So Fresh, So Clean: Mike Reed Beats Bilal Mahasin
Photos by Trey Pollard for StiffJab.com
by Gautham Nagesh
FT. WASHINGTON, Md.– Waldorf boxer Mike “Yes Indeed” Reed dispatched East Bay native Bilal Mahasin in a match-up of undefeated junior welterweights at Rosecroft Raceway on Friday night. Reed withstood an early challenge from the very game Mahasin, before settling in and taking control of the fight over the second half of the six-round main event.
It was another impressive outing for Reed, who has notched eight wins in as many outings, five by knockout. Only one judge found a round to score for Mahasin, who pressured Reed early but failed to trouble the young southpaw substantially. Reed simply bided his time, then picked his spots and punished Mahasin with counter-right hooks to the head and straight left hands to the body. For Reed, the competition keeps getting better, but so does he. He once again validated his status as the reigning Stiff Jab Prospect of the Year.
[[MORE]]Reed is a squat but sturdy junior welterweight, though his team insists he can make lightweight if needed. Mahasin was a lightweight himself when he turned pro over twelve years ago, but somewhere along the way he found himself imprisoned for more than a decade. This was his second bout since resuming his boxing career, and Mahasin definitely looked like he spent some of his time in prison pumping iron. He looked jacked, and charged Reed immediately at the sound of the first bell.
Reed stayed calm as Mahasin unloaded punches, covering up with the high guard and biding his time. My neighbor at ringside David Greisman noted how tense Mahasin appeared; to me he looked borderline frantic. As we expected, Mahasin was soon forced to slow his pace, and Reed was coming forward by the end of the round. Reed found home early with his sharp right hook, and began reaching downstairs with a straight left to Mahasin’s torso.
Mahasin kept attacking in round 2, and appeared to have more success with his right hand. He caught Reed on the chin, then delivered a few hard body shots to boot. But Reed used his arms to block most of Bilal’s punches, and kept marching forward looking for spaces to fit his shots.
Mahasin has three separate tattoos of the African continent: two on his shoulders, and a much larger map on his back, with national boundaries. No word on how current they are. Reed is one of the few local fighters we cover without any tattoos. Reed studies accounting and is trained by his father Buck. He has a certain tranquility about him that never seems to waiver, inside or outside the ring.
Reed kept attacking Mahasin with the left to the body in Round 3, but Mahasin responded by using his jab to keep the younger man at bay. If there is any real criticism to be made of Reed’s effort, it’s that he failed to his jab to enter, instead simply bobbing his way in and unnecessarily leaving himself open to jabs and right hands from Mahasin. Mahasin didn’t have the power to make Reed pay for this tactic, but better fighters will.
Reed finished the third with a hard combination that appeared to draw blood from a cut on Mahasin’s left eye. Mahasin kept jabbing in the 4th round, but the nervous energy he burned early in the fight appeared to catch up with him. Reed maintained the body attack, mixing in a couple low blows that appeared accidental, Mahasin continued to fade.
It was more of the same in the 5th: Reed coming forward, hard combinations to the body followed by right hooks to the head. Mahasin took a beating in the 5th, but somehow kept his feet and survive until the final bell. He did better in the 6th, digging deep within himself to come after Reed, who responded by standing and trading with relish. Reed likes to fight a little too much, and is a little too cavalier about getting hit in the head. Again, it didn’t cost him tonight, but it could later.
In the end, there was no doubt who the victor was. The DJ played Outkast and Reed celebrated, having once again passed a stern test and learned something in the process. These hard rounds will serve Reed well as he moves up the ladder, which he is doing faster than pretty much any other prospect we cover. With less than ten fights, Reed is twice as accomplished as fighters with 20 or more wins. It is only a matter of time before the boxing world takes note.
The co-feature was a rematch between local welterweights Kevin Womack and Yurii Polischuk, after they fought to a split draw in November. The bout ended early when Polischuk caught Womack with a perfect counter left hook to the face, planting Womack firmly on his ass. Womack rose, but looked unsteady on his feet when the action re-started, and referee Brent Bovell chose to end the fight. It was the correct decision in the view of everyone I spoke to at ringside.
