By Keith Idec

NEW YORK – Ray Beltran viciously knocked out Jonathan Maicelo on Saturday night.

Beltran, already bleeding from a cut over his left eye, unloaded a picture-perfect, short left hook that knocked Maicelo unconscious in the second round at Madison Square Garden. New York State Athletic Commission medical personnel tended to Maicelo for several minutes and removed him from the ring on a stretcher.

Maicelo appeared to be conscious as he was wheeled out of the arena.

The time of the stoppage was 1:25 of the second round in a lightweight fight scheduled for 12 rounds. Referee David Fields stopped the fight immediately after Maicelo fell flat on his back and his head hit the canvas.

“When I fight, I never really expect to really hurt my opponent really bad,” Beltran told HBO's Max Kellerman after the fight. “I don't me no harm, you know what I mean? That's what we do, but I really felt bad because I didn't expect that he was going down that bad.”

Peru’s Maicelo (25-3, 12 KOs, 1 NC) had fared well before Beltran knocked him out.

Phoenix’s Beltran (33-7-1, 21 KOs, 1 NC) went down following a violent clash of heads less than a minute into the fight. Fields counted it as a knockdown, despite that the clash of heads clearly sent Beltran to the canvas.

The accidental head-butt created a cut across Maicelo’s hairline and a laceration above Beltran’s left eye. Fields temporarily halted the action around the midway mark of the first round, so that a ringside physician could examine Maicelo’s cut.

The 35-year-old Beltran also appeared to hit Maicelo after the bell to end the first round, which caused Maicelo to go down to one knee.

Perhaps sensing some urgency due to his own cut, Maicelo attacked Beltran to start the second round. He had landed several combinations and backed up Beltran, but Beltran responded by delivering the short left hook that knocked Maicelo unconscious.

“I figured out his timing pretty quick,” Beltran said. “He pawed a right hand. I then hit him with a lead left hook. I’ve knocked out a lot of people with that punch. That’s my punch.”

The victory in this IBF elimination match will move Beltran into position to eventually fight for the IBF lightweight title. The native Mexican also hopes the impressive victory helps him secure the green card he needs to remain in the United States to provide for his wife and three children.

“I feel very happy,” Beltran said as he started to cry. “And I can't really explain my feelings right now. I hope I get my green card and my title. It's hope for my family and a better future."

Keith Idec is a senior writer/columnist for BoxingScene.com. He can be reached on Twitter @Idecboxing.