Commey flooring Beltran four instances, will get TKO in eighth
Steve KimESPN
TEMECULA, Calif. — IBF light-weight titleholder Richard Commey stopped veteran Ray Beltran within the eighth spherical Friday evening on the Pechanga Resort and On line casino.
The battle headlined the Prime Rank Boxing on ESPN card.
Commey (29-2, 26 KOs) overwhelmed Beltran (36-9-1, 22 KOs) along with his energy from the beginning, sending him to the canvas twice within the opening spherical, once more within the fifth and as soon as extra within the eighth.
Beltran obtained to his toes after the fourth knockdown, however referee Edward Hernandez had seen sufficient and waved off the battle at 54 seconds.
Beltran, a former WBO light-weight world titleholder, suffered his second loss in three fights. He didn’t make the 135-pound light-weight restrict at Thursday’s weigh-in and was not eligible to win the title.
Commey received his fifth straight battle, together with his fourth straight by knockout. Friday evening’s victory may result in an eventual showdown with undefeated Teofimo Lopez, the 2018 ESPN prospect of the yr.
Closing punch stats
FighterTotalJabsPowerCommey160 of 489 (33%)23 of 176 (13%)137 of 313 (44%)Beltran92 of 323 (29%)6 of 53 (11%)86 of 270 (32%)– Courtesy of CompuBox
“Beltran confirmed why he was a champion,” Commey mentioned. “He is an incredible fighter who confirmed it in opposition to me tonight. I used to be joyful to get the job executed and defend my title for the primary time.”
Commey practically stopped Beltran within the opening body, forcing Beltran to take the obligatory eight rely twice. To his credit score, Beltran gathered himself and even had his moments within the rounds that adopted.
Commey confirmed some holes technically, swinging freely and permitting Beltran to seek out some counter-punching alternatives, however he additionally proved he’s extremely stout and sturdy. Whereas he was hit on the chin a number of instances by exhausting left hooks from Beltran, Commey stayed composed and resumed his offensive barrage.
Friday’s battle marked the primary time since 2017 that Commey went past the sixth spherical. His solely two defeats have been shut choices on the street in opposition to Robert Easter and Denis Shafikov.
Now, Commey might be headed to a career-high payday in opposition to a gifted younger prodigy in Lopez within the fall. Prime Rank chairman Bob Arum, who promoted Friday evening’s battle and handles Lopez’s profession, mentioned a Commey-Lopez title bout will occur if Lopez wins his July 19 bout in opposition to Masayoshi Nakatani.
“That was an incredible efficiency by Commey, who confirmed why he is a superb champion,” Arum mentioned. “Beltran confirmed braveness and resiliency. Teofimo Lopez has a job to do in opposition to Nakatani on July 19, and if he takes care of enterprise, Teofimo will problem Commey for the title in what will likely be an incredible battle.”
Requested a few potential showdown with Lopez, Commey mentioned, “It seems to be like Teofimo Lopez is subsequent, however he has a job to do first. That may be an incredible battle.”
The long run is much less clear for Beltran, 38, who was docked 20 % of his $200,00zero purse as a part of his penance for lacking weight. An settlement was struck between each camps to permit this battle to proceed if Beltran didn’t are available in heavier than 146.eight kilos on the Friday morning weigh-in; Beltran was 145.6 kilos.
IBF guidelines had stipulated that no matter Friday’s consequence, Commey would stay its champion.
“He caught me with a very good shot within the eighth spherical, and the referee determined to cease the battle,” Beltran mentioned. “Now I’m going to get along with my staff and determine what’s subsequent. If I battle on, I’ll transfer as much as 140 kilos.”