On The Watch “It’s All About Devin Haney vs Ryan Garcia”

WBC Junior Welterweight Showdown

It has been officially announced! WBC Junior Welterweight Champion Devin Haney (31-0, 15 Kos) will be defending his newly acquired Championship belt against Ryan Garcia (24-1, 20 Kos) at the Barclays Center in Brooklyn, New York, Saturday night April 20, 2024, on DAZN PPV.

Both combatants came to the press conference talking real greasy about one another, but truth be told both Dudes are willing to back every word up. They’ve met in the amateur ranks 6 times in the past and duked it out, splitting the encounters to three apiece. The deciding factor will now be settled on the professional stage with a high pay day, the WBC Junior Welterweight Title and the bragging rights all at stake come fight night.

Devin is the proven Champion and warrior at this point in their respective careers to date. It will be up to Ryan to prove the naysayers wrong by bringing his best performance ever inside that squared circle to even have a chance at defeating the Champ on the big night.

Both combatants are out there promising knockouts on the night creating the intrigue of two young fighters willing to put it all on the line this early in their careers. A big statement will be made on the night. At first sight, Devin looks to be the better skilled and battle-tested combatant while Ryan will be looking at his speed and power along with the right “game plan” to prevail on the night. That being said, the pressure falls more heavily on Ryan’s shoulders than Devin’s to show up correct and focused on a career defining moment as this is a must win fight for “KingRy”.

Tune in Saturday night April 20, 2024, at the Barclays Center in Brooklyn, New York live on DAZN PPV and witness the outcome of this interesting Junior Welterweight Showdown.

Blaze

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 Gervonta Davis vs Rolando Romero”

WBA “Regular” Lightweight Showdown

Last night’s PBC/Showtime PPV Main Event between WBA “Regular” Lightweight Champion Gervonta “Tank” Davis (27-0, 25 Kos) and challenger Rolando “Rolly” Romero (14-1, 12 Kos) packed the house at the Barclays Center with an attendance of 18,970 in the building.

Both combatants, known for having power, started the first round with caution reading each other’s movements while setting up their “game plan” into motion.

While the fans in attendance were expecting bombs to be flying left and right from the jump, I knew to expect the opposite considering the last thing you want to do is rush Davis inside that squared circle. There are levels to this boxing sh*t and last night Davis proved just that.

While the bout seemed close round by round it was Davis who seemed to be sticking to the “game plan”, patiently waiting for the opportunity to strike with purpose.

“Rolly” started the bout with a good stiff jab but got away from it as the rounds progressed trying to land something hard with every punch thrown. “Rolly” is a big kid with size and power but lacked the discipline and the right fundamentals to compete with an “A” level type of combatant like “Tank”.

That being said, “Tank” fought a smart fight relying on his boxing IQ to dictate the action inside the squared circle. By the way “Rolly” was throwing reckless wide haymakers, it was only a matter of time before “Tank” landed something significant enough to do damage and in round six, the inevitable happened when Gervonta landed a blast of a counter left hand straight to the dome sending Rolando down into the ropes struggling to get back up during the 8 count prompting the referee to have a real good look at him. Since Rolando was visibly hurt and still on shaky legs, the bout was instantly stopped for not being able to respond to the referee’s command in a convincing manner.

“Rolly” talked a good game and pressed the action at times but it was “Tank” who walked it like he talked it and closed the show in an emphatic fashion. With this definite win, Gervonta retained his WBA “Regular” Lightweight Title.

Congratulations Gervonta on another great win. I can’t wait to see who signs up to be the next contestant to grace that ring opposite of you.

Blaze

On The Watch “It’s All About Marcus Browne vs Jean Pascal”

Interim WBA Light Heavyweight Challenge

Last night, on FOX at the Barclays Center in Brooklyn, Jean Pascal (34-6-1, 20 Kos) jumped right back into the Light Heavyweight contention by overcoming previously undefeated and Interim WBA Light Heavyweight Champion Marcus Browne (23-1, 16 Kos) by an eight round technical decision, due to a clash of heads from which Marcus suffered a severe cut over his left eye that then prompted the Dr. and the Referee to stop the bout.

