On The Watch “It’s All About Danny Garcia vs Jose Benavidez Jr.”

Super Welterweight Showdown

Last night’s Showtime/PBC Main Event between Danny Garcia (37-3, 21 Kos) and Jose Benavidez Jr. (27-2-1, 18 Kos) at the Barclays Center in Brooklyn was a perfect performance to introduce Danny to the Super Welterweight Division. Real Talk!

Danny looked completely different from the man who last fought and lost to Errol Spence Jr. back in December 2020. This version of Danny last night was alert, strong, very active and focussed throughout the entire bout. Danny handled Jose with ease at this new weight division and fought a perfect bout at a clinical level that let you know that he’s still got plenty left in the tank to go.

Danny looked on point the entire night, rejuvenated with motivation to prove the naysayers wrong about moving up in weight. Jose tried to put up a fight but had no answers to Danny who was boxing circles around him round by round. To be honest Jose’s “game plan” or lack of was way off. Jose fought with no urgency the entire bout and got outworked by Danny who was very active with his punch selection all night.

After 12 full rounds of action, the Judges’ scores were 114-114, 116-112 and 117-111 in favor of Danny Garcia who secured his first win in the Super Welterweight Division.

Now the Judge who saw this bout as a draw he needs to rewatch the bout over again because truth be told this fight was a clinical performance by Danny from round 1 to round 12 hands down.

I don’t personally think Danny will run through the top “dogs” in the 154-Pound Division with ease like this but he can definitely make his presence felt.

Until your next outing, congratulations on your win Danny.

Blaze

On The Watch “It’s All About Jermell Charlo vs Brian Castano II”

Junior Middleweight Unification Championship Showdown

Last night’s PBC/Showtime Main Event Junior Middleweight Unification Championship Rematch bout between Unified WBC/WBA Super/IBF and Ring Magazine Champion Jermell Charlo (35-1-1, 19 Kos) and WBO Champion Brian Castano (17-1-2, 12 Kos) at the Dignity Sports Park, Carson, California was definitely a bout to remember as we finally witnessed the crowning of the first Undisputed Junior Middleweight Champion since the four-belt era.

This time around both combatants came out the gate with a different approach. Castano’s punch output was visibly less while Charlo stepped up his boxing and moving being more aggressive from the jump.

Charlo’s jab was very effective and definitely gave Castano a harder time at getting on the inside but that being said, both combatants had their moments making this bout quite exciting as the rounds progressed with both warriors dropping some heavy bombs on one another up close and personal.

With the rounds heating up, it was Charlo who walked it like he talked it and made sure to keep the Judges out of the equation this time around when he viciously dropped Castano heavily in the tenth round twice as Castano resisted to get to his feet a second time visibly still hurt from the knockdowns which then prompted the referee to stop the electrifying bout.

It was an action-packed event that saw Jermell defend his WBC/WBA Super/IBF and Ring Magazine Championships and seize the WBO Belt from Brian to now becoming the first Undisputed Junior Middleweight Champion of the World since the four-belt era.

With this convincing win and major achievement in your career to date, you are now part of one of the most prestigious clubs in Boxing and join the likes of Canelo Alvarez, Oleksandr Usyk, Bernard Hopkins, Jermain Taylor, Josh Taylor and Terence Crawford to become Undisputed Champions in the four-belt era.

Congratulations Jermell, you cleaned out the 154-Pound Division and now reign supreme. You earned that one the hard way. Well done!

Blaze

On The Watch “It’s All About Erickson Lubin vs Sebastian Fundora”

WBC Interim Super Welterweight Title

Last night’s Showtime Main Event between Erickson “The Hammer” Lubin (24-2, 17 Kos) and Sebastian “Towering Inferno” Fundora (19-0-1, 13 Kos) was nonstop action from start to finish at the Virgin Hotels Las Vegas, Las Vegas, Nevada.

Them two combatants came to fight last night and definitely put on an exciting performance worthy of fight of the year in my eyes. The 6’5 ½ “Towering Inferno” gave “The Hammer” an early introduction to the canvas in round two when he connected with a vicious well-placed uppercut that dropped him for a quick 8 count setting the pace for the remainder of the bout.

As tall and rangy as Sebastian was inside that squared circle the majority of the bout was fought more or less in the “phone booth” style with Lubin landing some serious power shots but receiving double the output from Sebastian. That Kid Fundora stays busy with his hands round after round landing uppercut after uppercut straight from the inside.

