On The Watch “It’s All About Maria Cecilia Roman vs Ebanie Bridges”

IBF Bantamweight Challenge

Tonight’s Matchroom/DAZN Co Main Event between long reigning IBF Bantamweight Champion Maria Cecilia Roman (16-6-1) and well-liked Australian star Ebanie Bridges (8-1, 3 Kos) was an exciting showdown that definitely brought some “hype” at the First Direct Arena in Leeds, England.

Ebanie brought the “heat” early and kept her hands busy by staying aggressive with some very good punch output from head to body. Ebanie boxed beautifully and stayed one step ahead at all corners in the first half of the bout.

That being said, Maria wasn’t the longest reigning Champion for no reason. Maria proceeded to utilized her experience in the second half of the bout to slowly regain some ground. The two combatants exchanged leather for leather going back and forth but it was Ebanie’s higher work rate throughout the bout that clearly separated the two warriors in my eyes.

As we got closer to the championship rounds fatigue started to show on Ebanie giving Maria a better chance at reclaiming some much needed rounds but Ebanie’s sheer will to stay alert and bang with the Champ carried her all the way to the later rounds.

After 10 full rounds of exciting action the Judges scored it 100-91, 97-93, 97-93 all in favor for the New IBF Bantamweight Champion Ebanie Bridges.

Aside from the Judge who scored it 100-91, the right combatant definitely won the bout. Hands Down.

Ebanie’s early work rate and good boxing paid dividends tonight, although she tired near the end, she boxed a good fight and showed much improvement on the biggest night of her career to date.

Congratulations Ebanie – you have now entered the Winner’s Circle of Champions.

Blaze

On The Watch “It’s All About Blair Cobbs vs Alexis Rocha”

Welterweight Showdown

Last night the fast talking, trash talking Welterweight prospect Blair Cobbs (15-1-1, 10 Kos) got himself humbled when he took on Alexis Rocha (19-1, 13 Kos) inside that squared circle as the Main Event of the night at the USC Galen in Los Angeles, California on the Golden Boy/DAZN card.

Cobbs talked the talk but clearly underestimated his opponent when he first stepped foot inside that squared circle. Cobbs boxed and moved not looking too concerned about his opponent, right until he got caught and chin checked in the second round which opened up a clear flaw in Cobbs defense as the rounds progressed.

Alexis’ left hand was landing at will all night clearly rocking Cobbs who then started to move way too much to win any rounds. Cobbs was having some serious problems figuring out Alexis who was growing stronger as the rounds progressed.

Alexis’ “game plan” was simple but effective. His patience and steady aggressive approach troubled Cobbs enough to land another hard left chin checked and dropped Cobbs for a quick 8 count in the eighth round. Cobbs, who was clearly hurt struggled heavily to survive the end of the round.

The “End Game” was near and in the ninth round a visibly weakened Cobbs continued to absorb a burst of unanswered punches from body to head and again chin checked out on his feet prompting the referee to call an end to the bout.

Prior to the bout, Alexis had promised to hurt Blair inside that squared circle but went a step further and silenced the flamboyant one permanently.

This bout was a reality check for Cobbs who prior to the bout was calling out the top Welterweights in the Division. There are levels to this Boxing sh*t and this one showed you where you at, but it’s nothing you can’t bounce back from. Keep your head up Blair.

As for Alexis, congratulations on your convincing win keep up the momentum.

Blaze

On The Watch “It’s All About Leigh Wood vs Michael Conlan”

WBA Featherweight Title Defence

Tonight’s Matchroom/DAZN Main Event between WBA Featherweight Champion Leigh Wood (26-2, 16 Kos) and Michael Conlan (16-1, 8 Kos) at the sold-out Nottingham Arena, Nottingham, Nottinghamshire, UK, surpassed all my expectations and definitely lived up to the hype. Real Talk!

This bout started out with a bang straight from the jump with Conlan catching Leigh with an overhand left straight to the chin dropping him for a quick 8 count in the first round that had him shook and on the recovery for quite a few rounds. Conlan looked fresh and very accurate in the early rounds boxing circles around Leigh but the Champion in Wood bravely stood his ground and fought through the rough patches one round at a time.

As the second half of the bout progressed Leigh started regaining some ground capitalizing on Conlan who was looking visibly fatigued as the later rounds developed.
Although Leigh himself looked to be on shaky legs at times, Wood never stopped pressing the action and continued to apply pressure that showed cause and effect whenever he kept his hands busy enough to trouble Conlan to retreat to the ropes looking for a way out.

