Scary Ending After Mike Reed Pounds Regino Canales
Photos by Gautham Nagesh for StiffJab.com
by Gautham Nagesh
FT. WASHINGTON, Md.–Boxing is a sport, but it isn’t game.
Those in attendance at Rosecroft Raceway on Friday for the latest show from Keystone Boxing were reminded of that fact at the end of the night, when Regino Canales of Puerto Rico was carried out of the ring on a stretcher following his stoppage loss to headliner Mike “Yes Indeed” Reed.
It was a frightening end to another formidable performance from the unbeaten junior welterweight. Reed started the fight stalking his opponent from the southpaw stance as usual. Canales would occasionally halt Reed’s advance with a combinations, but Reed’s body attack and jab were the main story. Caneles fought gamely for the first two rounds, but Reed had him on his heels by the third round. He hammered the visitor around the ring, delivering crunching blows to the body.
The body attack continued in the fourth, and my liver hurt just watching it from the mat. Canales was trapped in the corner and eventually went down after a particularly ferocious combination. Somehow he rose, but Reed kept up the non-stop attack for most of the round. Canales held on desperately to survive until the bell, but he was clearly in bad shape. The referee or his corner could have easily stopped the fight in the 4th.
After the round, I noticed Reed celebrating in his corner and assumed correctly the fight had been stopped. As I stood on the mat to photograph the victor, I noticed Caneles tumbling off his stool from the corner of my eye. Medical personnel rushed over as Canales appeared to convulse once, then lay motionless on the canvas. After a long, tense period he eventually sat up to applause, then was placed back on his back and carried out via stretcher.
Keystone Boxing posted on Facebook today that Canales has been treated and released from a local hospital; we are hoping to get an update as soon as possible. Our thoughts and prayers are with Canales, and all the other fighters who put their lives on the line far from home and their loved ones. Bearing witness to these scenes is the most unpleasant part of running a site such as this, but also the primary reason we keep it going, despite the time and resources it requires. If professional fighting is something we are going to tolerate as a society, someone should be watching and holding the officials in charge accountable.[[MORE]]
The somber end to the evening was unfortunate, as until then it had been another solid show from promoter Gene Molovinsky and matchmaker Ross Molovinsky. Stiff Jab favorite Terron “The Kid” Grant won an entertaining co-feature, out-boxing Alberto Candelaria of Puerto Rico over six rounds to win a unanimous decision. Candelaria was game and held his own, but lost two points for holding and most of the rounds to the quicker and more talented Grant.
Inactivity has been a bit of an issue for the humble and soft-spoken Grant (8-0, 4 KOs), but this was clearly his best performance to date. He used his jab to control the first round, where the referee was a bit quick to deduct a point from the visitor for holding. Grant began mixing in the left hook in the 2nd round, countering effectively when Candelaria tried to attack. The Puerto Rican fought back with some success, but Grant was just too fast and skilled for his opponent.
By the 4th Grant was landing at will, picking his spots with power punches and forcing Candelaria back. The visitor staged a rally late in the round, but Grant was firmly in control and seemed in a groove. Candelaria lost a second point for holding in the 5th, a product of Grant’s increasingly vicious attack. Grant appeared to stagger Candelaria several times in the final round, and seemed fit enough to fight another six stanzas without breaking a sweat. The final scores of 57-55, 60-52, and 59-53 were merely a formality.
The card was heavy on fighters from Southern Maryland, appropriate given the venue. Forestville junior welterweight Mykal Fox made a successful pro debut, showing off smooth skills while winning an easy decision over fellow first-timer David Ruiz of San Antonio. Fox is carbon copy of his older brother, local junior middleweight prospect Alantez Fox, who worked his corner.
Like his brother, Fox is tall and rangy for his weight class, a pure boxer that will likely rely on his reach and footwork to win bouts. Ruiz was quite limited in contrast, content to trudge forward and absorb shots while barely responding. Fox came in to a raucous welcome from the crowd, and the southpaw delivered with a stylish performance that was never in doubt. All three judges scored it 40-36 for Fox.
Gaithersburg welterweight Gerome Allen-Quigley went the distance for the first time in three pro bouts, winning a unanimous decision over veteran D.C. opponent Dontre King. This was an entertaining undercard fight, as King did not show up simply content to lose. He tried his best to win, but was slowed down early by a steady body attack from Allen-Quigley.
Gerome appeared to have the power advantage and rocked King twice early with right hands. He continued to inflict damage throughout the fight, but King simply refused to go down. Dontre has tremendous heart, and is an excellent opponent for young local welterweights like Gerome. All three judges scored it 40-36 for Allen-Quigley.
It was a good crowd for a Friday night show at Rosecroft, even with tonight’s big Golden Boy event at D.C. Armory. Local boxing luminaries in the crowd included heavyweight Tony Thompson, featherweight Gary Russell Jr., and former middleweight titlist William Joppy, who worked the corner for Allen-Quigley.
I greeted Russell, who was ordering fries ahead of me in the concessions line, but didn’t bother him with any questions. I did hear him say he was planning to work out after the fights, which means preparations are already underway for his title bout with Vasyl Lomachenko. Ring announcer Henry “Discombobulating” Jones also informed us of a packed slate of local cards in the coming weeks. More on that in a future post.