That said, Lubin stayed competitive trying to figure out how to keep Fundora from walking him down. Lubin had himself some good work at times banging some good shots at the “Towering Inferno”, outworking him in spurts and eventually forcing Fundora to take a knee in a round that Sebastian was actually winning until he got blitzed with a series of punches catching him off guard in the seventh round

After shaking off the knockdown Sebastian continued hammering “The Hammer” straight to the face which was slowly transforming him to an unrecognizable man as the rounds progressed. Lubin showed heart inside that squared circle but was visibly absorbing too many damaging blows, increasing the swelling around his eyes and face.

At the conclusion of the ninth round Erickson’s head trainer had seen enough and pulled his fighter out when he instructed the referee to stop this electrifying compelling bout.

With this stoppage win Sebastian now picks up the WBC Interim Super Welterweight Title placing him as the mandatory challenger for the Unification bout between WBC/WBA Super/IBF and Ring Magazine Champion Jermell Charlo (34-1-1, 18 Kos) and WBO Champion Brian Castano (17-0-2, 12 Kos) rematch on Saturday May 14, 2022 from Dignity Health Sports Park in Carson, California to crown the first Super Welterweight Undisputed Champion of the World.

With this competitive bout now on his resume, Sebastian will be well prepared for what is to come when facing the future Undisputed Super Welterweight Champion on his next outing.

Until then congratulations Sebastian on your astounding win.

Blaze

On The Watch “It’s All About Jermell Charlo vs Brian Castano”

Junior Middleweight Unification Championship Showdown

Last night’s PBC/Showtime Main Event Junior Middleweight Unification Championship bout between WBC/WBA Super/IBF and Ring Magazine Champion Jermell Charlo (34-1-1, 18 Kos) and WBO Champion Brian Castano (17-0-2, 12 Kos) at the AT&T Center in San Antonio, Texas, was nothing short of exciting from start to finish but did end with controversy.

A lot of people in the boxing community expected “Iron Man” Jermell to completely and easily destroy Castano on his way to Undisputed but things didn’t go as planned. Castano showed up last night and was a real live aggressive body inside that squared circle. Real Talk!

I’m not sure if Jermell underestimated Castano but his passive/aggressive approach may have cost him at times inside that squared circle. Jermell, who was clearly the bigger fighter of the two combatants, had a visibly hard time with Castano’s pressure style of fighting. Although Jermell’s jab and long range made it harder for Castano, the man still found his way in time and time again with some serious controlled aggression.

Both combatants threw some serious leather at each other. Jermell’s punches looked more telling at times but Castano’s controlled aggressive offensive output could not go unnoticed. I gotta tip my “B” hat to Castano cause Dude was definitely touching Charlo and making this fight tough as hell for the Unified Champ inside that squared circle.

Jermell showed his own toughness withstanding Castano’s onslaught cause say what you want the Kid Castano can pop. That being said, this bout was tight from the jump. Charlo had himself two very telling rounds when he clipped and wobbled Castano early in the second round and when he threw some serious combinations in the tenth round that had Castano retreating to survive the round. As good as these two telling rounds were, Charlo was not able to stop Castano.

That being said, Castano had his moments as well actually clipping and hurting Jermell when he was working his inside game whenever he had Jermell on them ropes. In my eyes, Castano’s non-stop pressure for the bulk of the bout clearly showed who controlled the fight inside that squared circle.

After 12 full rounds of non-stop action the Judges scored it 114-113 for Castano, 117-111 for Charlo and 114-114, a split decision draw. Listen, I’m ok with them Judges scoring the championship rounds for Jermell but that 117-111 is straight up OUT OF POCKET!! A ridiculous score if you ask me.

Controversial ending aside, both Champions leave with their titles in hand. Jermell is still WBC/WBA Super/IBF and Ring Magazine Champion and Castano WBO Champion.

Congratulations to both combatants for putting on an exciting show from start to finish, hopefully part two will be in the near future.

Blaze

On The Watch “It’s All About Erickson Lubin vs Jeison Rosario”

WBC Junior Middleweight Eliminator

Last night’s PPV PBC/Showtime Co Main Event between Erickson Lubin (24-1, 17 Kos) and Jeison Rosario (20-3-1, 14 Kos)  at the State Farm Arena in Atlanta, was a statement type bout that was much needed in the Division.

It didn’t take much time for the two warriors to start exchanging leather back and forth, the only looming question was who would be able to withstand the onslaught.

Erickson looked more patient with his approach while Rosario pressed the action leaving quite a few holes open for Erickson to capitalize on. Although both combatants landed quite a few heavy shots on one another it was Rosario who seemed, to me, to have lost some serious punch resistance.

