On The Watch “It’s All About Teofimo Lopez vs Shakur Stevenson”

WBO Junior Welterweight Challenge

Last night’s Ring Magazine/DAZN Main Event between WBO/Ring Magazine Junior Welterweight Champion Teofimo Lopez (22-2, 13 Kos) and WBC Lightweight Champion Shakur Stevenson (25-0, 11 Kos) was a one-sided affair that favoured the challenger who was moving up in weight at Madison Square Garden in New York City. Real Talk!

Solving the puzzle that Shakur presented is a tough task but entering that squared circle opposite of him without a full proof “game plan” with different options to go along with is diabolical and that is exactly what Teofimo did on the night.

Judging from the first few rounds it was clear that Teofimo and his dad had absolutely no clue on how to break the Shakur Stevenson code. Shakur did say that this was going to be easy work but what transpired was just unexpected pure dominance.

Teofimo looked lost from the jump even when Shakur made it easy for him by standing right in front of him jabbing his head off with an accurate punch that couldn’t miss the target. Shakur showed Teofimo absolutely no respect and no fear as he boxed circles around him round by round.

Shakur systematically disarmed Teofimo with such ease inside that squared circle that it was painful to watch such a decorated champion in Teofimo be humiliated and humbled after talking all that sh*t towards the build-up of this bout and not be able to back any word of it. Real Talk!

Shakur showed us another facet in his arsenal and the boxing IQ needed to always be able to raise the levels when being tested by the so called best.

After 12 rounds of one-sided action, the Judges at hand had absolutely no problem scoring this bout unanimously 119-109 in favor of Shakur Stevenson.

With this impressive performance, Shakur singlehandedly elevated his star status to Superstar on the come up and snatched the WBO/Ring Magazine Junior Welterweight Championship titles from Teofimo in the process, crowning him a Four-Division Champion.

Well done, Champ!

Blaze

On The Watch “It’s All About Keyshawn Davis vs Jamaine Ortiz”

Junior Welterweight Showdown

Last night’s Ring Magazine/DAZN Co-Main Event was an introduction to the Junior Welterweight Division for former WBO Lightweight Champion Keyshawn Davis (14-0, 10 Kos) who challenged Jamaine Ortiz (23-3-1, 10 Kos) and passed the test with flying colors.

Jamaine, a formidable opponent, came in this bout very confident and was ready to dish out a beating on Keyshawn but might have underestimated him as the rounds progressed. Keyshawn stood his ground and fought fire with fire showing absolutely no fear inside that squared circle.

Jamaine thought he could bully the smaller opponent who was coming up in weight but soon found out that Keyshawn was built different and possessed some power with a pin point accuracy that seriously troubled him round by round.

As the rounds progressed it was clear that Keyshawn was breaking Jamaine down as his movements began to slow down whenever Keyshawn pressed the action. Keyshawn’s punches from head to body were taking a toll on Jamaine who tried desperately to stay on survivor mode but he eventually got dropped with a mean body shot to a standing 8 count in the eleventh round but he made it out.

By the twelve round the inevitable was written. Keyshawn continued his assault from head to body and eventually landed the right body shot that shut the show down indefinitely in the last 20 seconds of the round prompting the referee to halt the bout.

With this impressive win, Keyshawn has officially announced himself to the Junior Welterweight Division but he may be looking to bring his talent to the Welterweight Division towards the Champions for his next conquest.

Until then, well done Keyshawn.    

Blaze

On The Watch “It’s All About Subriel Matias vs Dalton Smith”

WBC Junior Welterweight Challenge

Last night’s Fresh Productions Main Event at the Barclays Center between the so-called boogeyman WBC Junior Welterweight Champion Subriel Matias (23-3, 22 Kos) and undefeated challenger Dalton Smith (19-0, 14 Kos) surpassed my expectations by the way Dalton announced himself to the Junior Welterweight Division. Real Talk!

Dalton, in his first world title opportunity, came in from the United Kingdom with a driven challenger’s mentality determined to get the job done by any means necessary. Dalton who is primely known as a boxer puncher, asserted himself from the jump and pressed the action with a very efficient jab showing Subriel that he carried power as well.

That approach prompted Subriel, who is usually a slow starter to press the action with his own seek and destroy tactics that made this bout that much more intriguing and crowd pleasing as it unfolded.

Personally, I thought this approach by Dalton to fight toe-to-toe with Subriel was the wrong way to go considering that style of fighting suited Subriel better but to my surprise Dalton stood his ground and dished out just as much abuse as he was taking in. Visibly, Subriel’s punches looked more damaging but his lack of defense cost him to take some heat as Dalton was able to land with power as well.

