On The Watch “It’s All About Luis Ortiz vs Charles Martin”

IBF Heavyweight Title Eliminator

Last night’s FOX Pay-Per-View/Premier Boxing Champions Main Event between “King Kong” Luis Ortiz (33-2, 28 Kos) and “Prince” Charles Martin (28-3-1, 25 Kos) at the Seminole Hard Rock Hotel and Casino in Hollywood, Florida was quite the interesting bout to bring in the New Year 2022.

Both combatants promised fireworks in this bout and the first one to let out a spark was Charles when he pressed the action in the first round and surprisingly dropped Ortiz for a quick 8 count that got the crowd in attendance fired up.

Being that both combatants are southpaws, Charles was the one who looked more comfortable at letting his hands go in the earlier rounds, disrupting Ortiz with a good solid jab that landed dead on the mark in the fourth round and dropped Ortiz once again for an 8 count but this time right before the bell.

Ortiz, clearly behind on points entering the fifth round, attempted to press the action and appeared to do enough with his own strong jab to win the round.

By the sixth round, Ortiz continued with his pressure and eventually caught Martin with a strong jab to the dome that had him frozen in the “Matrix” dead on his feet, oblivious to his surroundings. This prompted Ortiz to administer an onslaught of heavy shots that dropped Martin tangled into the ropes and the floor which forced a weird break in the heated action.

Once Martin was untangled by the referee, Ortiz when in for the kill with a series of unanswered body and head shots that dropped Martin for another 8 count that eventually urged the referee to stop the bout.

Ortiz had to dig deep coming off the canvas twice in this bout to pull this one off but “King Kong” prevailed and got the job done in a convincing fashion.

With this win, Ortiz is now the mandatory challenger to the IBF Title held by Heavyweight Unified Champion Oleksandr Usyk (19-0, 13 Kos). That being said Ortiz made it real clear last night after the bout that if any Heavyweight wants to fight for the IBF Heavyweight Title they will have to go through “King Kong” to get that opportunity.

With Ortiz getting up there in age, nearly three months shy of his 43rd birthday, the competitors are probably thinking the time is now to get Ortiz out of the way. The trap is set, now let’s see who signs up for the challenge.

Blaze

On The Watch “It’s All About Artur Beterbiev vs Marcus Browne”

IBF/WBC Light Heavyweight Championship Challenge

Last night’s GYM Promotion/Top Rank Main Event between IBF/WBC Light Heavyweight Champion Artur Beterbiev (17-0, 17 Kos) and Marcus Browne (24-2, 16 Kos) at the Bell Centre, Montreal, Quebec, Canada was the only bout on a horrendous card that made any sense. Real Talk!

No disrespect but whoever put this card together did a horrible job. None of these matchups on the card were competitive, that is until the Main Event.

The tough and durable Artur Beterbiev suffered an early cut in the fourth round when an accidental clash of heads cut him and Marcus up but saw Artur suffer the worst of it. Blood was gushing nonstop from Artur’s forehead blinding him at times, but it did not deter him from proceeding with the task at hand.

Marcus, who had a very good “game plan” kept poking in and out with a good jab and constantly moving, frustrating Artur. It was the type of “game plan” that required 100 % of your concentration and stamina to maintain throughout the night.

That being said, Artur kept his composure and continued to administer enough pressure with his heavy punches coming from all angles to slowly wear Marcus down round after round. Once Marcus felt the thumping power of Artur’s punches the original “game plan” went out the window.

Artur’s head to body attack eventually dropped Marcus in the seventh round for a quick 8 count but judging from the body language Marcus was displaying, the inevitable was near and by the ninth round a series of unanswered body shots dropped Marcus again. This time Marcus did not respond to the count forcing the referee to stop the bout.

At first glance Marcus showed he could hang with Artur but as the rounds progressed and the action picked up, it became quite clear that Artur was simply too strong of a resilient opponent for Marcus to overcome inside that squared circle. Bloodied and all, nothing was going to dissuade this man from walking out the Champion.

