On The Watch “It’s All About Joe Smith Jr.” vs Maxim Vlasov”

Vacant WBO Light Heavyweight Championship

Last night’s Top Rank Main Event card between Joe Smith Jr. (27-3, 21 Kos) and Maxim Vlasov at the Osage Casino in Tulsa, Oklahoma was better than I expected with a lot of action from start to finish.

Judging by how the bout was going from round to round, I personally believe that Joe underestimated Maxim’s boxing ability inside that squared circle. Maxim’s speed, constant movement and unorthodox style made Joe look amateurish at times.

That being said, whenever Joe did land his punches, he made sure Maxim felt every ounce of them. I gotta tip my “B” hat to Maxim for the way that he fought. This Dude is definitely tougher than he looks. He took Joe’s power punches well and kept it moving as the rounds were piling up.

Maxim’s durability kept things very interesting inside that squared circle. Maxim may not have had the power compared to Joe but he definitely boxed a great fight on the night. Maxim pressed Joe enough round by round to make things very difficult to call but to the Judges, Joe’s power shots may have been the defining factor.

After 12 rounds of non-stop action the Judges scored it 115-112, 115-113, 114-1114, majority decision all in favor of Joe Smith Jr. Personally, it was a very close bout that could have went either way.

With this win Joe Smith Jr. becomes the New WBO Light Heavyweight Champion of the world.

Congratulations Joe on your latest achievement, you have officially reached the top of the mountain. Now on to a Unification bout with IBF/WBC Light Heavyweight Champion Artur Beterbiev.

Blaze

On The Watch “It’s All About Jamel Herring vs Carl Frampton”

WBO Super Featherweight Title Defence

WBO Super Featherweight Champion Jamel Herring (23-2, 11 Kos) successfully defended his title for the third time against former two-Division Champion Carl Frampton (28-3, 16 Kos) at the Caesars Palace Bluewaters in Dubai, United Arab Emirates.

It was a beautiful performance by Jamel who executed their “game plan” to a “T”. Jamel fought with patience added with a sense of confidence never wavering as the rounds progressed.

Carl, who was slated as the favorite to win this bout, undauntingly overestimated Jamel’s capabilities inside that squared circle. Carl had absolutely no answer to Jamel’s offensive and calculated approach. Carl attempted to bully Jamel at times but found it very difficult to get pass Jamel’s long right and left jab and tight defence preventing Carl from landing anything significant.

That being said, Jamel controlled every round and scored a knock down in round 5 and round 6 that saw Frampton beat the count but visibly hurt when Jamel continued the uncontested onslaught, which had Frampton ready to concede on wobbly legs, forcing his corner to throw in the towel at the 1:40 mark in the sixth round.

Congratulations Jamel. This was by far your best performance to date as a Champion, now on to a Unification bout.

Blaze

On the Watch “It’s All About Alexander Povetkin vs Dillian Whyte 2”

WBC Interim Heavyweight Title Defence

Tonight’s Matchroom/DAZN rematch Main event at the Rock of Gibraltar between WBC Interim Heavyweight Champion Alexander Povetkin (36-3-1, 25 Kos) and Dillian Whyte (28-2, 19 Kos) was short and sweet for the challenger who walked it like he talked it and got his revenge inside that squared circle.

Dillian looked like a man on a mission from round one who had maximum violence written all over his body language. Dillian was focused and patient stalking his prey and pressuring Povetkin from all angles.

The early body shots from “The Body Snatcher” bothering Povetkin was a sign to me that it was going to be an early night for the champion. Povetkin looked shaky to me and possibly still feeble from contracting the Covid-19 virus prior to this bout. His punch resistance was non-existent.

That being said, Povetkin did attempt to regain some composure and tried to hold his ground as the rounds progressed but Dillian’s calculated movements and strong jabs prevented Povetkin from landing with anything significant enough to deter Dillian’s heavy shots coming his way.

Povetkin has been known to recover quickly in the past but in tonight’s round four that was not the case. Dillian went into “beast mode” and landed a devastating right hand to the dome of Povetkin that stunned him and had him on shaky legs into the ropes. Dillian then continued to administer a barrage of heavy punches that sent Povetkin down for the count which he beat, but his wobbly legs and body language were enough for the referee and his corner to throw in the towel to stop the fight.