In round five, both combatants continued their toe-to-toe slugfest landing heavy shots after heavy shots but it was Dalton who pierced Subriel’s armour first with a deadly well-placed overhand right that dropped him for the count. Subriel quickly got up on weak legs looking badly hurt

which prompted the referee to stop the bout.

This was a very impressive showing by Dalton who walked in this bout as the underdog and is now crowned the new WBC Junior Welterweight Champion of the World. As of today, the United Kingdom now has five active male Champions.

Fabio Wardley -WBO Heavyweight Champion

Lewis Crocker -IBF Welterweight Champion

Dalton Smith -WBC Junior Welterweight Champion

Jazza Dickens -Junior Lightweight Champion

Nick Ball WBA -Featherweight Champion

Congratulations Dalton!  As Champion you are now the new kid on the block so make your presence felt.

Blaze

On The Watch “It’s All About Teofimo Lopez vs Shakur Stevenson”

WBO Junior Welterweight Challenge

A very intriguing matchup in the Junior Welterweight Division has officially been announced concerning the WBO/Ring Magazine Junior Welterweight Champion Teofimo Lopez (22-1, 13 Kos) and WBC Lightweight Champion Shakur Stevenson (24-0, 11 Kos), who will be moving up in weight for this challenge to the 140-Pound Division on the Ring VI card as the Main Event on Saturday January 31, 2026, in Madison Square Garden in New York City.

Both combatants consider themselves elite warriors who are at their utmost prime of their respective careers, willing to lay it all on the line to determine who truly is the best of the best. Skill for skill, both combatants have the goods to cancel each other out, but trash talk aside they will have to settle their differences inside that squared circle.

As of right now, the odd makers don’t see this bout as a 50/50 and favor Shakur the defensive genius to upset the Champion. As much as Teofimo relishes the thought of being the underdog, he will have to execute a flawless “game plan” and be focussed from start to finish to defeat Shakur because one slip up in this bout could cost him dearly.

I have no doubt Shakur will be properly prepared to deal with Teofimo’s style, but it will be interesting to see just how well prepared Teofimo is to deal with this defensive wizard of an opponent on fight night. Style wise Shakur is all wrong for Teofimo but he’s been tested before and prevailed when counted out.

Tune in Saturday night January 31, 2026, live on DAZN from Madison Square Garden in New York City and witness this electrifying Championship bout unfold.

Blaze

On The Watch “It’s All About Isaac Cruz vs Lamont Roach Jr.”

Interim WBC Junior Welterweight Challenge

Last night’s PBC/Prime Video Pay-Per-View Main Event between Interim WBC Junior Welterweight Champion Isaac “PitBull” Cruz (28-3-2, 18 Kos) and challenger Lamont “The Reaper” Roach Jr. (25-1-3, 10 Kos) who was moving up in weight to yet another Division, surpassed my expectations. However, the fight still managed to end in a controversial way at the Frost Bank Center in San Antonio, Texas.

Isaac came out the gate in his usual “Pitbull” fashion ready to take out his prey with some heavy blows coming from all angles. His steady aggressive style of approach was expected and even managed to connect with a knock down due to Lamont’s glove touching the canvas in round three but what transpired after that is what changed the outcome of the fight.

After round three, Lamont flipped his “game plan” up and started fighting Isaac in the pocket going toe-to-toe and asserting himself in a very foolish but impressive way where his respect had to be earned. That approach caused Isaac to retreat and lower his punch output as Lamont started to build up his momentum with his own punch output coming at Isaac disrupting him from coming forward.

Isaac’s seek and destroy ways were being outmaneuvered by the way Lamont was boxing and moving and asserting himself, when need be, just enough to keep Isaac from bullying him as the rounds progressed.

The adjustments that Lamont made round by round were quite visible and effective in his favor. Lamont had literally put a leash on the “Pitbull” and controlled the action inside that squared circle.

That being said, the Judges who had the last say at the completion of this bout scored it 115-111 for Isaac Cruz but vetoed by the other two Judges who scored it 113-113, resulting it in a majority draw. Unbelievable!

I will admit that this bout was definitely a close one but judging by the punch output and the body of work that Lamont poured out in this fight overall, it should have been a clear-cut win for “The Reaper” hands down!

There are levels to this boxing sh*t and last night Lamont showed us once again that his skill set is real while moving up in weight and for that I tip my “B” hat to Lamont. Win, lose or draw this kid brings it every time out.

Blaze

On The Watch “It’s All About Katie Taylor vs Amanda Serrano III”

Undisputed Junior Welterweight Showdown

The highly anticipated trilogy showdown finally came to a conclusion last night to a packed house at Madison Square Garden in New York City, where Undisputed Junior Welterweight IBF/WBA/WBC/WBO/Ring magazine Champion Katie Taylor (24-1, 6 Kos) separated herself yet again by defeating highly decorated Champion Amanda Serrano (47-4-1, 30 Kos) for the third time.