With this convincing win, Artur retained his IBF/WBC Light Heavyweight Championship belts and the No. 1 Spot in the 175-Pound Division.

Dethroning this man from his position will not be easy but I am looking forward to see who will attempt to try.

Until then congratulations Artur on another conclusive win.

Blaze

On The Watch “It’s All About Vasiliy Lomachenko vs Richard Commey”

Vacant WBO Inter-Continental Lightweight Title

Vasiliy Lomachenko (16-2, 11 Kos) had himself another dominating performance last night on the Top Rank Main Event card at the Madison Square Garden in New York City, when he completely dismantled Richard Commey (30-4, 27 Kos) with ease.

Loma looked as sharp as ever and laser focussed from rounds one to twelve. His foot work from side to side with speed caused mad confusion to Richard who clearly had a hard time judging his distance, at times missing widely in the air.

Loma wasted absolutely no punches and his punch output was ridiculously troubling Commey who was getting lumped up from head to body at will.

As the rounds progressed, it became painfully clear that Commey did not belong with Loma inside that squared circle. By round seven, Loma applied some serious aggressive pressure with power behind every shot that dropped Commey cold for a quick 8 count. The resilient Commey survived the troubling round and actually proceeded to stay somewhat competitive enough to make it through the full 12 rounds of action.

All three Judges scored it 119-108, 119-108 and 117-110 unanimously for Lomachenko.

This hungry version of Lomachenko will definitely be a problem to the 135-Pound Division. Loma is not holding back and is looking for all the smoke with the top Lightweights in the Division hands down.

With this convincing win Loma picked up the vacant WBO Inter-Continental Lightweight Title possibly giving him a clearer path at the new Unified IBF/WBA/WBO/WBC “Franchise” Champion and Ring Magazine Lightweight Champion George Kambosos Jr. (20-0, 10 Kos).

A very intriguing matchup if it ever comes to fruition in the near future.

Until then, congratulation Vasiliy on another overwhelming performance.

Blaze

On The Watch “It’s All About Gervonta Davis vs Isaac Cruz”

WBA “Regular” Lightweight challenge

Sunday night’s Showtime PPV Main Event between WBA “Regular” Lightweight Champion Gervonta Davis (26-0, 24 Kos) and Isaac Cruz (22-2-1, 15 Kos) at the Staples Center in Los Angeles, CA was an exciting bout that had Tank reaching into his toolbox to pull of the win after injuring his left hand at the midpoint of the bout. Real Talk!

Isaac came out the gate like a hungry “Pitbull” ready to take out his prey. His steady aggressive style was key to applying pressure on Tank who did a lot of movement, slipping and dipping, countering Cruz with some well-timed combinations preventing Cruz from having an easy stationary target.

Cruz’s style forced Tank to stay light on his feet and use more of his boxing skills adjusting on the fly and countering Cruz’s nonstop pressure. Cruz made this bout a lot tougher than I expected it to be for Davis. The Kid is tough as nails and took some heavy shots from Tank but never looked deterred as the rounds were piling up.

Cruz’s resilience inside that squared circle made this bout intriguing since Tank had to work to secure this bout. Cruz put it all on the line and fought a hell of a fight going toe to toe with a known heavy banger like Tank.

That being said, there are levels to this boxing sh*t and Tank kept his composure, flipped the script on Cruz and boxed his way with an injured left hand (his money shot) all the way to the 12th round. The Judges scored it 116-112, 115-113 and 115-113 unanimously for Gervonta Davis.

I tip my “B” hat to Isaac for giving us such a great performance. The Kid is tough, durable and a serious problem to any Lightweight in the Division. This was a competitive bout from start to finish with leather being thrown from both sides but the more accurate and effective work came from the Champ. Hands Down.

Congratulations Gervonta, this was a tougher win then expected but you prevailed – now on to the next one.

Blaze

On The Watch “It’s All About Devin Hayne vs JoJo Diaz Jr.”