Once Erickson realized that Rosario’s punch resistance was shot it was only a matter of time before he connected on something significant. By the 6th round Erickson pressed the action and landed some serious head and body shots that sent Rosario down for a quick 8 count but then once up couldn’t sustain further body shots that sent him down for the second time and a full unanswered count.

With this win “The Hammer” may have scored his most impressive win to date over former unified World Champion Jeison Rosario. Now it’s about taking this WBC No. 1-Ranked contender position and push for that the rematch to avenge his only loss to WBC/WBA/IBF Junior Middleweight Champion Jermell Charlo.

Until then, keep killing your opposition.

Blaze

On The Watch “It’s All About Jarrett Hurd vs Luis Arias”

Middleweight Throwdown

Last night Luis Arias (19-2-1, 9 Kos) silenced a lot of naysayers when he entered that squared circle and upset Jarrett Hurd (24-2, 16 Kos) at the Hard Rock Stadium, in Miami Florida.

Arias, who was visibly the smaller fighter between the two surprisingly brought the fight to Hurd right from the jump. Exchanging leather for leather and going blow for blow making sure Hurd knew he was in for a hard long night of entertaining action.

Hurd, who usually likes to fight in the phone booth style, at times looked uncomfortable with the non-stop pressure that Arias was applying. Both were landing heavy shots on each other to the point that neither fighter could have easily been stopped during the bout. Real Talk!

Although this bout was quite entertaining to watch, I personally don’t think it’s the most effective way to preserve ones’ career. This type of fighting style is what cost Hurd his first loss to J-Rock. I’m not sure if this is due to the trainer change but your Boy Hurd looked like he’d regressed since his last ring appearance. Hurd’s defence was non-existent and if he plans on mixing it up with any of the top Dudes in the Junior Middleweight Division or the Middleweight Division with that style, the end result could be worse than this one. Real Talk!

That being said, I gotta tip my “B” hat to Arias for sticking to his “game plan” and never giving up or backing down from a tough challenge. You fought a good one with your head up high. You stood your ground and dished out more then you received.

After 10 hard rounds of action one Judge scored it 95-94 for Hurd while the other two Judges scored it 97-93 and 96-94 for Arias giving him the split decision.

Congratulations Luis, this was by far your best win to date, now keep this positive momentum going strong.

Blaze

On the Watch ” It’s All About Erickson Lubin vs Terrell Gausha”

WBC Junior Middleweight Title Eliminator

Last night’s main event on Premier Boxing Champions Showtime Boxing at the Mohegan Sun Arena in Uncasville, Connecticut between Erickson Lubin (23-1, 16 Kos) and Terrell Gausha (21-2-1, 10 Kos) was a chess match that had caution written all over it from the first half of the bout but did pick up the pace in the later rounds.

Lubin was the far more active fighter inside that squared circle while Terrell fought too conservatively in the earlier rounds. Both showed discipline in their boxing but needed more action between rounds. Lubin clearly landed the more power punches while Terrell searched for more of a calculated approach.

As the rounds wore on, the action eventually started to pick up which made things a little more interesting, especially by the 10th round when Terrell rocked Lubin with some heavy shots that had him looking a little shaky by the end of the round.

That being said, Terrell wasn’t able to capitalize on his previous successful round leaving Lubin to recover and regroup well enough to continue boxing his way to a unanimous decision. The Judges scores were 115-113, 116-112 and 118-110.

Personally, this wasn’t Lubin’s best performance but he did get the job done. With this win Lubin has now secured his WBC Mandatory position against the winner of the upcoming WBC Champion Jermell Charlo and IBF/WBA Super Champion Jeison Rosario Unification bout.

This will be Lubin’s second attempt at the WBC Belt. Whoever walks away with the WBC Championship Title between Jermell and Jeison will be Erickson stiffest competition. Therefore, Lubin will need to have his sh*t together and be properly prepared when his name is called to step up to the plate.

Until then, congratulations on your win Erickson.

Blaze

On The Watch “It’s All About Erislandy Lara vs Greg Vendetti”

WBA “Regular” Junior Middleweight Challenge

Last night’s main event at the Microsoft Theater in Los Angeles between WBA “Regular” Junior Middleweight Champion Erislandy Lara (27-3-3, 15 Kos) and contender Greg Vendetti (22-4-1, 12 Kos) was an impressive showing by the one they call “The American Dream”.

The much older but seasoned veteran Lara, showed us fans and the rest of the 154-Pound Division that he’s not to be slept on just yet. Your Boy Lara still got the goods to mix it up with the other champions in the Division, hands down.

Vendetti, a tough and durable contender did his best to disrupt Lara but simply lacks the Boxing IQ to beat a seasoned well-schooled veteran like Lara. No disrespect to Vendetti. He’s no slouch inside that squared circle and he did go 12 full rounds with “The American Dream” but painfully got out-boxed by a world class fighter.

