Patrice Volny left a fonder memory than from his previous step up in competition.

The 34-year-old middleweight returned to the contender stage after a ninth-round stoppage of Steven Butler. The all-Montreal clash saw Volny surge ahead and consistently hurt the former title challenger. Referee Alain Villeneuve did not like Butler’s body language and stopped the bout at 2:40 of round nine Thursday evening from Montreal Casino in Montreal, Canada.

An immediate in-ring protest was staged by Butler, who lightly shoved the referee before coming to his senses. He draped his arms over Villenueve’s shoulders to plead his case, though to no avail.

Butler actually jumped out to a solid start. Volny never fell far behind, but spent the early rounds allowing Butler to dictate the pace.

A mid-fight adjustment saw Volny (19-1, 13 knockouts) find a home for his uppercut. The weapon proved to be a game changer, as Butler (34-5-1, 28 KOs) failed to defend against the weapon.

Momentum was with Volny as the fight headed into the later rounds. Butler’s power lacked snap, while Volny visibly hurt the 28-year-old middleweight on numerous occasions.

Frustration clearly set in with Butler, who was lectured for a borderline intentional low blow at the end of the eighth. Iglesias fully recovered and resumed control in the ninth round. Butler was able to land a couple of left hooks, though arm punches which lacked any significant impact.

Volny connected with a left hook and then a head-rattling right uppercut. Butler was visibly stunned as he ate another left hook with roughly 45 seconds to go in the round. A clinch briefly bought him some time but Volny went right back to work. Left hooks and overhand rights landed with alarming regularity while nothing came back from Butler. It was enough to produce the fight’s end, though to Butler’s dismay.

Butler has been stopped in each of his five defeats. Among them was a two-round wipeout at the hands of Ring No. 1-rated Janibek Alimkhanuly, who defended his title with the win last May in Las Vegas.

Volny has now won five in a row since a Nov. 2022 technical decision defeat to Esquiva Falcao. Their IBF title eliminator between unbeaten middleweights ended in anti-climactic fashion, when a cut from a clash of heads left Falcao unable to continue. Volny won 58-57 on one card, overruled by scores of 58-57 and 58-56 for Falcao who went on to unsuccessfully challenge for the IBF middleweight title.

That night remained an unfortunate link to Volny’s career, as he lacked a notable win. That changed on Thursday, as has his status. Volny can be regarded as a viable contender in a middleweight division in desperate need of a makeover.

Their bout aired live on ESPN+ in the U.S.

Jake Donovan is a senior writer for The Ring and vice president of the Boxing Writers Association of America.

Follow @JakeNDaBox

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