Knockout artist Zhanibek Alimkhanuly scored an important victory on Saturday in California by dispatching Canadian Steven Butler less than six minutes into the fight.
In a night of boxing that took place at the Stockton Arena in California, Alimkhanuly - the current WBO middleweight champion - started the fight by analyzing his opponent and throwing some warning punches before the bell rang to send them to the break.
But the chance to define the contest came two minutes into the second round when Alimkhanuly's wild uppercut put Butler in severe trouble and he fell to the canvas and had to gather strength to get back to his feet.
Although it was obvious how hurt he was, the referee Jack Reese decided to give him a vote of confidence and let the fight continue, but Alimkhanuly had already smelled blood and like a shark, he charged in for the kill. And he managed to send him back to the canvas. Steven tried to recover and buy time in a clinch but soon gave the champion room to finish him off again.
With the win, the European improved his record to 13-0 with 8 knockouts and sent a serious threat to the 160-pound class where fighters like Gennadiy Golovkin, Liam Smith, Chris Eubank Jr., and Jaime Munguia top the rankings.