Diego Ramirez stopped Bradley Skeete inside two rounds to claim a fringe WBO belt.
The Argentine took on the former British and Commonwealth champion, exclusively live on BT Sport, on Saturday night.
Ramirez, 23, was being largely outboxed at the Brentwood Centre in Essex, but he found a left hook to drop the Londoner.
Skeete, who was ousted inside two rounds back in April when he travelled to Bilbao to take on Kerman Lejarraga for the European title, got back to winning ways at the same venue back in October.
But the referee, Bob Williams, allowed him to continue, despite being on unsteady legs after getting up from the Ramirez shot that saw him on the canvas and ultimately saw the visitor clinch the vacant WBO International welterweight crown.
Skeete, however, wasn’t all there and the referee, shortly after, called a halt to proceedings after just two minutes and 33 seconds of the second round, meaning that ‘Super’, at 31, will now have to decide whether he is prepared –– along with coaches Alan Smith and Eddie Lam –– to do the required rebuilding job to get back to the top following two crushing defeats in the space of eight months.
Sunny Edwards added another title to his collection with his second win in seven weeks.
The 22-year-old Croydon man, who is a natural flyweight, holds the WBO European title up at super-flyweight.
Edwards added the vacant WBO International belt to his collection, exclusively live on BT Sport, on Saturday night, despite having to get off the floor in the second round.
The fight, against former Jamie Conlan opponent Junior Granados, at the Brentwood Centre in Essex, was relatively one-sided otherwise.
Three scoring tallies of 99-91, 97-92 and 98-91 were handed in by the ringside judges and ‘Showtime’, who recently became a father for the first time, moved into double figures with the win, as part of the supporting cast to the vacant WBO International welterweight title clash between former British champion Bradley Skeete and Argentina’s twice-defeated Diego Ramirez.
“If I’m being honest, I didn’t see the shot that put me down,” Edwards said afterwards. “I don’t think it put me off too much, I was back on the plan and started to listen to my trainer and do what I had to do.
“You don’t swim and not get wet. He was a tough guy and we knew he would be tough going in here. I’m looking to fight domestically because I’m not ready yet for world titles. If someone at world level hits me with those shots I was hit with by Granados, I’m not getting up. I’m not naive, I’m still a baby.
“I want to slow down a bit now and get back to fighting domestically. But I’m happy now and I can enjoy Christmas.”
Meanwhile, debutant Mark Chamberlain, from Portsmouth, iced his opponent in just 39 seconds to record his first pro win, Caoimhin Agyarko dropped his man, the previously undefeated Yasin Hassani, twice en-route to to a points win and Ryan Garner claimed a third-round stoppage over Jose Aguilar.
Garner will now return to the ring on February 23, 2019, exclusively live on BT Sport, as part of the supporting cast to Sam Bowen’s rescheduled British super-featherweight title defence against Ronnie Clark at the Morningside Arena in Leicester.
Hamzah Sheeraz boxed his way to being undefeated in six with two early, securing a shutout victory over Jordan Grannum, and Tunde Ajayi-trained Mohammed Bilal Ali kicked off proceedings with a points win over Andy Harris.
Meanwhile, there was a third paid win for 23-year-old Hainault cruiserweight James Branch Jr.
The southpaw, who only made his professional bow back in June, beat Remigijus Ziausys on points over four rounds.
Article by: Elliot Foster