On The Watch “It’s All About Anthony Joshua vs Daniel Dubois”

IBF World Heavyweight Challenge

Former Unified Heavyweight Champion Anthony Joshua (28-4, 25 Kos) got himself a serious reality check when he brutally succumbed at the hands of IBF World Heavyweight Champion Daniel Dubois (22-2, 21 Kos) at tonight’s Main Event at the sold-out Wembley Stadium in London, England, courtesy of Riyadh Season.

This all-British Showdown surpassed all expectations and attendance at the same time. Dubois, who came in the ring looking hungry and laser-focussed, surprisingly kept things simple but efficient. Dubois’ “game plan” was obvious from the jump: to seek and destroy his opponent by all means necessary and the young Lion did just that. Real Talk!

Both combatants looked fit and strong but it was Dubois who imposed himself from the first round by chin checking AJ to a standing 8 count right before the bell ended the round. It was a wrap from that point on.

AJ looked lost and confused from round one and had no proper “game plan” to deter Dubois who was coming at him from all corners with some serious aggression. Dubois refused to give AJ any breathing room round by round. The pressure was real and the power shots that Dubois was landing on AJ were visibly taxing as AJ could not stand toe-to-toe with Dubois and eventually got clipped once again in the third round to another standing 8 count.

The inevitable was near and in the fifth round when AJ attempted to open up with his offence, Dubois landed a “Dynamite” of a right hand that chin checked Anthony cold to the floor prompting the referee to count him out.

Although Anthony showed a lot of heart tonight by rising up every time he got dropped, this version of AJ was the worst I’ve ever seen get into that squared circle. Dubois manhandled and dominated AJ from rounds 1 to 5 which is not an easy task to do but Dubois made it look effortless and for that I tip my “B” hat to the young Lion. You silenced the naysayers and myself, and put the Heavyweight Division and the boxing world on notice that Daniel “Dynamite” Dubois is the real deal. Real Talk!

Blaze

On The Watch “It’s All About Anthony Joshua vs Daniel Dubois”

IBF World Heavyweight Challenge

With Oleksandr Usyk recently announcing that he has vacated the IBF Heavyweight Title, Interim IBF Heavyweight Champion Daniel Dubois (21-2, 20 Kos) has now been elevated to full IBF Heavyweight Champion of the World, clearing a perfect path to make the first defense of his Title against former Heavyweight Champion Anthony Joshua (28-3, 25 Kos) in an all-British Showdown on September 21, 2024, at Wembley Stadium in London, England, courtesy of Riyadh Season.

This is a very intriguing matchup where both combatants look the part and carry the power to end the night in a dramatic fashion. The youth that Dubois has over AJ could come into play and the momentum that Dubois is rocking after stoppage wins over Jarell Miller and Filip Hrgovic has him feeling unbeatable.

That being said, Anthony himself has been looking on point in his last few fights as well and very much focussed on the task at hand. Regardless of the opponent across from him, his sole purpose is to dominate the Heavyweight Division once again and regain the Championship Titles by any means necessary.

The experience AJ has on the biggest stage will definitely play a part but the young Lion in Dubois will bring a significant amount of a challenge on the night. Both combatants have shown much improvement as of late with the confidence beaming from both sides, but the million-dollar question in the room is who will prevail victorious.

Tune in and be part of this mega British Heavyweight Showdown on September 21, 2024, at Wembley Stadium in London, England.

Blaze

On The Watch “It’s All About Anthony Joshua vs Francis Ngannou”

Heavyweight Showdown

Last night’s Matchroom/DAZN/Queensberry Promotions Main Event between former Two-Time Heavyweight Champion Anthony Joshua (28-3, 25 Kos) and former UFC Heavyweight Champion Francis Ngannou (0-2) surpassed expectation by creating a type of crime scene scenario that brought the house down at Kingdom Arena, Riyadh, Saudi Arabia.

It was a very intriguing matchup that had every fight fan’s attention on edge but the highly motivated “Predator” in Francis, the immovable force had finally met a man superior than him inside that squared circle.

