Naoya Inoue has retained his undisputed super bantamweight title after TJ Doheny was forced to pull out of the fight with a back injury.
Following a thrilling encounter with Luis Nery in May, there was hope for another viral finish from the home favourite.
The opening round was one with very little action, but come the second it was clear what the champion's strategy was, target his opponent's 37-year-old body.
These tactics, along with frequently walking down the Irishman, meant that Inoue was able to gain control early on and negate any response his rival might have to what was coming his way.
Doheny tried some tricks of his own in the third with frequent faints to catch Inoue off guard, but "The Monster" did not take the bait and continued his assault, in particular with his right hand in the fourth.
It was evident as the rounds came and went that Inoue slowly increased the pace of the fight, forcing Doheny out of his comfort zone, before the former pinned the latter in the sixth, landing a number of combinations in the corner.
With the punishment becoming evident on Doheny's face, it looked like a stoppage was coming sooner rather than later.
But just a few seconds into the seventh, the challenger was forced to pull up after a Inoue left-right combination to his side rendered him unable to continue, struggling back to his corner in clear discomfort.
While the safety of a fighter is paramount, boxing fans will be underwhelmed by this contest, and will now immediately look towards to what lies ahead for Inoue and who will be the next person to step inside the ring with "The Monster".
Re-live the best moments from the Ariake Arena in Tokyo below.