Takashi Miura failed to reclaim his WBC super featherweight championship Saturday, losing a unanimous decision to Mexico's Miguel Berchelt.

Berchelt knocked the 33-year-old Miura down in the first round, and the former champ found himself playing catch-up. Miura, the top-ranked challenger, found his rhythm as the fight wore on but he was unable to overturn his early points deficit against the speedy Berchelt.

"He completely shut me down," the left-handed Miura said. "He stayed out of range of my left, so it was hard to hit him. He moved his feet much better than I expected."

"I wanted to take him out, but it felt like I was just spinning my wheels while I fought."

By winning his first title defense, the 25-year-old Berchelt improved his record to 32-1 with 28 wins by knockout, while Miura's record fell to 31-4 with two draws.

Miura held the title until he was beaten by Mexico's Francisco Vargas on Nov. 21, 2015. Vargas lost his second title defense to Berchelt in January.