39-37 twice for Dallas who is managed by Jackie Kallen.

In a battle of undefeated boxers Pico Rivera's Rico Ramos (5-0) edged San Bernardino's Jonathan Velardez (6-1) in a four-round junior featherweight bout, 39-37 on all three cards. Ramos scored early with strong left hooks against the southpaw Velardez, whose awkward style caused problems early.

Santa Barbara junior middleweight Francisco Santana (9-1, 5KOs) landed a thudding left hook to the body for a knockout win against Ontario's Alexander Bogarin (8-6-3). The end came at 2:34 of the fourth round.

In a heavyweight bout San Diego's Marcus Dickerson (2-0) won his second pro fight with a third-round stoppage of Heleman Holguin (0-1) at 2:04. Dickerson knocked down Holguin two other times with right hands to the body.

A first-round knockdown scored by Carlos Herrera (2-2) and efficient boxing enabled the Oxnard fighter to win by unanimous decision against Indio's Juan Zavala (0-2) in a four-round lightweight bout. The judges scored it 40-35 and 39-36 twice for Herrera.