Ray Beltran flattens Mason Menard in 7

A grizzled veteran went up against a talented young fighter tonight, and the veteran won big. Ray Beltran was cool, calm, and collected throughout his fight with Mason Menard tonight, and it looked like that made most of the difference in the fight.

Beltran targeted calculated shots early and often and Menard didn’t seem to have the capacity to deal with how quickly Beltran could process his offense. Beltran repeatedly strafed Mason Menard with body shots and was really starting to beat him up after the second round, where even Menard’s corner had visible concern.

The end of the fight came very early in the 7th round, where Beltran caught Menard with a nasty counter left hook that landed flush and put Menard flat out on the mat. There was no getting up for Menard, and that was that as the referee waved off the fight.

In the post-fight interview Beltran thanked his team and said he was ready to take a fight against Mikey Garcia, saying he’s scared of no fighter. Beltran looked as good as I’ve ever seen him tonight, and if he can maintain this form a fight against Mikey Garcia could be a real firecracker.