Carson City lightweight Mike Peralta was stopped in the second round of his four-round bout with Sacramento's Carlos Musquez Friday at the HP Pavilion, in San Jose, Calif.
The 24-year-old Peralta, who fell to 1-1, said Musquez, 2-0-1 with 2 knockouts, put him down for the first time in his 77-fight amateur and two-fight professional career in the first round, but he got up and came back strong.
"I was landing some good punches and I cut him over the left or right eye in the second round," said Peralta, who turned pro Aug. 24 with a four-round unanimous decision over former kick boxer Shawn Yacoubian. "Then he hit me with a good shot (in the second)."
Peralta said the referee stopped the fight without a count after asking Peralta several questions.
"I kept saying, 'I'm fine, I'm fine,'" Peralta said. "Every question he asked I kept (answering), but he just stopped it."
Before the bout, Peralta said he was going to enter the 135-pound bout at 134, but came in at 132 1/2, three pounds less than Musquez weighed.
"I think he hit me with a left hook, I don't know," said Peralta of the fight-ending punch, which Peralta said made him stumble but not fall.
Peralta now faces a mandatory 45-day suspension because of the technical knockout and won't be able to spar for 30 days.
"Everyone said it shouldn't have been stopped," Peralta said. "There was no count, nothing. (The referee) just jumped in. I'm just in shock right now. I don't believe it. That's the first time I've ever been stopped."
Peralta said he would take the suspension time to think about what he wanted to do next.
"I've gotta change something - I don't know what it is," Peralta said. "I only sparred twice for this fight."
The bout was on the undercard of the Julio Gonzalez-Vitali Kopitko headliner. The card, promoted by Goossen Tudor Promotions, also featured 2004 Olympic gold medalist Andre Ward.