Vendetti and his team clearly underestimated Lara’s abilities inside that squared circle considering Lara is getting up there in age. At 37 years old Lara may look ripe for the taking but not by your average fighter. Real Talk!

That being said, Lara is still top 3 in the 154-Pound Division and he’s out there looking for all the smoke. Lara is determined to reclaim the No. 1 Spot that he once held at the Junior Middleweight Division. To accomplish that, Lara will be looking to challenge the winner of the upcoming Junior Middleweight Unification bout between WBC Champion Jermell Charlo and IBF/WBA Super Champion Jeison Rosario.

The Junior Middleweight Division is “Blazing” right now and Erislandy Lara is still in the mix of it all.

Until then, stay locked in Lara you just might be next.

Blaze

On The Watch “It’s All About Jaime Munguia vs Liam Smith”

WBO Junior Middleweight Challenge

Last night at the Hard Rock Hotel & Casino in Las Vagas Nevada, Jaime Munguia (30-0, 25 Kos) had himself a successful first defense of his WBO Junior Middleweight Belt against a worthy opponent in Liam Smith (26-2-1,14 Kos).

The young Champion had himself a live body in Liam who definitely didn’t come into town to bow down. Liam tried his best and used his experience to try to amplify Munguia’s lack of defense but found it quite challenging to neutralize Munguia’s none stop aggressive offense in doing so.

The Kid Munguia was just too strong, bigger and much younger to be contained by Liam but real talk, Liam put up a hell of a fight even after being dropped in the six rounds. Liam showed a lot of heart to go along with his strong will to never backing down or giving up at no point in the fight.

Munguia punished Liam from round 2 to 12 to a unanimous decision but it wasn’t an easy task. This was a good test of character for Munguia who hadn’t gone 12 rounds before.

Munguia, 21 years old, is an impressive fighter. He’s still fairly raw but unquestionably made a statement of his own last night. Theirs a new “Kid” in the 154-pound Division ready to stir up the pot. However, I personally wouldn’t go out and call out the other Champions in the Division just yet. Give yourself some time with a few more bouts under your belt. Your future is bright, pace yourself, and keep perfecting your skills cause you’re undeniably a star in the making.

Congratulations on your win Champ.

Blaze

On The Watch “It’s All About Showtime Premier Boxing Champions”

Super Welterweight Division

Wow!!! Last night, Saturday October 14, 2017, Showtime Premier Boxing Champions gave us the fans an incredible tripleheader at the Barclays Center, Brooklyn New York. REAL TALK!
Six of the top Super Welterweights graced that squared circle and all performed stunningly on that stage.

First up was undefeated Jarrett Hurd (21-0, 15 Kos) the International Boxing Federation Titleholder who successfully defended his belt vs former World Champion Austin Trout (30-4, 17 Kos).
This bout was about a young hungry gunner climbing his way to the top of the food chain with no regard to whatsoever to any savvy proven veteran standing in his way. REAL TALK! Trout is a proven warrior and one of the best at that but your Boy Hurd was just too big and strong on that night. Austin brought his “A “ Game but was cut short by the 10th round. Hurd’s onslaught on Trout was just too much to handle.
Jarrett Hurd becomes the first fighter to beat Austin Trout by knockout or technical knockout. Congratulations on your win Champ.

In the co-feature, (which could have easily been the main event on any other night), WBC Super Welterweight Titleholder Jermell “Iron Man” Charlo (30-0, 15 Kos), also successfully defended his belt in an astonishing fashion by demolishing previously unbeaten No. 1 contender Erickson “Hammer” Lubin (18-1, 13 Kos) in the first round. Nuff Said!
Your Boy Jermell is the truth. The kid walks it like he talks it. He once again silenced all the critics and the haters who just can’t seem to come to grip that this kid is the real deal. The 154-pound Division has a real problem on their hands and he goes by the name of Jermell “Iron Man” Charlo. Good luck to the competition. Congratulations Champ!

In the main event, WBA/IBO Super Welterweight World Champion Erislandy Lara (25-2-2, 14 Kos) successfully defended his belts by knocking down previously unbeaten Terell Gausha (20-1, 9 Kos) on the way to a 12-round unanimous decision.
Listen his fight wasn’t as exciting as Jarrett or Jermell’s previous title fights but we can’t wrong the man for making it look so easy cause he’s still the top dude in the Division. We all know that styles make fights so lets hope his next performance is up to par to a real Champs standard. Congratulations Champ.

Your thoughts on this one?

Blaze