Ryad Merhy retained his World Boxing Association (WBA) Cruiserweight Championship by defeating Zhaoxin Zhang by TKO in the eighth round this Saturday in Brussels, Belgium.

Merhy once again made it clear that he is one of the important fighters in the division and showed his strength as well as his good moves to overcome the Chinese and make the first defense of his title.

The 28-year-old fighter has Belgian nationality although he was born in Ivory Coast. His superiority was seen from the start, his blows were strong on Zhang and he knocked him down in the third round to begin to tip the balance in his favor.

The champion racked up rounds until the eighth, when he landed an impressive left hook that sent Zhang to the canvas in spectacular fashion. Although the Asian got up, the referee determined that he was in no condition to continue and ruled the victory in favor of De Merhy.

The Peugeot improved his record to 30 wins, 1 loss, and 25 KOs, while Zhang now has a record of 10 wins, 2 losses, 1 draw, and 6 KOs.