WBC Lightweight Challenge

WBC Lightweight Champion Devin Haney (27-0, 15 Kos) kept his “Dream” of one day becoming Undisputed Lightweight Champion alive last night when he successfully defeated always tough and durable JoJo Diaz (32-2-1, 15 Kos) by unanimous decision on the Matchroom/DAZN Main Event card at the MGM Grand Garden Arena in Las Vegas.

JoJo came out the gate attempting to establish himself early but it was Devin who responded with a very accurate and steady jab that kept JoJo from landing anything damaging enough to deter Devin’s steady offense round by round.

Devin boxed and moved beautifully with some very good combinations from head to body keeping JoJo in the high guard position trying to block most of the shots coming his way.

JoJo showed toughness and resilience but his punch output to connection ratio was a little off, giving Devin the edge due to his higher punch output and connection ratio being on point round by round.

That said JoJo still made it tough on Devin. This was not a clear-cut easy fight for Devin – it was a good solid test where Devin got tagged quite a few times and never wavered. Devin showed his own toughness as well especially in the Championship rounds when JoJo pressed the action.

After 12 full rounds of action the Judges scored it 117-111, 117-111, 116-112 unanimously for Devin Haney. No dispute there. JoJo made it a fight but fell short but should still keep his head up cause this Dude is no walk in the park inside that squared circle for anybody.

Job well done Devin – now on to Undisputed.

Blaze

On The Watch “It’s All About Lyndon Arthur vs Anthony Yard”

Light Heavyweight British Throwdown 2

Tonight’s Queensberry Promotion Main Event between WBO Intercontinental and Commonwealth British Light Heavyweight Champion Lyndon Arthur (19-1, 13 Kos) and Anthony Yard (22-2, 21 Kos) at The Copper Box in East London was a much-needed revenge match gone right for the challenger from Ilford Essex.

Anthony, who previously succumbed to his second defeat to the hands of Lyndon a year ago, wasted no time asserting himself in an aggressive manner right from the first bell. Yard looked like a throwback version of himself landing some serious leather from head to body clearly catching Lyndon off guard and overwhelmed by Anthony’s non-stop pressure.

At first sight Lyndon looked puzzled and unsure on how to deal with the pressure that Anthony was bringing on so early in the bout. Anthony’s “game plan” was pretty obvious from the jump, detonating bomb after bomb clearly looking for a quick stoppage.

Lyndon didn’t look right to me, constantly retreating to the ropes unable to deter Anthony from having his way with him inside that squared circle. Anthony’s power punches and non-stop pressure were visibly bothering Lyndon early in the rounds.

Anthony did not hold back this time around and the inevitable was moments away in the fourth round once again when Lyndon got caught in the corner and on the ropes receiving an onslaught of unanswered combinations from head to body with ferocious power punches being administered by Yarde who eventually dropped Arthur for the second time to the floor giving him a ten count that prompted the referee to stop the bout. Unbelievable!

Tonight, Anthony was a man on a mission and total destruction was the only outcome he was looking for. I’m not sure what was going on with Lyndon but truth be told, Arthur got his ass handed to him in a very convincing manner inside that squared circle tonight.

With this devastating statement win Anthony is now the new WBO Intercontinental and Commonwealth British Light Heavyweight Champion and is back into contention at a possible bout with the winner between WBO Light Heavyweight Champion Joe Smith Jr. (27-3, 21 Kos) and Callum Johnson (20-1, 14 Kos) in their next bout to be held January 15, 2022.

Until then, congratulations Anthony on your destructive win.

Blaze

On The Watch “It’s All about Teofimo Lopez vs George Kambosos Jr.”

Unified Lightweight Championship

Last night’s Matchroom/DAZN Main Event at Madison Square Garden’s Hulu Theater, in New York, NY, between Unified IBF/WBA/WBO/WBC “Franchise” Champion and Ring Magazine Lightweight Champion Teofimo Lopez (16-1, 12 Kos) and mandatory challenger George Kambosos Jr. (20-0, 10 Kos) was a surprising and shocking type of an event that was well worth the wait. Real Talk!

