British super-flyweight Paul Butler has suffered a devastating eighth-round stoppage defeat at the hands of IBF champion Zolani Tete.
The 26-year-old had been hoping to become a two-weight world champion but he was thoroughly outclassed by the South African.
Using his southpaw style and reach advantage to great effect, Tete took each of the opening four rounds, and although Butler improved in the fifth, he was still struggling to land anything of note on his opponent.
Rounds six and seven followed a similar pattern, but in the eighth, Tete unloaded with an uppercut that sent Butler crashing to the canvas, forcing the referee to bring an abrupt halt to the fight.
In losing to Tete, Butler suffers his first defeat in 18 contests as a professional.
Darren Plant