But that didn’t stop Womack from throwing a temper tantrum, stamping his feet and lunging after Polischuk as if to attack him. For a brief instant, the scene in the ring threatened to turn ugly as the two side tussled to keep the fighters apart. Womack had to be physically restrained, and was later visibly distraught. It is not hard to understand why.
After starting his career with three wins, Womack has now lost four of his last five fights, with the other being the split draw against Polischuk. It must be impossible to stomach such disappointment, especially when you have poured yourself into something for so long. We hope Womack can hold his head high and find some peace. He is a fighter, which is more than most of us can say.
A six-round lightweight bout between Joshua Davis of Catonsville, Md. and Joel Flores of Hart, Mich. turned out to be a Keystone Special, courtesy of matchmaker Ross Molovinsky: a young local prospect facing a tough out-of-town fighter with no intention of losing. It was also the fight of the night, thanks to some spirited inside fighting from both fighters in the later rounds.
Davis started out boxing as expected, using his greater speed and jab to keep things outside. Flores was the smaller man, and fought at a very deliberate pace early one. Davis hurt Flores in Rd 2, trapping him against the ropes and unleashing a flurry of punches. Davis dug with hard shots to the head and body from distance and up close, while Flores was only able to score when the two fighters were locked against each other.
Davis should have realized this and kept boxing on the outside, but instead he was content to fight Flores in a phone booth for much of Round 3. The Michigander seized the opportunity, waiting his turn then unloading hard combinations on Davis when he covered up. It was the first round we scored for Flores, and also his high point in the fight.
Davis kept fighting inside in the later rounds, even though it was the only chance Flores had to win. Davis was still the busier and more accurate puncher, and seemed more comfortable taking Flores’ shots than vice versa. Davis kept up the attack until late in the final round, when he hurt Flores badly with a right then finally sent him to the mat with a combination.
Flores stayed down until the count of nine, while Davis prematurely ascended the ropes in celebration. He had to be waved down and told to fight for a few more seconds, before the bell saved Flores from his third straight stoppage loss. The late knockdown wound up proving crucial, as Davis only edged Flores by a single point on one of the scorecards. The other judges had 58-55 and 56-57 respectively, handing Davis the split decision. He seems to have improved since losing his first bout here last September.
Chicago’s Michael Santiago only lasted two rounds of a scheduled six against Landover, Md. junior middleweight Larry Recio. The taller Recio used his jab early against Santiago, who was making his pro debut and sporting an impressive mohawk/mullet hybrid. Santiago’s strategy was to get inside early and make it a rough fight, but Recio was too long and accurate with his left hook.
The fight heated up at the end of the first round, and Recio took control in the second with his right hand. He floored Santiago with one of the hardest right uppercuts I’ve seen in person, then focused his attack on the Chicagoan’s body when the fight resumed. Another straight right caught Santiago dead on before the end of the round, scoring a second knockdown for Recio in the stanza.
Santiago looked like he was ready to continue between rounds, but at the last moment the doctor appeared to stop the fight. This was an impressive performance from Recio, in one of the sport’s deepest divisions both nationally and in the DMV.
The opening bout saw Cleveland’s Charlie Natal stay unbeaten with a unanimous decision over Cambridge, Md. junior middleweight Dontre King. Natal controlled the first with his left hook, but King charged forward effectively at times to attack. King staggered Natal with a right hand in the 2nd, then caught him again with a right. Natal came back in the 3rd, landing some of his best shots of the fight.
Natal kept it up in the 4th, drawing a standing eight count when he sent King diving between the ropes for protection. Natal finished the fight by pummeling King to the body, and to the head with right hands. All three judges scored the fight a sweep for Natal, with one judge admitting he had missed the knockdown on his card, then dismissing it as a mistake by the referee.
This post was updated on Saturday, March 8 at 4:52 p.m.