Ngannou and his team overplayed their hand and did not prepare for this type of force from AJ to be this strong on fight night. Ngannou’s overconfidence cost him dearly but the performance that Anthony brought inside that squared circle is exactly what was needed to be done to save boxing from any further embarrassment.

The former UFC Heavyweight Champion Francis Ngannou had envisioned himself knocking AJ out and to taking over the Heavyweight Division by storm from that point on but what transpired was the complete opposite. The laser focused AJ put the entire Heavyweight Division on his back and put the nonsense talk to bed by emphatically dropping “The Predator” three times on the night with the same vicious right hand that eventually put his lights out for good in the second round forcing the referee to officially wave the bout off.

Anthony walked it like he talked it and executed the “game plan” to a “T” and silenced all the naysayers out there who doubted the fact that he could pull this off in such a convincing fashion. Nobody in the MMA world has ever manhandled Ngannou this way prior to this beating but that being said, the respect was rightfully earned when Francis came back to his senses.

This version of Joshua under the leadership of Ben Davison is a dangerous man inside that squared circle and I can’t wait to see who his next target will be.

Until then, congratulations Anthony on another great performance.

Blaze

On The Watch “It’s All About Anthony Joshua vs Francis Ngannou”

Heavyweight Showdown

It has been officially announced! The former UFC Heavyweight Champion Francis Ngannou (0-1) will be getting another golden opportunity at derailing yet another highly ranked opponent in former Two-Time Heavyweight Champion Anthony Joshua (27-3, 24 Kos) from continuing his mission at regaining the Championship Titles he lost to current IBO/IBF/WBA/WBO/Ring Magazine Unified Champion Oleksandr Usyk in year 2021.

Ngannou shut out the naysayers out when he made his professional Boxing debut last year against the “Gypsy King” WBC Heavyweight Champion Tyson Fury (34-0-1, 24 Kos) and nearly pulled what would have been the biggest upset by giving the “Gypsy King” the toughest challenge in his last five fights. Ngannou stood his ground on the night and proved to the Boxing World that he could compete with the best of them in the Heavyweight Division, Hands Down!

This is why we are here today. After a stellar performance against Fury in a controversial loss, Turki Alalshik of Saudi Arabia’s General Entertainment Authority, has taken upon himself to bring the intrigue to life by pinning AJ vs Ngannou for “Riyadh Season”.

The trash talking has already begun from Ngannou. Much has been said about AJ’s chin and punch resistance being questionable and Francis has made it a point that he will be looking to test AJ’s chin come fight night. Although Ngannou is a novice in the Boxing World he does believe he has the right amount of power to keep AJ down for good.

That being said, Anthony is well aware of the capabilities of his opponent but does not seem threatened or bothered but rather focussed on the task at hand. Joshua reiterated that his sole purpose is to dominate the Heavyweight Division once again and regain the Championship Titles he lost regardless of who stands in his way of his quest.

Both combatants look the part and have the goods to end the night in a dramatic fashion but the question remains who will prevail victorious on the night? Tune in and be part of one of the most captivating Heavyweight Throwdown Showdown on March 8, 2024, in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia.

Blaze

On The Watch “Anthony Joshua vs Otto Wallin”

Heavyweight Showdown

Tonight’s final PPV Showdown Main Event at the “Day of Reckoning” between former Two-Time Heavyweight Champion Anthony Joshua (27-3, 24 Kos) and Otto Wallin (26-2, 14 Kos) did not disappoint at the Kingdom Arena in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia.

With the pressure of success weighing heavily on his back, AJ made sure to bring his “A” game on the night and proceeded to bring the “Heat” to Otto straight from the jump. AJ knew the importance of this bout and stayed locked in with an accurate heavy jab that did the damage very early into the bout.

AJ looked sharp with calculated aggression that took Otto by surprise. Although Otto tried his best to stand his ground, AJ’s offensive approach prevented him from being able to assert himself in a competitive manner. AJ boxed beautifully and administered a one-sided beatdown round by round that was very impressive to watch.

