Ramirez  Inflicts First Defeat On Reed

By Marc Livitz: Jose Ramirez handed Mike Reed his first professional defeat in highly dramatic fashion with a second round TKO win in front of a raucous hometown crowd in Fresno, California. The unbeaten 2012 Olympian from the central region of the state didn’t disappoint in a super lightweight bout which didn’t have a chance to become a contest.

Ramirez (21-0, 16 KO’s) came out firing away at his Maryland opponent. Reed (23-1, 12 KO’s) looked to answer, more so with single shots in a more than slightly one sided affair. Jose worked the body and targeted high and low. Southpaw Reed couldn’t see the big shots coming in the opening minute of the second, when unanswered punches sent him face first to the canvas to the delight of the crowd. He made it to his feet but appeared dazed and confused. The onslaught continued with Mike’s back on the ropes, which gave referee Jack no other choice but to stop the action at the 1:43 mark of round two.

Jose Ramirez held on to the WBC Continental Americas super lightweight title with the second round victory. MIke Reed disagreed with the decision. “I thought the stoppage was a little early”, he said. Ramirez commented, “This is a dream come true. I fought like a champion tonight.” The win put him in position for a world title in early 2018.