Unbeaten Lucian Bute kept his International Boxing Federation super middleweight title on Saturday by stopping Puerto Rican Edison Miranda in the third round with a powerful left uppercut. Seconds after Romanian-born Bute had landed a flurry and Miranda had stood defiantly with his hands on his hips, Bute smashed a left uppercut into the challenger's chin.
Miranda fell forward, struggled to his feet but wobbled back on his unsteady legs, prompting referee Ernie Sharif to halt the fight after 80 seconds of the third round, delighting a crowd in Bute's home-base city. "I hit him hard twice in that round," Bute said. "He tried to make it that he wasn't hurt. I knew he was hurt and I wanted to knock him out." Bute improved to 26-0 with his 21st victory inside the distance, making the fifth successful defence of his crown. Miranda fell to 33-5.