By the championship rounds, Leigh continued his pressure on Conlan by simply outworking him at every corner and eventually evened the odds by dropping Conlan with a left hook to the dome for a quick 8 count near the end of the 11th round.

In the final 12th round, Leigh pressured Conlan once again to the ropes and proceeded to unleash a barrage of unanswered punches that eventually knocked out Conlan between the ropes and out of the ring which then prompted the referee to wave an end to the bout.

These types of bouts, when a combatant has to come from behind and worked their way back one round at a time to finish the bout in a convincing fashion, is what builds Champions in my eyes, and tonight Leigh Woods did just that to secure his Championship Title. Unbelievable performance! I tip my “B” hat to both combatants for giving us fans an incredible show.

Congratulations Leigh on retaining your WBA Featherweight Title. You had to dig deep for this one and came out on top. Job well done Champ.

Blaze

On The Watch “It’s All About Roman Gonzalez vs Julio Cesar Martinez”

Vacant WBC Diamond Junior Bantamweight Title

Last night’s Matchroom/DAZN Main Event at the Pechanga Arena in San Diego, California was initially supposed to be a highly anticipated third rematch between WBA “Super” Junior Bantamweight Champion Juan Francisco Estrada (42-3, 28 Kos) and former Four Division World Champion Roman Gonzalez (51-3, 41 Kos), however due to Juan Francisco testing positive for Covid-19 back in January he had no choice but to withdraw. In order to save the card replacement combatant Flyweight WBC champion Julio Cesar Martinez (18-2, 14 Kos) moved up in weight on a six weeks’ notice to challenge “Chocolatito”.

While many boxing pundits envisioned that the younger and fresher Martinez would be too much for the aging warrior, fans in attendance received a hell of show when Gonzalez handed the Flyweight young gunner a clinical beating from rounds 1 to 12.

Experience, timing and controlled aggression with precise accurate punches were all on display when “Chocolatito” easily dismantled the overmatched but tough warrior Martinez.

Martinez stood his ground and fought well at times but lacked the right “game plan” or the experience to deter the crafty veteran from having his way with him inside that squared circle.

Gonzalez owned the ring last night and looked like a rejuvenated combatant who had found the fountain of youth by the way he fought and moved inside that squared circle.

Although Martinez came in well over the contractual Junior Bantamweight limit of 115 lbs, the added weight had absolutely no effect on Gonzalez who withstood the power punches coming his way with no real issues and simply outworked the bigger fighter.

After 12 full rounds of action the Judges scored it 118-110, 117-111, 116-112 all in favor of Roman Gonzalez.

This was an exceptional performance by the aging warrior who proved to still have the goods to the get the job done. I’m not sure how much “juice” Gonzalez has left at this point in his career but a rescheduled rematch with WBA “Super” Junior Bantamweight Champion Juan Francisco Estrada would definitely keep that fire blazing for one more unique show if a final curtain call was ever to be in his near future.

Until then congratulations Roman on another brilliant display of skills.

Blaze

On The Watch “It’s All About Chris Colbert vs Hector Luis Garcia”

WBA Super Featherweight Title Eliminator

Last night’s Showtime/PBC/TGB Promotions Main Event between highly favourite and undefeated Chris Colbert (16-1, 6 Kos) and undefeated Hector Luis Garcia (15-0, 10 Kos, 3 NC)
brought quite the show to the Cosmopolitan of Las Vegas, Nevada.

Hector Luis Garcia who came in as a late replacement due to the original opponent WBA Super Featherweight Champion Roger Gutierrez forced to withdraw after testing positive for Covid-19, stepped up to the plate and embraced this opportunity with open arms and the right “game plan” at hand.

Hector came out the gate with aggressive but controlled pressure, landing some heavy gloves from head to body that clearly caught Chris off guard right from the jump. Hector boxed with a sense of confidence round after round showing absolutely no fear to his opponent. As a late replacement, Hector looked quite prepared for everything Chris had to offer inside that squared circle.


That said, it was clear to me as the rounds progressed that Chris noticeably underestimated his opponent and although he talked a good game prior to the bout, his performance last night lacked that quick twitch and high-rated type action that Colbert is known for.

Chris’ usual tight defence was a no-show last night by the way he was getting touched up and due to him being overzealous at times, Chris succumbed to his fist knockdown by a clean left hand that landed flush on his chin, down for a quick 8 count.

Chris was outgunned and overmatched by Hector who simply outworked the No. 1 ranked WBA Super Featherweight on his biggest night of his career to date.

After 12 full completed rounds, the Judges scored it 118-109, 118-109 and 119-108 all in favor of Hector Luis Garcia.

