MIKE “YES INDEED” REED IS BACK AT MSG IN NYC ON JUNE 11
Undefeated pro boxer Mike Reed targets win #19 against Mexico’s Abraham Cordero on the HBO Boxing undercard, to be held at The Theater at Madison Square Garden in New York City, on Puerto Rican Day Parade Weekend.
WASHINGTON, D.C., U.S.A. – On Saturday night, June 11, 2016, twenty-three year-old Top Rank light welterweight professional boxer, Mike “Yes Indeed” Reed (Washington, D.C./Waldorf, Maryland/pro record: 18-0-0, 10 KOs) will take on Abraham “Bombi” Cordero (Guadalajara, Jalisco, Mexico/pro record: 13-2-1, 7 KOs) in an 8-round fight on the HBO World Championship Boxing card, held at The Theater at Madison Square Garden in New York City.
The event will take place the night before New York’s famed Puerto Rican Day Parade, and is promoted by Top Rank, in association with Puerto Rican Best Boxing, Diamante Promotions, SECA and Madison Square Garden.
The main event will feature Roman “Rocky” Martinez defending his WBO Junior Lightweight Title against Vasyl Lomachenko, and in the co-main event, Felix Verdejo will defend his WBO Latino Lightweight Title against Juan Jose Martinez.
China’s flyweight standout, Zou Shiming, will also fight on the card, as he makes his U.S. debut.
Reed was scheduled to appear on the February 27 HBO card at The Theater at MSG, but his opponent failed his pre-fight medical exam, and his scheduled bout was cancelled the day before the fight.
Top Rank quickly rescheduled him to fight March 18 at the 2300 Arena in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. That night, he won a unanimous six-round decision over veteran Samuel Amoako, winning every round on all three judges’ scorecards. Reed’s upcoming fight on June 11 will be his second fight of 2016.
He said, “It is an honor to once again fight on Puerto Rican Parade Weekend in New York City on one of boxing’s biggest stages. This will be my second time fighting at The Theater at Madison Square Garden, and my goal for this fight is to put on a show for the fans, HBO and Top Rank executives, and all the media that have shown me a tremendous amount of support. I plan to show everyone why my name must be mentioned among the top boxing prospects in my weight class. My opponent wasn’t able to get medical clearance the last time I was scheduled to fight at The Garden, but Top Rank did a great job of getting me right back on another big card there, and I appreciate that.”
Reed expects a competitive match-up with Abraham Cordero. He said, “Cordero has fought all of his fights in Mexico. He has wins against several opponents with quality records, and he has put together a nice win streak going into this fight. He is a pressure fighter who will come to fight, and I’m anticipating that he will throw lots of punches. I don’t get to fight southpaws often, so I’m looking forward to fighting him. Whatever he brings, I’ll be ready. Part of my preparation for fights is sparring some of the elite boxers we have in the DMV. So far, I’m having a great camp with my team. My dad (Michael “Buck” Pinson) has put an emphasis on improving my speed in the ring. After I perform well on June 11, I’m told that TV time is definitely in my immediate future. Top Rank is lining up the opponents and getting me prepared for the championship level, and I will keep doing my job by coming home with a win.”
The 140 lb division title picture features current champions Terence Crawford (WBO), Viktor Postal (WBC), and Eduard Troyanovsky (IBF). The WBA title is currently vacant.
Reed said, “Russia’s Troyanovsky is coming off two impressive wins over Cesar Rene Cuenca, who was 48-0 before their two fights. I haven’t heard him mentioned much in the states yet, but he has a very high KO ratio, and I’m looking forward to learning more about him. I read that Ricky Burns may fight Michele Di Rocco soon for the vacant WBA belt, so we’ll see what happens in that fight. I believe the Crawford-Postal matchup is exactly what boxing needs. When the best boxers in any division fight each other, titles are then unified, and it makes boxing more appealing to the casual fans. I think Crawford-Postal will be a bit of a chess match during the early rounds, with Postal looking for his range and Crawford looking to counter. I believe during the later rounds, Terence will start to pull away, winning a unanimous decision. I’m in a really good position to be lined up for a title shot down the road, with Top Rank having two of the major four belt holders in its stable.”
Photos by Mikey Williams
