Michael Beasley stopped Delonte West in 65 seconds at Brand Risk 16 in Miami. The ring announcer then declared the wrong winner and had to issue a correction, which handed an already strange night one more strange minute.
Bloody Elbow reported the finish. After roughly a minute of both men swinging hard, an errant shot from Beasley sent West stumbling to the canvas under what looked like fairly light pressure. He couldn’t get up to answer the count, and the fight was waved off. MMA Mania posted the highlights and called it a TKO.
The size gap was obvious from the opening bell. Beasley is listed at 6’9 and stands about half a foot taller than West, and West struggled to stay upright for most of the 65 seconds. Bloody Elbow noted that if West had popped straight back up, the referee might not have ruled the fall a knockdown. He stayed down, and that settled it.
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These two have history. Beasley and West were teammates during their playing days in China before both drifted into the Brand Risk Promotions orbit. West came in with prior boxing experience, and he had a far tougher road to the ring than any résumé shows. He fought his way back from homelessness and drug addiction just to compete in any sport, and he didn’t walk out alone. Teofimo Lopez Sr. worked his corner.
Adin Ross, who promotes the event, said on commentary that he had paid West in advance and stressed how badly he wanted West set up properly for the fight. West clearly tried to repay that with an aggressive start. His body didn’t hold up long enough for it to matter.
The Commentary Booth Had Opinions
Influencer Charleston White, also on commentary, didn’t buy any of it. He called the fight a fix and demanded the next shot at West himself, despite his small frame and a legally blind diagnosis in one eye. Ross tried to cool things down and reminded viewers how hard West had worked just to make it back to competition. None of the sources show a rematch or a White bout being booked. For now, White’s challenge is a shout from the broadcast table and nothing more.
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The sources give no professional records for either man. Neither camp had announced a next fight as of Bloody Elbow’s report.
My take: I’ve got no problem with the stoppage. West went down and couldn’t beat the count, so the referee did exactly what the rules require, and that’s as clean as a finish gets. The announcer reading out the wrong name is the part that belongs in a blooper reel, and it’s a bad look for a promotion that wants people to take these cards seriously. West deserved better than a cringe moment, and Beasley deserved to hear his own name the first time. If anyone in Miami keeps talking about this night, it’ll be for the guy holding the microphone.