Having been knocked out in the first showdown between them, this redemption win was a must at all cost. Dillian now reclaimed his WBC Interim Heavyweight Title and presumably resumed his much-anticipated mandatory position to fight for the full WBC Heavyweight Championship against the winner of the Anthony Joshua vs Tyson Fury bout.

Congratulations Dillian on redeeming yourself in an emphatic fashion.

Blaze

On The Watch “It’s All About Amanda Serrano vs Daniela Bermudez”

WBC/WBO Featherweight Title Defence

Last night’s Ring City USA Main Event at Plaza del Quinto Centenario, in Old San Juan, Puerto Rico, between WBC/WBO Featherweight Champion Amanda Serrano (40-1-1, 30 Kos) and Daniela Bermudez (29-4-3, 10 Kos) was a showcase type of event for the one they call “The Real Deal” Serrano. Real Talk!

There are levels to this Boxing sh*t and Amanda displayed just that when she dismantled from top to bottom her highly decorated three-division champ Daniela in such a convincing matter. Daniela stood her ground and exchanged leather from the jump but her unconventional stance and lack of adaptation cost her dearly when confronted with someone as seasoned as Amanda.

Amanda was visibly quicker and accurate with her punch selections and definitely had more sting at the end of it as well. Amanda’s inside game was very impressive as well, considering Daniela’s “game plan” was to keep Amanda close but clearly didn’t anticipate Amanda taking advantage of her inside game as easily as she did.

That being said, Daniela was outmatched and outgunned at every corner. Daniela was visibly defeated and ready to concede. The “End Game” was near and came in the 9th round when Amanda landed a two-punch unbearable body combination that led to a delayed reaction from Daniela who then took a knee and got counted out.

It was a beautiful display by Amanda. With this win she retained her WBC/WBO Featherweight Titles and picked up the vacant IBO Featherweight Belt. Job well done!

Congratulations Amanda on another Pound-for-Pound exceptional performance. the road to Undisputed is on your horizon.

Blaze

On The Watch “It’s All About Lawrence Okolie vs Krzysztof Glowacki”

 

 

 

 

 

 

Vacant WBO Cruiserweight Title

Matchroom added another Champion to their ever growing stable last night with Lawrence Okolie’s (16-0, 13 Kos) devastating win over Krzysztof Glowacki (31-3, 19 Kos) at the SSE Arena, Wembley.

Glowacki was by far the best opponent to date and Okolie asserted himself quite well inside that squared circle with pure dominance right from the jump.

Okolie showed much improvement under the tutelage of head trainer Shane McGuigan. Okolie looked more polished and a better all-rounded fighter with added patience that benefitted his already God given power.

Although Glowacki had the experience factor in his favor, it was Okolie’s ring generalship that controlled the rounds. Okolie’s power punches and calculated movements prevented Glowacki from settling into any type of effective offence. And when Glowacki did connect with anything substantial it had absolutely no effect on Okolie.

Okolie’s head and body attack were quite visibly affecting Glowacki who was surprisingly struggling at landing anything significate. Round by round Okolie was picking up the pace and laying some serious leather on top of Glowacki visibly tiring body.

That said, the “End Game” came in quickly in the sixth round when Okolie landed a destructive, well- placed right hand that took Glowacki out for the count and prompted the referee to stop the bout as he attempted to beat the count.

With only 16 fights under his belt, Okolie has officially arrived to the “Winner’s circle”. He may not be quite the finished product just yet but he does stand here tonight has the New WBO Cruiserweight Champion of the World.

Congratulations Lawrence, job well done.

Blaze

On The Watch “It’s All About Artur Beterbiev vs Adam Deines”

IBF/WBC Light Heavyweight Title Defence

Tonight’s Top Rank Main Event was business as usual for the Defending IBF/WBC Light Heavyweight Champion Artur Beterbiev (16-0, 16 Kos) against Adam Deines (19-2-1, 10 Kos) at the Megasport Sports Palacein Moscow, Russia.

Beterbiev, who hadn’t graced the squared circle in over 17 months, did look a little rusty but definitely showed his power was still intact when he dropped Deines early in the first round for a quick 8 count.

Beterbiev looked like he wanted to get some rounds in the way he was going in round after round. I don’t blame him for that because he was coming off a serious layoff, a rib injury, and a case COVID. All of these factors would affect your performance.