This bout was unexpectedly action packed from start to finish. Kambosos, the underdog, came in this bout with the mentality of a warrior with only one mission in mind: to succeed by any means necessary. There was evidence of that in the first round when Teofimo was in attack mode looking for a quick knockout landing heavy punches with Kambosos startlingly absorbing every shot quite well and dishing out his own and shockingly scoring the first knockdown of the night in doing so. Unbelievable!

The crowd in attendance went crazy. As the rounds progressed Teofimo was looking for that get back but was met with a hungry combatant who had a strict “game plan” and the right boxing tactics, keeping Teofimo at bay eating some very good shots round after round from Kambosos.

Kambosos showed Teofimo that he was way tougher than he expected absorbing and defending most if not all of what Teofimo was dishing out. Kambosos made this bout a war and as the rounds were piling up, Kambosos was the one winning the rounds in my eyes.

The visibly smaller man inside that squared circle was putting in that work on Teofimo bodying him up with some very good shots. Teofimo clearly misjudged his opponent’s skill and durability when pushed inside that squared circle. As the bout went on you could plainly see that although Teofimo was the bigger and stronger combatant, he was the one showing fatigue and taking the most punishment from Kambosos.

That being said, in the 10th round Teofimo finally got his get back by dropping Kambosos with a hard right hand for a quick 8 count. Even after being dropped, Kambosos showed some serious determination and survived the round and continued on in the championship rounds by going toe to toe and standing his ground in a convincing manner.

I gotta tip my “B” hat to Kambosos’ performance last night, Dude came inside that squared circle and fought his heart out and showed up B.I.G. on the biggest stage of his career to date.

After 12 full rounds of none stop action, the Judges scored it 115-111 for Kambosos, 114-113 for Teofimo and 115-112 for Kambosos who is now the New Unified IBF/WBA/WBO/WBC “Franchise” Champion and Ring Magazine Lightweight Champion of the World.

Teofimo seriously dropped the ball on this one and is now paying a hefty price. Maybe the inactivity over the year or the weight cut to 135 pounds was an issue. One thing is for sure: Teofimo did not prepare himself properly for this title defense.

Congratulations George! You walked it like you talked it and backed every word with the performance of your life on the biggest night of your career. You earned this one Hands Down!

Can’t no one take this victory away from you. You silenced all the naysayers who doubted you and now sit atop like an Emperor of the 135-Pound Division. Well done.

Blaze

On The Watch “It’s All About Terence Crawford vs Shawn Porter”

WBO Welterweight Challenge

Last night’s Top Rank Main Event between WBO Champion Terence Crawford (38-0, 29 Kos) and Shawn Porter (31-4-1, 17 Kos) at the Mandalay Bay Resort and Casino’s Michelob ULTRA Arena, was a statement-type performance by the Champion that definitely lived up to the hype. Real Talk!

Everybody in the building knew what Porter was going to bring inside that squared circle but nobody knew how Crawford was going to deal with it. Porter brought the heat straight from round one and on and didn’t stop applying pressure making it a real fight. The “game plan” looked simple on Porter’s side but he wasn’t dealing with an average-type of fighter in Crawford.

The key for Crawford was to not get caught up in Porter’s “game plan” but to settle down and execute his own by being patient and sticking to his exceptional boxing skills. He could not get caught stuck exchanging leather for leather letting himself open at times giving unnecessary opportunities which he did, giving Porter successful rounds.

The back and forth both combatants were dishing out was exciting and definitely crowd pleasing to the fans in attendance.

That said, as the rounds were piling up, I could sense Crawford needed to do something spectacular to slow down the momentum Porter had going for himself at that point. Crawford needed to remind the Boxing World why he was on the Pound-for-Pound list.

In the 10th round, Crawford caught Porter with a well-placed short left to the dome that sat him down for a quick 8 count. Porter, who looked surprised, bounced right back up on his feet but the inevitable was looming over Porter’s head. Porter proceeded to go at Crawford with aggression only to be met with a heavy two-piece combo that severely rocked a still concussed and frustrated Porter to the floor for second time. Although Porter managed to beat the 10 count, Shawn’s Dad, Kenny Porter had seen enough and waved the referee to stop the bout. Just like that Crawford put an end to “Showtime” Shawn Porter by TKO in the 10th round.

