On The Watch “It’s All About Errol Spence Jr. vs Mikey Garcia”

IBF Welterweight Challenge

Last night at the AT&T Stadium in Arlington, Texas, Errol Spence Jr. (25-0, 21 Kos) retained his IBF Welterweight Title by masterfully breaking down and shutting out Mikey Garcia (39-1, 30 Kos) by a unanimous decision. All three Judges scored it 120-107, 120-108 and 120-108.

I’m in agreeance with the Judges’ score cards but definitely tip my “B” hat to Mikey standing up throughout the full 12 rounds. Mikey is a great fighter and deserving to be on the pound-for-pound list hands down but on this night, Mikey was reaching wayyyy out of pocket in attempting to unseat EJ inside that squared circle.

Mikey had absolutely no answer to Errol’s steady jab and powerful body shots all night. It was clear that EJ was just too big, too strong and too long for Mikey to lay any type of offence with all these disadvantages going against him. In the past Mikey had always figured out his opponents but this time he was met with a superior boxer in Errol Spence Jr. Real Talk!

Surprisingly, EJ didn’t try to go for the “endgame” like he usually does and instead chose to show off his boxing skills while administering heavy punishment to his opponent. It was a glorified sparing bout at its finest with EJ never taking his foot off the gas all night. Errol literally toyed with Mikey round by round making it real painful to watch at times.

This type of schooling that Mikey took last night reinforces why weight divisions are to be respected. Mikey may have lost this fight but he is still a Champion in the Lightweight Division and going back down might be the most logical thing to do.

With this win and dominant performance by EJ now out of the way, he is now back on the prowl looking for that smoke with any of the top welterweights and his first target on sight is none other than Manny Paquiao.

The call out was officially made last night inside that squared circle in front of 47,525 fans, now let’s see if this bout comes into fruition.

Until then, congratulations on your win Errol, job well done.

Blaze

On The Watch “It’s All About Shawn Porter vs Yordenis Ugas”

WBC Welterweight Title Defence

Last night at the Dignity Health Sports Park in Carson, California, Shawn Porter (30-2-1, 17 Kos) defended his newly acquired WBC Welterweight Title against a formidable opponent in Yordenis Ugas (23-4, 11 Kos).

It was a tight bout from start to finish that saw Porter successfully retain his WBC Belt with a split decision with the score of 116-112 for Porter, 117-111 for Ugas and 115-113 for Porter.

The score card doesn’t tell the whole story cause this bout was very interesting and could have easily gone either way or to a draw if you ask me.

Ugas, the underdog, came out and executed his “game plan” and asserted himself quite well. His body shots were there all night, he fought smart and was under control. To me he was the stalker moving in on Porter with efficiency and accuracy.

To my surprise Porter was doing a lot more movement and fighting on the back foot while loading up way more on his punches. He fought under control but seemed to me a little more hesitant than usual. His typical aggressive style seemed to pop up in sporadic stretches unlike his customary approach. That being said he still fought under control but with less urgency from round to round.

Ugas may have come up short last night but he definitely showed the rest of the Welterweights that he belonged amongst the top in the 147-pound Division. Real Talk! He should keep his head up high and welcome all challengers ahead.

As for Porter, whether he believes it or not, he dodged a real close call last night. Holding on to that WBC Title might prove to be a tougher task than expected in the near future.

That being said, congratulations are still in order Shawn on securing your first tile defence.

Your thoughts on this one?

Blaze

On The Watch “It’s All About Brian Castano vs Erislandy Lara”

WBA Junior Middleweight Challenge

Fresh of his gruelling unification defeat of April 2018 to Jarrett Hurd, Erislandy Lara (25-3-3, 14 Kos) jumped right back into the mix and into that squared circle last night at the Barclays Center in Brooklyn, New York to challenge younger unbeaten WBA (regular) Junior Middleweight Champion Brian Carlos Castano (15-0-1, 11 Kos).

Both combatants came out their respective corners with one thing in mind: to prove that they belong amongst the best in the 154-pound Division. The end result after 12 hard rounds was an unsettled split draw. One Judge had it 115-113 for Lara, one Judge had it 115-113 for Castano and the third Judge had it dead even 114-114.

Real Talk! I can’t front, it was a real tight fight with both warriors having their way from time to time but personally I think Lara had the cleaner work. Lara was way more accurate with his punch selection while Castano not as precise but definitely more aggressive with his punch output.

Castano’s stalking tactics throughout the bout is what kept him in the “Game” all night. His “phone booth” style of fighting was very effective but Lara’s defense was also keeping Castano from administering heavy pain.

That being said, Castano’s performance last night proved that he can definitely hang with the “top dogs” in the 154-pound Division. Going 12 tough back and forth rounds with “The American Dream” Erislandy Lara is no easy task.

With no clear winner or loser on the night, Castano retained his WBA (regular) Junior Middleweight Championship Title in the hope of securing a unification bout with the other Champions in the 154-pound Division or better yet a rematch with Lara to clear the air?

Your thoughts on this one?

Blaze