That being said, Beterbiev handled himself in a professional manner and showed up in tip top shape as usual and asserted himself quite well under the circumstances. Beterbiev applied steady pressure round by round – cutting off the ring effectively but never getting out of first gear.

That said, as the rounds were piling up, Deines did do well at spots and tried to deter the heavy onslaught of  punches that was coming his way with some heavy hands from Beterbiev. It was clear from round one that Deines simply wasn’t strong enough to deal with Beterbiev’s power. Hands down!

The “End Game” was near and in the 10th round Beterbiev did just that when he dropped Deines with a heavy astonishing right hand perfectly placed that rocked his head down for the count that prompted Deines’ corner to stop the fight. Just like that, Beterbiev’s perfect knockout streak continues to 16-0, 16 Kos.

This win may not have been Beterbiev’s best work to date but he did retain his IBF/WBC Light Heavyweight Titles.

Congratulations Artur! Hopefully a unification bout is on the horizon.

Blaze

On The Watch “It’s All About Juan Francisco Estrada vs Roman Gonzalez 2”

WBA/WBC Super Flyweight Unification

Last night’s highly anticipated rematch between Juan Francisco Estrada (42-3, 28 Kos) and Roman Gonzalez (50-3, 41 Kos) at the American Airlines Arena was well worth the “Hype”. Real Talk!

This DAZN/Matchroom Main Event was blazing from start to finish. These two warriors picked up right where they left off back in November 2012. Both threw non-stop leather with controlled aggression coming from both sides.

Neither warrior backed down, however, as the rounds wore on Roman, seemed to be landing the more telling punches. It was a tight bout to call with enough action that had the fans in attendance standing and screaming on their feet. The combination punches were coming in abundance from Roman while Juan attempted to control the distance and returning heat with similar aggression.

There was so much leather being thrown inside that squared circle from both combatants that they had a combined record of 2,529 total punches thrown in a Super Flyweight Division bout to date. The bar was seriously raised in this Super Flyweight bout last night.

That being said, two Judges on the night scored it 117-111, 115-113 for Juan Francisco while one Judge had it 115-113 for Roman. I’m perplexed by the 117-111 score of that particular Judge cause truth be told, neither one of the combatants deserved a ridiculous score like this. Real talk!!

Score card aside, this bout could have gone either way. Juan won his revenge match and in doing so retained his WBC Belt collected Roman’s WBA Super Belt and picked up the prestigious Ring Magazine Belt for good measure. Not bad for a revenge match.

Congratulations Juan on your great win, you worked extremely hard for this one. Enjoy the fruits of your labour, you deserve it.

Blaze

On The Watch “It’s All About Jessica McCaskill vs Cecilia Braekhus”

Undisputed Welterweight Championship

Last night’s DAZN/Matchroom co-Main Event Undisputed Welterweight Championship rematch showdown at the American Airlines Arena between Jessica McCaskill (10-2, 3 Kos) and Cecilia Braekhus (36-2, 9 Kos) was a dominant performance by the Champion. Real Talk!

Jessica, who was the first to dethrone the “First Lady” back in August 2020, in what many have called a controversy win, proved last night that her previous victory over Cecilia was justified when she convincingly sealed the deal the second time around.

Jessica asserted herself from round one and never took her foot off the gas pedal and stayed in attack mode dropping heavy leather from all angles. This surprising fast pace that had Cecilia confused, off balance and unable to settle into her own offence all night.

I’m not sure what the “game plan” was for Cecilia but it was very unexpected to see someone with such a high boxing IQ struggle the way she did inside that squared circle. Cecilia did manage to apply some pressure in the later rounds but the damage was already sealed.
The Judges had seen enough and scored it 100-89, 99-90, 98-91 in favor of Jessica.

With this unanimous decision Jessica silenced all the naysayers and retained her WBA, WBC, WBO, IBF, IBO and collected the prestigious Ring Magazine Championship Belt and still Undisputed Welterweight Champion of the World.

Congratulations Jessica on such a great victory.

Blaze

On The Watch “It’s All About David Benavidez vs Ronald Ellis”

WBC Super Middleweight Title Eliminator

It was another strong showing for David Benavidez (24-0, 21 Kos) at last night’s Showtime Boxing Main Event card at the Mohegan Sun Casino in Uncasville, Connecticut when he battled Ronald Ellis (18-2-2, 12 Kos) in a WBC Super Middleweight Title Eliminator.