AJ was systematically breaking his opponent down visibly having his way with him inside that squared circle. It was painfully obvious that the usually tough and durable Otto Wallin had absolutely no answer to derail Anthony inside that squared circle.

The inevitable was closing in and by the end of the fifth round, Otto’s corner had seen enough and prevented him from coming out in the sixth round giving AJ the win by technical knockout.

This was the type of performance that AJ’s fans were craving for. A strong and aggressive AJ that beats his opponents down in a convincing fashion. Just the type of performance needed to close out an amazing historical great night of boxing.

Well done Anthony, you played your position right and delivered on the biggest night of Boxing.

Blaze

On The Watch “It’s All About The Day of Reckoning”

Saudi Arabia Takeover

The “Day of Reckoning” Grand Event in Saudi Arabia was officially announced at yesterday’s press conference at OVO Arena Wembley in London, when they unveiled a lineup of unexpected warriors grouped together for a night of action to remember on December 23, 2023.

To no one’s surprise, leading up the substantial card in a doubleheader will be former Two-Time Heavyweight Champion Anthony Joshua (26-3, 23 Kos) going against tough and durable Otto Wallin (26-1, 14 Kos). Wallin has shown some serious improvement fight by fight, enough for AJ to be concerned about and not to be overlooked come fight night. AJ needs to have his “A” game on and to make sure to secure the win without any controversy. While in the Co-Main Event, two other former World Champions in Deontay Wilder (43-2, 42 Kos) and Joseph Parker (33-3, 23 Kos) will be looking to steal the show on the same night. Wilder will be looking to add another body to his high knockout ratio while Parker will be looking to upset the heavy favorite Wilder on the biggest stage of the night. Not an easy task but definitely one he signed up for.

Although the Main Event and the Co-Main Event are the main attractions for the night, the supporting cast to this card carry enough weight on their own to create some interesting outcomes to give this historical night that much more value for your buck.

There are a few notable names on the card looking to state their presence on the night.
Daniel Dubois (19-2, 18 Kos) will be looking to get back to his winning ways by challenging undefeated Heavyweight Jarrell Miller (26-0, 22 Kos). This is a noteworthy bout to keep an eye on. Dubois needs a solid win here to stay amongst the top of the Heavyweight Division while Miller needs a good win over a credible opponent to get himself back into the mix. Judging by how Miller came into the press conference talking all that sh*t, it’s clear Dude is looking for all that smoke with Dubois so expect some serious fireworks to pop off when those two collide inside that squared circle. Real Talk!

Undefeated WBA Light Heavyweight Champion Dmitry Bivol (21-0, 11 Kos) will be entering the ring for the first time this year to defend his Title against IBO Light Heavyweight Champion Lyndon Arthur (23-1, 16 Kos). An interesting matchup and a major step-up fight for Lyndon, but I personally don’t think that Lyndon is quite ready for that level of competition just yet but I do tip my “B” hat to him for taking this challenge on short notice.

Undefeated IBF Cruiserweight Champion Jai Opetaia (23-0, 18 Kos) will be looking to maintain his momentum by having to defend his Title for a second time against an undefeated challenger Ellis Zorro (17-0, 7kos) in a stay busy fight if you ask me.

Undefeated Heavyweight contender Filip Hrgovic (16-0, 13 Kos) will be looking to put up his IBF mandatory position on the line when he takes on Mark De Mori (41-2, 36 Kos). I see this one as a stay busy fight for Hrgovic.

Our own Canadian/Russian representative, undefeated Heavyweight contender Arslanbek Makhmudov (18-0, 17 Kos) will be going into a step-up bout with undefeated Heavyweight veteran Agit Kabayel (23-0, 15 Kos). This one should be a crowd pleaser for as long as it lasts.

My sleeper of the night will be undefeated Heavyweight contender Frank Sanchez (23-0, 16 Kos) who will be looking to silence the crowd once again when he takes on Junior Fa (20-2, 11 Kos). Another mark on his way to the top of the food chain.

