Raeese Aleem dominates and stops Marcus Bates in 10!
In the co-feature, we saw yet another rematch take place between super bantamweight contenders Raeese Aleem (16-0, 10KOs) and Marcus Bates (11-1-1, 8KOs). Aleem won their first fight in 2018 by a unanimous decision.
In the opening stanza, Aleem came out pressing forward as opposed to Bates, who elected to counter-punch and use his hand speed. Round two was a fast-paced round which saw both men stand and trade big shots! Both men would show solid chins.
As the fight progressed, Aleem started to show his class as he displayed a very good jab, and left hook to the head and body. Seemingly unable to adjust, Bates was in retreat mode looking to counter when possible.
Rounds 7-9 were all Aleem. He just did pretty much what he wanted to. Going to the body and head, Bates had absolutely no answer for the Michigan native. To make things worse, Bates was hampered by a right wrist injury.
THE END IN TEN!
After the ringside doctor and the referee contemplated stopping on account of the injury, Bates would get one more chance to show he’s still able to compete. To his credit, he showed tons of heart. However, it would be more punishment dished out by Aleem, who landed a left hand on the injured right wrist. This would result in Bates turning his back and the referee jumping in to stop the fight.
With the win, Raeese Aleem improved his record to 17-0, 11 KOs.
By: Jerrell Fletcher
