Murata vs Butler

Who won Murata vs Butler?

Ryota Murata beat Steven Butler by technical knockout in the 5th round on Monday, December 23rd, 2019, at Arena, Kanagawa.

The fight was scheduled to take place over 12 rounds in the Middleweight division, which meant the weight limit was 160 pounds (11.4 stone or 72.6 kg).

This contest was for the WBA middleweight championship of the world.

Also on the undercard Moruti Mthalane beat Akira Yaegashi for the IBF World Flyweight championship, and Roman ‘Chocolatito’ Gonzalez defeated Diomel Diocos.

Murata vs Butler stats

Back in December 2019, Ryota Murata stepped into the ring with a record of 15 wins, 2 losses, and 0 draws, 12 of those wins coming by way of knockout.

Steven Butler made his way to the ring with a record of 28 wins, 1 loss and 1 draw, with 24 of those wins by knockout.

The stats suggested Butler had a slight advantage in power over Murata, with a 86% knockout percentage compared to Murata's 80%.

Ryota Murata was the older man by 9 years, at 34 years old.

Butler had a 3-inch reach advantage.

Both Ryota Murata and Steven Butler fought out of an orthodox stance.

Murata was the less experienced professional fighter, having had 13 fewer fights, and made his debut in 2013, 7 months earlier than Butler, whose first professional fight was in 2014. He had fought 54 fewer professional rounds, totaling 120 compared to Butler's 174.

Steven Butler was ranked number 8 by the WBA in the 160lb division.

Murata vs Butler form

Ryota Murata had stopped 3 of his last 5 opponents.

In his last fight before this contest, he had defeated Rob Brant on July 12, 2019, by technical knockout in the 2nd round in their WBA World Middleweight championship fight at EDION Arena Osaka, Osaka, Japan.

Prior to that, he had been beaten by Rob Brant on October 20, 2018, by unanimous decision in their WBA World Middleweight championship fight at Mandalay Bay Hotel & Casino, Las Vegas, United States.

Going into that contest, he had defeated Emanuele Blandamura on April 15, 2018, by technical knockout in the 8th round in their WBA World Middleweight championship fight at Arena, Kanagawa, Japan.

Before that, he had beaten Hassan N’Dam on October 22, 2017, by technical knockout in the 7th round in their WBA World Middleweight championship fight at Kokugikan, Tokyo.

He had lost to Hassan N’Dam on May 20, 2017, by split decision in their WBA World Middleweight championship fight at Ariake Colosseum, Tokyo.

Butler had won 5 of his most recent fights, stopping 4 of them, going the distance once.

In his last fight leading up to this contest, he had won against Paul Valenzuela Jr on September 26, 2019, by knockout in the 1st round at Montreal Casino, Quebec, Canada.

Prior to that, he had won against Vitalii Kopylenko on May 2, 2019, by split decision in their 10 round contest at Hard Rock Hotel and Casino, The Joint, Nevada, United States.

Going into that contest, he had beaten Jesus Antonio Gutierrez on November 24, 2018, by knockout in the 2nd round at Le Centre Financiere Sun Life, Quebec, Canada.

Before that, he had defeated Jordan Balmir on October 6, 2018, by technical knockout in the 3rd round at Centre Videotron, Quebec.

He had won against Carson Jones on June 23, 2018, by technical knockout in the 7th round at Montreal Casino, Quebec.

Activity check

In terms of activity leading into the fight, Steven Butler had been fighting more than Ryota Murata.

Going into this contest, Ryota Murata had last fought 5 months and 11 days ago, while Steven Butler's last outing had been 2 months and 27 days ago.

Murata's last 5 fights had come over a period of 2 years, 7 months and 3 days, which means he had been fighting approximately every 6 months and 8 days. In those fights, he fought a total of 41 rounds, meaning that they had lasted 8.2 rounds on average.

Butler's last 5 fights had come over a period of 1 year and 6 months, meaning he had been fighting on average every 3 months and 19 days. In those fights, he fought a total of 23 rounds, meaning that they had lasted 4.6 rounds on average.

What time did Murata vs Butler start?

The fighters were expected to ringwalk at around 11:30 AM UTC at Arena, Kanagawa, Japan, which was 6:30 AM EST or 3:30 AM PST on the West Coast of America, or 11:30 AM GMT in the UK.

Who broadcast Murata vs Butler?

The fight was broadcast in the United States by ESPN+.

What were the odds on Murata vs Butler?

Ryota Murata was a 1/5 (-500) favorite going into the contest, while Steven Butler made his way into the ring at 3/1 (+300) with oddsmakers.