Ellis made it fight for as long as he could but soon found out that Benavidez is a serious problem inside that squared circle. Outside looking in, many competitors think that Benavidez is nothing special with no real special effects to his style, but once that bell rings, they find out really quickly that the kid is strong and very effective with his non-stop offence. Benavidez won’t dazzle you with his footwork but he will cut the ring on you and apply that pressure from round one until the end of the fight.

That being said, Ellis fell victim to the same circumstances when it was painfully evident that the punishment Ellis was absorbing round after round would eventually wear him down. Ellis boxed and moved well and definitely made it interesting but the heavy combinations and deadly body and head shots that Benavidez was administering on Ellis forced the referee to ultimately jump in and stop the bout in the 11th round.

Benavidez is a top 168-Pounder who can no longer be avoided by any of the other top contenders in the Division. With this win Benavidez is one step closer at reclaiming his WBC Super Middleweight Title he lost on the scale by not making weight in the last fight.

Benavidez is now officially the new mandatory challenger to Canelo Alvarez’s WBC Super Middleweight Title. With that in mind Benavidez has no shortage of confidence and truly believes he’s the man who will dethrone Canelo from the No. 1 Spot.

This is an interesting bout between the two that needs to happen but with Canelo’s quest of unifying the Super Middleweight Division this year, we may have to wait to see this intriguing clash come into fruition.

Until then keep piling up the wins David.

Blaze

On The Watch “It’s All About The 70th 2021 NBA All-Star Game”

This year, the 70th annual NBA All-Star Game will be hosted in Atlanta, Georgia at the State Farm Arena on Sunday night March 7, 2021. Due to the Covid-19 pandemic still looming in the world, and unlike past All-Star weekends, the usual entertainment like the Skills Challenge, 3-Point Contest and Dunk Contest will all take place on the same night as the NBA All-Star Game. The 3-Point Contest and the Skills Challenge will be preceding the game while the Dunk Contest will take place at the halftime break of the NBA All-Star game.

Once again, the league is maintaining the Draft-Style format and the starters were chosen by the fans while the rest of the squad was selected by the media and current players. That said the Western leading vote-getter from the fans is Los Angeles Lakers’ LeBron James and the Eastern leading vote-getter from the Brooklyn Nets’ Kevin Durant will serve as Captains of their respective conferences.

Representing the Eastern Conference Starters this year are

-Kevin Durant (Brooklyn Nets) Team Captain (injured)
-Kyrie Irving (Brooklyn Nets)
-Kawhi Leonard (Los Angeles Clippers)
-Joel Embiid (Philadelphia 76ers)
-Bradley Beal (Washington Wizards)
-Jason Tatum (Boston Celtics) (selected as replacement for injured Kevin Durant)

Reserves

-James Harden (Brooklyn Nets)
-Devin Booker (Phoenix Suns) (selected as a replacement for injured Anthony Davis)
-Zion Williams (New Orleans Pelicans)
-Zack LaVine (Chicago Bulls)
-Julius Randle (New York Knicks)
-Nikola Vucevic (Orlando Magic)
-Donovan Mitchell (Utah Jazz)
-Anthony Davis (Los Angeles Lakers) (injured)

Coach Doc Rivers (Philadelphia 76ers)

Representing the Western Conference Starters this year are

-LeBron James (Los Angeles Lakers) Team Captain
-Giannis Antetokounmpo (Milwaukee Bucks)
-Stephen Curry (Golden State Warriors)
-Luka Doncic (Dallas Mavericks)
-Nikola Jokic (Denver Nuggets)

Reserves

-Damian Lillard (Portland Trail Blazers)
-Chris Paul (Phoenix Suns)
-Jaylen Brown (Boston Celtics)
-Paul George (Los Angeles Clippers)
-Domantas Sabonis (Indiana Pacers)
-Rudy Gobert (Utah Jazz)
-Ben Simmons (Philadelphia 76ers)

Coach Quin Snyder (Utah Jazz)

“King of the Court” will be up for grabs once again come Sunday night March 7, 2021 on NBA TNT. Which Squad will claim “GAME” when it’s all said and done?

Tune in and take in all the festivities of this entertaining night!

Blaze