This trilogy fight headlined an all-woman’s card that gave the night an aura of success and achievement for all the competitors but truth be told the Main Event did not live up to the expectation us fans anticipated.

Maybe we were spoiled by the two previous encounters that these two warriors graced us with by the “HEAT” and all-out action-packed fight of the year type brawl that we witnessed in the 20 rounds these two combatants had shared. Both bouts were memorable and had us fans wanting to see them go at it one more time. That being said, last night’s showdown between these two combatants fell miserably short from their previous encounters. Taylor’s “game plan” was clear from the jump: to not get caught going toe-to-toe with Serrano and play keep away as much as possible while Serrano over did it by reducing her usual aggressive punch output by being overly cautious neutralizing her own biggest strength and asset. It was the wrong “game plan” for this night and it cost Serrano dearly.

Out of the three times these two Champions shared the inside of that squared circle, this was by far their worst combined showing. What was meant to be a war turned out to be a disappointing sparring session by two highly decorated combatants who are known to bringing the action to life but on this night neither combatant was looking to rumble.

The low punch output from both combatants made it harder to call the rounds but after 10 rounds of dull action one Judge scored it even at 95-95 while the other two Judges had it 97-93 in favor of Katie Taylor.        

With this win on this historical night of boxing, Katie Taylor retained her Undisputed Junior Welterweight IBF/WBA/WBC/WBO/Ring magazine Championship Titles, while Amanda Serrano remains Unified Featherweight Champion of the World but still down 0-3 vs Katie Taylor.

Blaze

On The Watch ”It’s All About The Ring Magazine Fatal Fury in Times Square”

Ring’s Fatal Fury “City of the Wolves”

Last night’s three-card Fatal Fury in Times Square Main Event brought to us by his Excellency Turki Alashikh, Chairman of the Board of Directors of the General Entertainment, sadly, did not live up to the “HYPE” created by the unknown and the expected excitement.

The closed-out location at Times Square, the production and the Ring, created a different scene and atmosphere that will forever be remembered but where things went left is with the performances that some of the chosen talent for the night who neglected to perform at their peak form on this historical night. Real talk!

First up on the Main Event night was WBO/Ring Magazine Junior Welterweight Champion Teofimo Lopez (22-1, 13 Kos) defending his Championship Belts against undefeated mandatory challenger Arnold Barboza Jr. (32-1, 11 Kos). Although Barboza earned his way to the mandatory position and talked a good game throughout the build-up, he quickly found out that there are levels to this boxing sh*t and on this night, Lopez produced a dominant performance that will forever haunt Barboza. Lopez outworked, outhustled, outboxed and outgunned Barboza who is a very good boxer but lacked the proper skill set and “game plan” to dethrone the Champ on the night. After 12 one-sided rounds of action, the Judges at hand scored it 118-110, 116-112 and 116-112 unanimously for Teofimo Lopez. Well done!

Next up was Devin Haney (32-0, 15 Kos) and Jose Ramirez (29-3, 18 Kos) who met up at a catch weight of 144 Lbs. Haney, who talked a good game during the build-up of the bout failed miserably to capture the hearts of viewers at home and in attendance. Neither combatant pressed the action or threw enough leather to land anything significant. I expected Devin, who hadn’t fought in a year, to come out the gate pumped up and ready for some action but what we got was a shell-shocked safety-first reluctant fighter, who put the viewers and fans in attendance to sleep. Ramirez did himself no favours as well with his own lack of activity. It was a very disappointing performance by both combatants on such a big stage like this. Nevertheless, the Judges at hand called it 119-109, 119-109 and 118-110 unanimously for Devin Haney.

The final bout of the night belonged to Ryan Garcia (24-2, 20 Kos) and Rolando “Rolly” Romero (17-2, 13 Kos) who met up at the Welterweight Division. With “Rolly” being counted out and labeled the underdog, he wasted no time asserting himself and pressed the action to score an impressive second-round knockdown over Garcia that changed the flow of the bout as it progressed. Garcia looked flat and disengaged, unable to pull the trigger on “Rolly” who was calm and disciplined out-boxing Garcia round by round. “Rolly” stuck with the “game plan” and executed it to a “T” and gained mad confidence round by round while Garcia neglected his corner’s instructions and urgency to let his hands go. Although neither combatant threw an abundance of leather, “Rolly” made his presence felt more than none by landing the more telling punches.