This is a showcase type of an event that deserves our full attention so tune in Saturday December 23, 2023, from Riyadh, Saudi Arabia at the Kingdom Arena for an intriguing “Day of Reckoning” to be remembered. Some of these outcomes could affect the landscape of the Heavyweight Division if one is not careful.

Blaze

On The Watch “It’s All About Anthony Joshua vs Jermaine Franklin”

Heavyweight Showdown

Tonight’s Matchroom/DAZN Main Event between former Heavyweight Champion Anthony Joshua (25-3, 22 Kos) and Jermaine Franklin (21-2, 14 Kos) was a much-needed reception that AJ required to have in his own backyard at the 02 Arena, Greenwich, London, UK to uplift his spirit. Real Talk!

Everyone in attendance and me included expected to see AJ dispatch of his opponent in a very quick and destructive fashion but instead we got to see Anthony display a little of what he’s been working with alongside his new trainer Derrick James.

The detractors are going to be going for AJ’s head for not taking Jermaine out before the last bell but let’s keep it real AJ is on his third head trainer change and needed to execute the “game plan” at hand and build from there.

I personally would have appreciated seeing AJ being a little more aggressive in this bout but Franklin was not some chump who was inside that squared circle to lay down without a fight. Franklin did his best and stood up going toe to toe with the hulking AJ for 12 full rounds.

Franklin showed AJ no respect inside that squared circle but lacked the power to deter Anthony from having his way with his own stiff and heavy jab alongside some serious power combination shots as the rounds progressed. Had AJ sat on his punches with a little more aggression I believe he could have collected his 23rd knockout. Real talk!

At the completion of this bout, the Judges at hand scored it 118-111, 117-111 and 117-111 unanimously for Anthony Joshua. Although we didn’t get to see a destructive performance by Anthony, he did what was necessary to secure a much-needed win under his belt.

My personal opinion after watching this bout is that with Derrick James having more time with Joshua, I expect to see a much more improved and imposing Anthony in his next bout.

Blaze

On The Watch “It’s All About Oleksandr Usyk vs Anthony Joshua II”

IBO/IBF/WBA/WBO Heavyweight Rematch Challenge

Tonight’s Heavyweight Championship rematch between Undefeated Unified IBO/IBF/WBA/WBO Heavyweight Champion Oleksandr Usyk (20-0, 13 Kos) and former Heavyweight Champion Anthony Joshua (24-3, 22 Kos) in Jeddah, Saudi Arabia, definitely lived up to the hype.

This highly anticipated bout was a continuation from their last meeting but this time Joshua, with a new trainer by his side, performed exceptionally better then his last outing. This time around AJ had a much better “game plan” and proceeded to execute it well but Usyk with his country of Ukraine at war on his mind, fought with all his people on the back of his shoulders and performed remarkably well with the added pressure.

That being said, AJ’s “game plan” was the right way to go about it in this bout but as the rounds progressed AJ seemed to divert from the plan at hand at times as Usyk proved to be just as elusive with his boxing skill on full display figuring AJ out as the rounds advanced.

AJ had some moments where he had the upper hand but neglected to capitalize and finish the job as the bigger and stronger man inside that squared circle and those critical times were key to him having that window of success.

Usyk weathered the storm and fought through the adversity and like the great technical combatant that he is managed to turn things around while never losing focus or confidence inside that squared circle.

This bout was a much closer outing then their last encounter but the deciding factors to me were the championship rounds where Usyk separated himself from AJ by being the much busier combatant in the most important rounds.

Both combatants showed fatigue in the later rounds but Usyk closed it out with pure will and effort in my eyes. After 12 full rounds of none stop action, the Judges scored it 116-112, 115-113 for Usyk and 115-113 for Joshua giving the split decision win to Oleksandr Usyk.

With this second win over AJ under his belt, Usyk retained his IBO/IBF/WBA/WBO Heavyweight Championship belts and picked up the prestigious Ring Magazine belt for good measure.

Had Anthony stuck to the original “game plan” and not gassed out, we definitely could have seen a different outcome but the superior warrior in Oleksandr Usyk prevailed and completed the task at hand.

Congratulations Oleksandr on your latest accomplishment, well done.