This bout was shaping up to be a very interesting matchup. I would have liked to see it through the entire 12 rounds. Before the clash of heads, this bout was tight from start to finish. Marcus, who seemed to be controlling the bout and throwing more punches, still managed to get dropped by Pascal in the fourth round and then twice in the seventh round. Real Talk!

To me, Pascal was getting out-boxed at times but his heavy shots and clear-cut knock downs were to emphatic to overlook. It seemed to me that Browne’s punch resistance was particularly weak on that night and Pascal made sure to take advantage of it and made it count whenever the opening presented itself.

Once the bout went to the scorecards, all three Judges scored their fight identically, 75-74 across the panel for Pascal.

This surprise upset to Browne is a major hit considering Marcus was attempting to make the first defense of the WBA Interim Light Heavyweight Title. Personally, I’m thinking Marcus will ask to run it back one more time with Pascal if he has any plans on staying in contention in the top Light Heavyweight Division.

That being said, congratulations are in order to Pascal. With this win, Pascal is now the New WBA Interim Light Heavyweight and WBC “silver” Light Heavyweight Champion. With these two belts in his possession, Pascal has the option of a rematch with WBA Super Light Heavyweight Champion Dmitry Bivol (16-0, 11 Kos) or a bout with WBC Light Heavyweight Champion Oleksandr Gvozdyk (17-0, 14 Kos). These are two very tough opponents sitting at the top of the Light Heavyweight Division.

The choice is yours Pascal now which avenue will you be taking?

Blaze

On The Watch “It’s All About Deontay Wilder vs Dominic Breazeale”

WBC Heavyweight Challenge

Last night’s Main Event at the Barclays Center in Brooklyn, New York was another highlight reel for the WBC Heavyweight Champion Deontay Wilder (41-0-1, 40 Kos). Real Talk!

The “Bronze Bomber” handled his mandatory challenger Dominic “Trouble” Breazeale (20-2, 18 Kos) in a demoralizing fashion with a ruthless one-punch knockout at 2:17 of the very first round. The sh*t was straight out of a video game. Night Night!

This sh*t had way more hype in the build-up of the fight then the actual bout. Breazeale talked a good game and spoke of strategies and all that but, real talk, when that bell rung, Breazeale’s “Game Plan” went out the ring once Deontay connected with that straight right hand. Lights out!

I was hoping to see some rounds out of Breazeale and see what Deontay had been working on but clearly, Wilder had a different agenda and called it an early night. (Dude had an after party he needed to attend and he had to make sure he was clean ).

With a destructive performance like this, Deontay reaffirms his stance as the hardest hitting Heavyweight in the game today. He may not be the most polished Heavyweight, but one thing is for sure, his power in both hands, is real.

Until then, congratulations on your win Champ. I can’t wait to see who signs up for that contract next.

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

On The Watch “It’s All About Keith Thurman vs Josesito Lopez”

WBA “Super” Welterweight Challenge

Fresh off his 22-month layoff, Keith “One Time” Thurman (29-0, 22 Kos) successfully defended his WBA “Super” Welterweight Title against tough and rugged Josesito Lopez (36-8, 19 Kos) last night at the Barclays Center in Brooklyn, New York.

Mr. “One Time” was surprisingly in a tough bout that took him all the way to the 12th round. Keith established himself early when he knocked down Josesito for an 8 count in the second round but was still unable to finish him off.

Lopez came to fight and didn’t let the second round deter him from the “game plan” at hand. He kept on coming forward and stalking the champ as much as he could and landed some heavy shots whenever he managed to connect.

Keith kept his jab, movement and his work rate on point. There were no real signs of ring rust but his stamina did look suspect at times. There was a significant scare in the 7th round when Lopez connected with a flurry of shots that had the champ hurt and retreating for the rest of the round.

