Radzhab Butaev didn’t waste any time or punches in preserving his place in line for another title shot.

The unbeaten Russian made quick work of Terry Chatwood, scoring a 3rd round knockout Saturday evening at Shrine Expo Hall in Los Angeles, California. A left hook to the body put the previously unbeaten Chatwood down and out at 1:01 of round three.

Butaev—who now lives and trains in Brooklyn, New York—established his power and dominance from the opening bell, though patiently stalking at the beginning. The 27-year old contender used a heavy jab to push Chatwood around the ring, solving his crafty foe early in the contest.

Chatwood was able to establish his own jab throughout a competitive and entertaining round two, finding separation between the two. Butaev managed to close the gap but saved his best punches for the ensuing round.

Butaev went on the attack early in round three, targeting the long and lean midsection of Chatwood. A right to the body drove the 36-year okl Arkansas native to the ropes, where he was forced to fend off a left hook up top and a right hand downstairs. A left hook to the opposite side of the body forced Chatwood (9-1-1, 5KOs) to crumple, where he remained down as referee Jerry Cantu rendered him done for the night.

The win advances Butaev’s record to 13-0 (9KOs) with 1 No-Contest, the latter result coming in his previous ring appearance last November. Butaev was deemed to have dropped a 12-round decision to Alexander Beputin in their secondary WBA welterweight title fight last November. The final result was nullified, however, after Besputin tested positive for a banned substance and was stripped of both the title and the win.

A resolution from the WBA left Butaev second in line to vie for its secondary welterweight title. Saturday’s win now allows Butaev to pursue a showdown with Miami’s Yordenis Ugas, who picked up the strap in a 12-round win over Abel Ramos this past September at Microsoft Theater in Los Angeles. 

The bout aired on the PBC on FS1 undercard telecast, preceding a PBC on Fox telecast headlined by unbeaten super middleweight David Morrell (3-0, 2KOs) versus Mike Gavronski (26-3-1, 16KOs).

Jake Donovan is a senior writer for BoxingScene.com. Twitter: @JakeNDaBox