Blaze

On The Watch “It’s All About Oleksandr Usyk vs Anthony Joshua”

IBO/IBF/WBA/WBO Heavyweight Rematch Challenge

It has officially been announced, the highly anticipated Heavyweight rematch between newly crowned undefeated unified IBO/IBF/WBA/WBO Heavyweight Champion Oleksandr Usyk (19-0, 13 Kos) and former Heavyweight Champion and challenger Anthony Joshua (24-2, 22 Kos), has now been set for August 20th in Jeddah, Saudi Arabia.

This bout is a very important bout for both combatants but more so for the Heavyweight Division in general as the winner of this bout will most likely be looking to unify the Division with WBC/Ring Magazine Heavyweight Champion Tyson Fury (32-0-1, 23 Kos).

That said, looking ahead is irrelevant at this point without first seeing the outcome of this rematch. Usyk has proven to all the naysayers that he is a legit Heavyweight worthy of the Heavyweight Crown by the way he systematically broke down Anthony round by round in their previous outing. Usyk is a very skillful combatant with the attributes to adapt to any scenario. A focussed Usyk is a difficult man to beat inside that squared circle.

That said, AJ will need to produce the right “game plan” in order to beat this version of the “War Machine” dedicated to representing his country by all means necessary. With a new trainer, Robert Garcia now running the camp, I anticipate a more aggressive, active, focussed and better prepared AJ to be ready to do whatever it takes to be victorious on August 20th in Jeddah, Saudi Arabia.

We already know what Usyk will be bringing into that squared circle and judging by the odds makers favoring Usyk, they too are assuming a second victory over Anthony is inevitable. It will be up to AJ to defy all odds and execute the right plan at hand to avenge his loss and recapture the missing belts from his previous conqueror.

So much at stake and so many questions, tune in on DAZN Saturday August 20th from Jeddah, Saudi Arabia to see who will reign supreme when the “Rage of the Red Sea” settles.

Blaze

On The Watch “It’s All About Anthony Joshua vs Oleksandr Usyk”

IBO/IBF/WBA/WBO Heavyweight Challenge

Tonight’s Matchroom Main Event at the Tottenham Hotspur Stadium in London, England was a disappointing outcome in my eyes when Heavyweight Champion Anthony Joshua (24-2, 22 Kos) succumbed to the former Cruiserweight Unified Champion turned Heavyweight Oleksandr Usyk (19-0, 13 Kos) by a unanimous decision on home turf. Unbelievable!!

Usyk, the former Unified Cruiserweight Champion walked it like he talked it and moved up to the Heavyweight Division and after only two Heavyweight bouts under his belt dethroned the No. 1 Unified Heavyweight Champion Anthony Joshua by handing him a schooling display of Boxing 101.

AJ the hulking Heavyweight had his moments throughout the bout but severely neglected to impose his own physical attributes when needed. AJ let the smaller man in Usyk have his own way with him inside that squared circle and it cost him dearly round after round.

Usyk’s “game plan” was simple but effective. He boxed and moved for 12 rounds and accumulated enough points to outduel the gun-shy Heavyweight Champion Anthony Joshua. Usyk the visible smaller man inside that squared circle had absolutely no fear in his eyes and proceeded to put hands on AJ all night handing him the most embarrassing loss that could have easily been avoided had AJ presented a better effort inside that squared circle.

Real Talk, AJ got his ass handed to him tonight hands down. After 12 full rounds of action the Judges scored it 117-112, 116-112, 115-113 all in favor for the New Unified Heavyweight Champion Oleksandr Usyk.

With Usyk now being the New Unified Heavyweight Champion, the Heavyweight Division has once again taken a massive blow, leaving AJ contemplating his next move. There’s going to be a lot of soul searching on this one for AJ cause this loss right here is a game changer.

Congratulation to Usyk for conquering yet again another Division in an emphatic fashion.

Although a rematch clause is most likely to be executed by AJ, I personally think he needs to re-evaluate that option because another performance like this could well be detrimental to the rest of his career.

Just my thoughts.

Blaze