Going into the fight, it looked unlikely WBA middleweight champion Ryota Murata would lose his belt to obscure challenger Emanuele Blandamura.
But he still breathed a sigh of relief after successfully defending his title for the first time with an eight-round technical knockout victory over the Italian on Sunday night at Yokohama Arena.
It was hardly a cakewalk for Murata because Blandamura boxed with a strategy to carefully avoid taking heavy shots by circling around the ring and putting up a high guard. That was why it took a while for Murata to wear down Blandamura before finally sending him to the mat and finishing him off.