Malik Hawkins (11-0, 8 KOs) defeated an overwhelmed and injured Carlos Soto (13-1-2, 7 KOs) by TKO on Friday night at the MGM National Harbor in Oxon Hill, Maryland.
The second televised bout on the ShoBox: The New Generation broadcast only lasted two rounds as Hawkins jumped on Soto, backing him up with crisp hard punches.
Late in the first round, Hawkins landed a sharp right hand that damaged Soto’s left eye.
The referee allowed the doctor to briefly assess the damage. Seconds after the doctor allowed the fight to continue, Soto immediately took a knee after a brief exchange with Hawkins.
In the second round, Soto’s left eye had swollen shut and it was obvious that he could no longer see Hawkins’s right hand. Soto was blasted with three hard right hands at various points in the round.
Even though Hawkins was relentless with his attack, Soto survived the round. Unfortunately, the doctor’s second assessment ended the fight for the wounded Soto.