Congratulations on your latest and highly convincing win Hector, you have now earned the right to challenge WBA Super Featherweight Champion Roger Gutierrez (23-3, 20 Kos).

Can’t wait to see the outcome of that particular bout.

Blaze

On The Watch “It’s All About Josh Taylor vs Jack Catterall”

IBF/WBC/WBA/WBO Undisputed Junior Welterweight Challenge

Tonight’s Undisputed Junior Welterweight Title defense between IBF/WBC/WBA/WBO and Ring Magazine Champion Josh Taylor (19-0, 13 Kos) and mandatory challenger Jack Catterall (26-1, 13 Kos) at the SSE Hydro in Glasgow, Scotland was a straight up ROBBERY to the challenger hands down.

No disrespect to the Champion Josh Taylor who brought it tonight and fought a tough bout but truth be told, Jack came in and defeated the Champion convincingly after 12 full rounds of action but unfortunately got robbed by the Judges on his biggest night inside that squared circle.

Jack came out the gate with confidence and the right “game plan” which was executed perfectly. Standing his ground round after round boxing beautifully while asserting himself as the better man throughout the entire bout and dropping Josh in the 8th round clearly putting Josh in the deficit by then.

Personally, I thought Josh looked weight drained and struggled to assert himself throughout the bout and looked desperate as the rounds progressed. Although the referee deducted a point in round 10 from Catterall, Jack was still comfortably in the lead in my eyes with the higher work rate and punch connection going his way.

That being said, this bout was very entertaining and clearly surpassed the expectation that most people anticipated considering everybody thought this was going to be a cake walk for Taylor. After 12 full rounds of non-stop action the Judges scored it 113-112 for Catterall, 114-111 for Taylor, and 113-112 for Taylor giving him the spit decision win. Unbelievable!

I’m sorry, I’m a big fan of Josh Taylor but tonight homeboy clearly lost this bout hands down.
Jack put his paws all over him and fought a great fight and clearly deserved the win. This was another case of a straight up ROBBERY!! Real talk!

Jack did everything right and fought his heart out to secure the win but, in the end, got ROBBED by the Judges at hand. These three Judges should be barred from ever judging a sanction bout again. Real Talk!

Tonight, we should be celebrating the coronation of a new Undisputed Junior Welterweight Champion in Jack Catterall but instead the home grown Champion Josh Taylor reaped the benefits and retained his controversial Undisputed Crown.

These are the types of outcomes that gives Boxing a bad reputation.

Just my thoughts.

Blaze

On The Watch “It’s All About Amir Khan vs Kell Brook”

Grudge Match Supremacy

Tonight’s ESPN+/Ultimate Boxxer Grudge match Main Event between Amir Khan (34-6, 21 Kos) and Kell Brook (40-3, 28 Kos) finally came to a conclusion at the Manchester Arena in Manchester Lancashire, England.

This was a highly anticipated grudge match that was well overdue but definitely worth the wait. Amir talked a good game from day one and always felt he was the superior boxer to Brook considering both their careers to date but Kell stayed adamant that once they both graced that squared circle opposite each other that he would be the one to prevail with the victory.

Fast forward to tonight’s showdown and Kell stayed true to his prediction by stopping Amir Khan in the six round. Straight from the jump Kell kept his composure and asserted himself quite well in applying controlled aggression in the first round and visibly wobbling Khan with a mean left hand straight to the chin of Khan that had him hurt and on shaky legs until the end of the round.

As fast has Amir was with his hands, he didn’t look like he could handle Kell’s accurate and strong punches coming his way. Amir seemed shook at how strong Kell was inside that squared circle. Amir kept moving but looked like he was on shaky legs whenever Kell connected with anything flush.

As the rounds progressed it was clear to me that Khan had clearly thrown the original “game plan” out the window. Khan looked like an injured animal trying to survive with no clear path on how to adjust to Kell’s pressure.

That being said, Kell could see that Khan was breaking down and looking for a way out. The inevitable was bound to happen. In the sixth round Brook went in for the kill and applied a series of unanswered punches to the body and head of Amir Khan that prompted the referee to stop the bout at the time of 0:51 seconds of the round.

Although both combatants are clearly at the end of their respective careers, Brook showed himself and the rest of the sceptics out there that he still has the goods needed to take out Amir Khan and for that I tip my “B” hat to Kell for walking it like he talked it. Job well done Kell.

Congratulations Kell – you won this bout in a convincing fashion.

Blaze

On The Watch “It’s All About Keith Thurman vs Mario Barrios”

Welterweight Throwdown

Last night’s Premier Boxing Champion/Fox Pay-Per View Main Event between Keith Thurman (30-1, 22 Kos) and Mario Barrios (26-2, 17 Kos) at the Michelob Ultra Arena in Las Vegas was a very crowd-pleasing entertaining bout.

