Japanese native Ryota Murata remains the middleweight champion of the World Boxing Association (WBA) by technically knocking out Canadian native Steven Butler in five rounds during his fight on Monday in Yokohama, Japan.

A good rivalry just days before Christmas predicted a great fight for the black and gold belt. Butler had a good record and was looking forward to the confrontation against the Japanese native but Murata’s jab and power shots were too much for Butler at the Yokohama Arena.

The Asian native knew how to keep his opponent at a distance thanks to his reach and the use of his left hand in the form of a jab, while his punch was felt from the first moment, especially with the right hand hook.

In the fifth round Murata landed two straight shots in a row that put Butler in bad shape and a power left ended up knocking him down so that the third man in the ring decided that the Canadian should not go any further and decreed the knockout in favor of Murata.

Murata continues as WBA champion and fulfilled the first defense in his new reign as champion. It was the 16th victory in his career, which has 2 losses and 13 knockouts.

For his part, Butler left his record at 28 wins, 2 losses, 1 draw and 24 knockouts.