This bout was closer then it looked and Josesito gave it a good run but Keith managed to compose himself and fought through the rough patches while still maintaining his early lead.

That being said, Keith outscored the game Josesito (113-113, 115-111 and 117-109) to retain his WBA “Super” Welterweight Belt by majority Decision.

It may not have been Thurman’s best performance to date but with a 22-Month layoff to speak of we’re happy to see him back in that squared circle with a win.

Now on to the next Champ.

Blaze

On The Watch “It’s All About Jermall Charlo vs Matt Korobov”

WBC Interim-Middleweight challenge

Jermall Charlo (29-0, 21Kos) retained his WBC Interim-Middleweight Title against a very worthy opponent Matt Korobov (28-2, 14 Kos) as the Main Event at the Barclays Center Brooklyn, New York.

This bout was a very competitive one considering Matt Korobov was a late replacement. Jermall had himself a real Middleweight challenge inside that squared circle tonight but he definitely rose to the occasion and performed exceptionally well.

Korobov showed up and performed from start to finish and kept things quite competitive round after round. He showed no fear and fought a good fight that kept the back and forth action quite interesting. Korobov showed durability with a very good Boxing IQ inside that squared circle. His counter punching was on point and had some pop to it that kept Jermall on his toes all night.

In my eyes, this bout was a lot closer than the Judges had it but Jermall’s power and heavy-fisted combination was certainly the equalizer that separated the two in the championship rounds. Jermall asserted his will when it counted and secured the win.

Congratulations Champ, now on to the next.

Blaze

On The Watch “It’s All About Jermell Charlo vs Tony Harrison”

WBC Super Welterweight Challenge

In a controversial outcome at the Barclays Center, Brooklyn, WBC Super Welterweight Champion Jermell Charlo (31-1, 15 Kos) suffered his first professional loss of his career to a unanimous decision to challenger Tony Harrison (28-2, 21 Kos).

All three Judges, scored it 116-112 115-113, 115-113 for Tony. Now no disrespect to any of the Judges working that bout tonight but real talk, what fight were they all watching? Don’t get it twisted, Tony fought a good technical fight that went back and forth at times but to say he was dominating Jermell throughout the rounds is an understatement.

It was definitely a good chess match between the two that certainly made it harder for Jermell then expected. That being said Jermell was the more aggressive fighter of the two constantly looking for that one punch knockout.

Controversy aside Tony stood his ground and fought a good one that certainly made it interesting inside that squared circle but to say it was a unanimous decision for Tony is very debatable. A rematch is unquestionably needed to clear the air on this one.

Until then, congratulations Tony on becoming the New WBC Super Welterweight Champion.

Your thoughts on this one?

Blaze

On The Watch “It’s All About Danny Garcia vs Shawn Porter”

WBC Welterweight Champion

“Showtime” Shawn Porter (29-2-1, 17 Kos) and Danny “Swift” Garcia (34-2, 20 Kos) showed up last night at the Barclays Center in Brooklyn and rocked the house just as expected.

Danny came out the gate as the aggressor but as the rounds got going Porter turned it around on Danny and reverted to his usual aggressive ways and started to step it up with his heavy work rate. It soon became clear just how active Porter is inside that squared circle. Real Talk!

Danny seemed to be the more accurate boxer at times and had the heavier punches but Porter was just too relentless with his tactics. His determination and hunger showed up as the rounds crept up.

It was a very close fight to call and exciting to watch and it could have easily been called a draw in my eyes but with that being said, you got to give it up to your Boy “Showtime” for staying true to himself and the game plan at hand. Porter went at it with a Grade “A” fighter in Danny and pulled it off when it counted the most.

Congratulations Shawn on becoming the New WBC Welterweight Champion of the World. With your call out of IBF Welterweight Champion Errol Spence Jr. (24-0, 21Kos), you’ve put the 147-Pound Division on notice and definitely looking for that “smoke” with the best of them. Real Talk!

I can’t wait to see how it all unfolds.

Blaze