In a heavyweight bout made interesting by both men's refusal to keep their hands up, Monte Barrett overcame a bad cut to knock Owen Beck out in the ninth round in St. Louis.  Barrett knocked Beck down early in the bout, but a short time later, an accidental headbutt opened up a bloody gash over Barrett's left eye.  Cutman Jimmy Glenn did a fine job stopping the profuse bleeding.  Beck had his moments, but his non-existent defense could not stop Barrett'd powerful but wide hooks.  Barrett really got going in the ninth, pounding Beck time after time against the ropes until Beck went down. He made it up once, but quickly was sent down again, and referee Jay Nady stopped the bout as Beck staggered to his feet.  Beck was courageous, but his performance was evidence of the sanctioning bodies' corruption. All four had Beck in the top ten, while Boxingtalk didn't rate him in the top thirty.  Barrett, rated #10 by Boxingtalk, is now well-positioned for a title shot by the end of the year. --Scott Shaffer