Guts made his first title defense in September, 1974, and beat González again in November, 1974 for his second title defense. The next challenger was Scotsman Ken Buchanan, who was 56-2-0 (25KOs) and had not lost in the last three years. The fight was scheduled for February, 1975. Buchanan led the early and middle rounds by points, but Guts fought back in the later rounds, swinging his arms around almost blindly to slow Buchanan's pace. The fight ended lopsidedly, with Guts slugging Buchanan for the last three rounds. All three judges awarded Guts the win.