PHILADELPHIA — “The Big Steppa” stepped up in a big way on Saturday night.
The 27-year-old light heavyweight Khalil Coe scored a devastating second round stoppage of Kwame Ritter in his first scheduled ten-rounder at Wells Fargo Center in Philadelphia. The official time of stoppage was 1:59, as referee Ricky Gonzalez stepped in to prevent further damage, awarding Coe (9-0, 7 knockouts) his third straight win in the second round, and fifth straight stoppage overall.
Coe of Jersey City, N.J. used his jab to back up Ritter (11-2, 9 KOs) of Baltimore, Md. in the first round. The switch-hitting Ritter, 33, had some success in blunting the jab in the opening round by switching to southpaw, but that tactic came back to bite him in the second when Coe hurt Ritter with a straight right hand before dropping him with a left hook.
Ritter beat the count but was a sitting duck for Coe’s big power shots, as Coe mixed in left uppercuts and body shots to slow him down further. Coe kept the pressure on, and the fight was stopped after another right hand sent Ritter flying across the ring.
With the win, Coe earned the WBC USA light heavyweight belt, a minor belt that will increase his rating with that sanctioning body at 175 pounds. Coe told DAZN commentator Chris Mannix afterwards that he had his targets set on WBC light heavyweight titleholder Joshua Buatsi.
Buatsi (18-0, 13 KOs), who had previously been Coe’s promotional stablemate with Matchroom Boxing but is now signed to BOXXER, is scheduled to face Willy Hutchinson on September 21 in London for the WBO interim light heavyweight title.
The loss is the second straight for Ritter, who dropped a unanimous decision to mar Dzambekov a year ago in California.
The fight was part of the DAZN broadcast that is headlined by the IBF welterweight title fight between Jaron Ennis and David Avanesyan.
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