ATLANTIC CITY, N.J. -- Oleg Maskaev knocked out Hasim Rahman on Saturday night and the fighting didn't end there.

Maskaev, 30, of Moscow, rallied from early domination by Rahman and drilled him in the head with an overhand right in the eighth round, knocking him backward through the ropes and out of the ring.

No sooner had Rahman landed on -- and fallen off -- a scorer's table then someone threw a chair into the ringside seats, triggering a 10-minute melee involving dozens of spectators and security guards.

There were no arrests, police said. The alternate referee, Steve Smoger, suffered a gash on his head when he was hit by the chair. He was treated at the scene.

It wasn't clear what started the outside-the-ring brawling. Witnesses said a member of Rahman's family jumped over seats to get to him after the knockout, triggering the trouble.

The fireworks added some pop to what had been a dull but evenly matched fight between Maskaev (18-2) and Rahman (31-2). Fighting in close, the two battled through seven rounds with no knockdowns and neither boxer appearing in trouble.

But early in the eighth, the rock-solid 6-foot-3 Maskaev began to take control. He staggered Rahman with two overhand rights and then backed him into the ropes and unloaded about six punches, with Rahman offering little resistance.

But Rahman, 26, of Baltimore, appeared to have steadied himself. Then Maskaev connected with the knockout blow.

Referee Eddie Cotton counted to 10 and declared Maskaev the winner by knockout. Maskaev got $110,000, Rahman $75,000.

"I'm not surprised it became a slugfest," Maskaev said. "That's OK with me. I had to win, no matter what. I wanted a real fight and I knew I would get it fighting Rahman."