After 12 rounds of action, the Judges at hand scored it 118-109, 115-112 and 115-112 unanimously for Rolando “Rolly” Romero. You were counted out and you prevailed and silenced all the naysayers. With this impressive win under your belt, you are now the proud owner of the vacant WBA “Regular” Welterweight Championship Title. Well done Champ and enjoy this well-earned victory

Blaze

On The Watch “It’s All About Katie Taylor vs Amanda Serrano III”

Undisputed Junior Welterweight Showdown

The rematch between Undisputed Junior Welterweight IBF/IBO/WBA/WBC/WBO/Ring Magazine Champion Katie Taylor (24-1, 6 Kos) and highly decorated Champion Amanda Serrano (47-3-1, 30 Kos) has officially been announced and they are going to go at it in a highly anticipated and well received trilogy showdown on an all-women’s card live on Netflix Friday July 11, 2025, at Madison Square Garden in New York City.

Judging by their first press conference, these two well-decorated warriors are definitely going to bring that “HEAT” when they step foot inside that squared circle. They’ll start right where they left off from their two highly-contested but controversial showdowns that keep us wanting more every time.

Throughout all the trash talking and the back and forth these two warriors were throwing at each other one thing was made certain by Katie, she is 2-0 over Amanda and will be looking to maintain that lead come fight night by making it 3-0.

That being said, Amanda is extremely determined to right the wrong this time around and prove to the naysayers that she is capable of dethroning Katie off her Queen’s chair and become once and for all the Undisputed Junior Welterweight Champion. Those are her intensions but truth be told, Katie Taylor is no walk in the park type of an opponent. Katie is highly skilled in every department and equipped with the will of a Lioness who refuses to back down.

Regardless of their previous outings this trilogy is once again must-see TV. Another moment in time to be added to the History Books!

So, tune in live on Netflix Friday night July 11, 2025, from Madison Square Garden in New York City, and be part of this historical night of boxing.

Blaze

On The Watch “It’s All About Jose Valenzuela vs Gary Antuanne Russell”

WBA Super Lightweight Challenge

It’s unusual for a fighter coming back from a loss and an opportunity to fight for a WBC Interim World Super Lightweight Title to automatically receive another great occasion to contest for another Title, but the opportunity did present itself for Gary Antuanne Russell (18-1, 17 Kos) to challenge yet again for a Title, the WBA Super Lightweight Belt being held by Jose Valenzuela (14-3, 9 Kos) as the Co-Main Event at the Barclays Center in Brooklyn, New York.

Gary Antuanne understood the task at hand and the opportunity given so he did not want to fail at his second attempt at becoming Champion. Gary Antuanne preceded to execute a flawless “game plan” that could not be deterred by Jose who clearly did not prepare for this type of an attack.

Jose, who himself possesses very good boxing skills equipped with power, could not fend off the heavy onslaught coming his way. Gary Antuanne’s punch output along with the power and the clip they were coming at was simply too much for Jose to contend with. Jose was getting outworked and outpunched from every corner and was unable to respond with any type of calculated “game plan”.

The pressure that Jose was dealing with inside that squared circle was real and Gary Antuanne showed Jose absolutely no respect by the way he handed out this one-sided beatdown.

After 12 rounds of one-sided action, the Judges at hand scored it 120-108, 119-109 and 119 109 unanimously for Gary Antuanne Russell.

With this convincing win now under his belt, Gary Antuanne can now be crowned the new WBA Super Lightweight Champion of the World.

Congratulations Gary Antuanne. A unification bout is definitely on the horizon.

Blaze

On The Watch ”It’s All About Jack Catterall vs Arnold Barboza Jr.”

Junior Welterweight Challenge

Tonight’s Matchroom/DAZN Main Event between WBO International Junior Welterweight Champion Jack “El Gato” Catterall (30-2, 13 Kos) and WBO Intercontinental Junior Welterweight Champion Arnold Barboza Jr. (32-0, 11 Kos), was an interesting bout where both combatants had to get creative with their approach inside that squared circle at the Co-op Live Arena in Manchester, England.

This was a chess like match where both combatants had their moments as the rounds progressed. Being the away fighter, Barboza had no choice but to stay active with his hands but Catterall stood his ground and exchanged leather for leather as best he could.

You could see both combatants struggling to get an edge on one another as each looked equally matched inside that squared circle making it harder to call round by round. It was a very calculative type bout where every mistake made cost the opponent dearly.

Both combatants had their share of telling punches being thrown but as the championship rounds rolled out it was becoming clearer to the eye that Barboza was the one putting in that extra push to secure the defining rounds.

That being said, after 12 full rounds of action one Judge scored it 115-113 for Catterall while the other two Judges scored it 115-113 for Barboza giving him the split decision win and the right to claim the vacant WBO Interim Junior Welterweight Title.

It was a tight competitive bout from start to finish but I personally think the right man won on the night. With this win now secured by Barboza an official mandatory position has now been set to challenge for the full WBO World Junior Welterweight Title held by Teofimo Lopez (21-1, 13 Kos).

That said, will Teofimo accept the challenge? Only time will tell.

Until then, congratulations Arnold on another great win.

Blaze