Aleem defeats Bates in WBA title eliminator

Ra’eese Aleem defeated Marcus Bates by TKO in the tenth round to win the World Boxing Association (WBA) Super Bantamweight title eliminator at the Mohegan Sun Casino in Connecticut on Saturday night.

Aleem, who had already met Bates in 2018, repeated the dose in this rematch thanks to his aggressive style. From the first minute, Aleem tried to wear his opponent down with an incisive attack in which the left hook to the face was his best weapon.

Bates tried to counterattack and at times it worked. The hand speed played an important role in surprising Aleem with uppers and hooks at different times but he could not stop the winner’s impetus.

As the fight went on, Bates’ mobility was reduced and Aleem began to work on him more easily and his attacks came more regularly. After half of the fight, Bates began to complain of discomfort in one of his arms due to Aleem’s punishment, who continued to pressure him until he was unable to continue fighting.

The referee stopped the fight in the tenth round. This was Aleem’s 17th victory in his undefeated record, with 11 opponents knocked out. Bates leaves a record of 11 wins, 2 losses (both against Aleem), 1 draw, and 8 KOs.