WASHINGTON, D.C., U.S.A. – On Friday night, September 11, 2015, at The Chelsea inside The Cosmopolitan Hotel in Las Vegas, Nevada, 22-year-old Top Rank light welterweight professional boxer, Mike “Yes Indeed” Reed (Washington, D.C./Waldorf, MD/pro record: 16-0-0, 9 KOs) defeated Antonio “Aztec God of War” Canas (Chicago, Illinois/pro record: 10-2-1, 4 KOs) with a TKO in Round 5. Highlights of Reed-Canas were shown during “The Metro PCS Friday Night Knockout on truTV” telecast on Mexican Independence Day Weekend.
Reed’s fight was scheduled for 8 rounds, presented by truTV and Top Rank, and produced in association with HBO Sports. In the early rounds of the fight, Reed countered Canas’ offensive attack with a variety of uppercuts, jabs and body shots. In Round 5, Reed threw a combination to Canas’ head that dropped him to the canvas. Canas beat the count, but moments later, Reed backed him up against the ropes and unloaded a straight left hand, followed by a right uppercut and a left hook, forcing the referee to stop the action at 1:28 of Round 5.
Reed talked about his latest win. He said, “It was a great experience being a part of all the promotional opportunities that were available during the big boxing week in Las Vegas. I had a great training camp, and also had the right sparring that helped me prepare for this fight. My conditioning is always on point, and that helped in this fight because Antonio Canas was an extremely durable opponent. It was necessary for me to stay in attack mode for much of the fight in order to get the knockout. The knockout punch in this fight happened to be a short left uppercut, straight to the body. Highlights from my fight were showcased during the truTV broadcast, so lots of boxing fans were able to see a little bit of what I’m able to do.”
Reed continued, “The 140 lb division is loaded with talent, and there are lots of young guys, myself included, that are waiting for their time to shine. As far as my future plans go, I’d like to be a recognized as a top contender within the next few months, and then look to fight for a title towards the end of next year. My promotional company, Top Rank, is doing a tremendous job of keeping me active, and I feel that I am performing better in the ring as a result. Thank you Top Rank, Shane Goodell, Nike Boxing and Athlete Performance Solutions, Everlast, and everyone that continues to support Team Reed.”
Reed’s father, trainer, and manager, Michael “Buck” Pinson (Dream Team Boxing Gym/Clinton, MD), said, “Michael is already back in the gym, and we are continuing to work on improving different aspects of his game. I thought he impressed a lot of people with his recent performance in Las Vegas. We will continue to build on the win, and then see what Top Rank has next for Team Reed. We are looking forward to it.”