Top rank heavyweight hope Antonio Mireles hit the canvas on Saturday night as also-ran Kaleel Carter threatened a massive upset.
Mireles, who stands six-foot and nine inches tall, took a heavy shot and could not recover his senses. Carter leaned on him enough to get the knockdown.
Heavyweight dropped
However, Carter would pay for the privilege. Mireles overcame the adversity for the first time in his young career in the opening round.
A short left hand started the damage, but Mireles recovered and fought with a purpose in the second.
Mireles’ combination punching stunned Carter, who turned his back and forced the referee to wave it off.
With the win, Mireles is now 5-0 and keeps his one hundred percent knockout ratio.
Nico Ali Walsh
Also on the bill, Muhammad Ali’s grandson Nico Ali Walsh competed nearly fifty years after his grandfather fought in this same venue.
Aiming to go 6-0 at Pechanga Arena in San Diego, Ali Walsh made an emphatic statement in a rematch against Reyes Sanchez.
Ali Walsh inflicted the first loss on Sanchez when they first met in December. However, he struggled to defeat Sanchez by a majority decision.
This time, he knocked out Sanchez with a left hook to the body in the second round.
It was the first fight for Ali Walsh with his new head trainer, Kay Koroma, and the new pairing paid dividends.
Working hard
Speaking after the fight, Walsh said: “I feel amazing. This was a special win because it was a rematch. It’s everything I’ve been working towards.
“My hard work is now showing in the ring. I want everyone to see that it’s a new me.
“It was so gratifying. Timothy Bradley called it in the fighter meetings yesterday. It was a beautiful shot.
“But It was the shot I was looking for. It was the shot I was dreaming about, and it happened because I worked so hard for it.”
Mireles and Ali Walsh are on the path to bigger fights as the pair remain highly active in the early stages of their careers.
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