Keith, who hasn’t graced the squared circle in nearly two years, appeared in tip top shape and ready to rumble right from the first bell. Keith looked sharp, strong and very accurate with his punch selection. Going toe to toe with a big first timer in the Welterweight Division in Mario Barrios is not an easy task. Barrios looked strong and big as well at the weight and very rangy with his reach and height creating a stiff challenge to Keith.

That said Keith, boxed with confidence and clearly displayed a higher boxing IQ round by round. I gotta tip my “B” hat to Barrios for stepping into the lion’s den and taking on such a proven competitor as his first fight into the Division. As good of a boxer Mario is he was levels below the highly experience Thurman inside that squared circle. Barrios held his ground, fought well and proved that he will be a problem to the rest of the Welterweight Division.

Keith was on point last night, firing heavy shots from all angles and moved beautifully from round 1 to 12 without displaying any fatigue or ring rust. Quite impressive.

After 12 full rounds of action the Judges scored it 118-110, 118-110 and 117-111 all in favor of Keith Thurman.

Thurman needed to prove to the 147-Pound Division that he was back and last night’s performance was adequate enough but the question still remains: will he still have what it takes to dethrone the current Champions in IBF/WBC Errol Spence Jr. (27-0, 21 Kos), WBO Terence Crawford (38-0 29 Kos) and WBA Super Yordenis Ugas (27-4, 12 Kos) holding the belts?

Until then, congratulations Keith on your comeback win. I can’t wait to see who your next challenger will be.

Blaze

On The Watch “It’s All About Chris Eubank Jr. vs Liam Williams”

Middleweight Throwdown

Tonight’s grudge match between Chris Eubanks Jr. (32-2, 23 Kos) and Liam Williams (23-4-1, 18 Kos) at the Motorpoint Arena in Cardiff Wales got put to bed indefinitely.

Eubank Jr. got himself into a proper dust up with Liam and handled him accordingly. There was a lot of animosity going back and forth prior to the bout but things got settled fittingly inside that squared circle.

Chris came out the gate quite composed and proceeded with a proper “game plan” that saw the aggressive Williams get dropped in round 1, 2, 4 and 11. That said, Liam put up a good fight and stayed competitive but clearly underestimated Chris’ boxing abilities inside that squared circle.

Chris walked it like he talked it and proceeded to give Liam a proper beating for the trash talking he gave up prior to the bout. It was clear to me that Chris wanted to punish Liam round after round instead of knocking him out when it presented itself and in doing so gave Liam hope as the rounds progressed.

That being said, after 12 full rounds of action the Judges scored it 116-109, 116108 and 117109 all in favor of Chris Eubank Jr.

Haters will talk their talk as usual but truth be told Junior has showed mass improvement under the guidance of Roy Jones Jr. hands down.

With this convincing win Eubanks edges one step closer to a title shot either with the WBA where he is ranked No. 1 or with the WBC where he is ranked No. 3. with the governing bodies.

Until then, keep working on perfecting your craft, Chris.  Your time will come – just stay ready for that call.

Blaze

On The Watch “It’s All About Gary Russell Jr. vs Mark Magsayo”

WBC Featherweight Challenge

Last night’s Showtime Main Event between WBC Featherweight Champion Gary Russell Jr. (32-2, 18 Kos) and mandatory challenger (24-0, 16 Kos) at the Borgata Hotel Casino & Spa in Atlantic City, wasn’t as eventful as we anticipated the bout to be but we did witness the longest reigning active run by a male Champion in boxing come to an end.

It was evident by the low punch output by Gary in the first few rounds that there was something wrong with his shoulder. Gary who is known for throwing multiple punches in bunches was relegated to pot shotting with only his left hand. Although he connected at will whenever he threw it, the overall output just wasn’t there.

Magsayo did what every fighter should do when an opponent is clearly fighting with a visible injury and that is to capitalize on it. Magsayo applied pressure early with power punches coming from all angle.


Gary did a great job at being elusive throughout the bout making it hard on Magsayo to maintain his aggressive approach but the early rounds that Magsayo had already banked in cost him dearly down the line.

Magsayo was visibly the more aggressive fighter with clearly the punch output and connection on his side. Although Gary attempted to sway the Judges with his punch and move “game plan”, after 12 full rounds of action the Judges scored it 114-114, 115-113 and 115-113 for Mark Magsayo.

With this win Mark Magsayo now becomes the new WBC Featherweight Champion of the World.

Congratulations Magsayo on your latest achievement.

Blaze