This was the type of a performance that Terence needed to silence all the naysayers that doubted his greatness inside that squared circle. Porter brought the “heat” and asserted himself quite well but Terence showed to have the equalizer to shut the show down.

This was by far the most noteworthy and hardest combatant to date in Terence’s career and he prevailed in an impressive fashion.

Congratulations Terence on retaining your WBO Welterweight Championship. You truly are one of the Pound-for-Pound greats in the game today.

Blaze

On The Watch “It’s All About Demetrius Andrade vs Jason Quigley”

WBO Middleweight Challenge

Last night’s Matchroom/DAZN Main Event between WBO Middleweight Champion Demetrius Andrade (31-0, 19 Kos) and Jason Quigley (19-2, 14 Kos) at the SNHU Arena in Manchester, New Hampshire, was a short but impressive night for the Champion.

Andrade handled his WBO mandatory challenger like the professional Champion that he is, easily dismantling Jason in two rounds by dropping him once in round 1 and twice in round two with a barrage of punches prompting the referee to stop the unanswered onslaught from administering any further damage.

That being said, with no disrespect to Jason who earned his way to a mandatory position, he clearly did not belong with Andrade inside that squared circle. Jason is a good solid well-rounded fighter but levels below the A+ cerebral assassin that Demetrius is.

Peeps keep complaining about Andrade’s lack of competition but the Dude is always out here calling for ALL THE SMOKE with the other Champions in the Division with no one answering his call.

With this statement win, Demetrius retained his WBO Middleweight Title and defended it for the fifth time. Being one of the most avoided Champions in Boxing can be a frustrating feeling but your Boy Andrade handles it like a “G”, a true professional inside that squared circle.

Keep stacking up them wins Demetrius and the so-called elite fighters out there will have to see you soon.

Blaze

On The Watch “It’s All About Jaime Munguia vs Gabriel Rosado”

WBO Inter-Continental Middleweight Championship

Last night’s Golden Boy/DAZN Main Event between Jaime Munguia (38-0, 30 Kos) and Gabriel Rosado (26-14-1, 15 Kos) at the Honda Center, Anaheim, CA, did not lack excitement. Real Talk!

Them two warriors fought their hearts out inside that squared circle from start to finish. Nonstop action coming from both sides with heavy leather being thrown with bad intentions.

Fight by fight you can see the improvements Munguia has been making and last night all was on display. His defence was always questionable but noticeably improved in my eyes. His durability and the crazy punch output with the combinations and his heavy hands, is what separates him inside that squared circle. This Kid is something special and definitely has a crowd-pleasing style to keep you on the edge of your seat.

That being said, Gabe ain’t no walk in the park for anybody inside that squared circle and last night Gabe put that impressive pressure style of fighting on Munguia round after round, determined to make his presence felt inside that squared circle. Gabe did a hell of a job and showed his toughness with his own durability as well. Gabe dished it just as much as he was taking.

The only drawback for Gabe was that he needed to be a tad busier cause the Kid Munguia had them punch combinations coming in bunches whenever Gabe hit him with a good one, which clearly swayed the Judges.

After 12 full rounds of nonstop action, the Judges scored it 119-109, 118-110 and 117-111 all unanimously for Jaime Munguia. I don’t have a problem with the winner but this type of score card is disrespectful. Win or lose Gabe made this bout a lot closer than what these Judges saw, HANDS DOWN!

Munguia got tested last night in probably his biggest fight to date. With this win he now becomes the new WBO Inter-Continental Middleweight Champion, giving him a clear path to WBO Middleweight Champion Demetrius Andrade or WBC Middleweight Champion Jermall Charlo. Given these two options, Munguia is still hoping for a chance at IBF Middleweight Champion Gennady Golovkin.

Regardless of the path Jaime decides to take on, anyone of these three Champions will guaranty an exciting bout.

Until then, congratulations on your win Jaime.

Blaze