On The Watch “It’s All About Juan Francisco Estrada vs Jesse “Bam” Rodriguez”

WBC Junior Bantamweight Challenge

Last night’s Matchroom/DAZN Main Event between WBC/Ring Magazine Junior Bantamweight Champion Juan Francisco Estrada (44-4, 28 Kos) and undefeated challenger Jesse “Bam” Rodriguez (20-0, 13 Kos) was a situation where the Champion did not want to relinquish the mantle but was forced into doing so at the Footprint Center in Phoenix, Arizona.

The legend that Estrada is, put everything on the line and stood his ground and banged toe to toe with a much younger Lion who brought the “heat” like no other inside that squared circle.

It was a beautiful display of tactical boxing from both combatants who tried strategically to outmaneuver each other round by round. As experienced as Estrada is inside that squared circle, he had yet to meet up with an exceptional slick and strong boxer like “Bam” who had the patience and the right skill set to deter the Champion from having his way.

“Bam” was making it look easy boxing circles around Estrada who had absolutely no answer, that is right until the sixth round when he connected with a flash knockdown that sat “BAM” down for the first time in his career but did not deter him from strongly finishing the round.

Tasting the floor for the first time was all the motivation “Bam” needed to further press the action his way. “Bam” regrouped and proceeded to put his punches together with a lot more authority and power behind every shot, eventually connecting with a powerful left hand to the body forcing Estrada to the canvas where he couldn’t beat the referee’s count in the seventh round.

It was a very dominant performance by “Bam” where we witnessed another living legend get taken down by the young lion looking to take over the Bantamweight Division. By becoming the New WBC/Ring Magazine Junior Bantamweight Champion, Jesse is definitely on the right path.

Congratulations Champ!

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 Gervonta Davis vs Frank Martin”

WBA Lightweight Showdown

Over the past weekend, Undefeated WBA Lightweight Champion Gervonta “Tank” Davis (30-0, 28 Kos) continued on his destructive path when he snatched the soul out of the “Ghost” Frank Martin (18-1, 12 Kos) on Amazon Prime at the MGM Grand Garden Arena in Las Vegas, Nevada.

For someone who hadn’t graced the ring in 14 months “Tank” wasted no time acclimating himself inside that squared circle. Gervonta looked cool and calm and downloading data while Frank was doing his best work trying to be active with his hands while avoiding Gervonta’s punches.

Frank looked sharp and full of confidence as the rounds progressed but soon found that when touched by Gervonta’s power, his demeanor changed as well. Martin, the visibly bigger combatant was very cautious of “Tank’s” left hand and in doing so he neglected to listen to his trainer at times who could see the foreseeable outcome.

Once “Tank” started walking Martin down leading him into traps on the ropes the takeover was inevitable. In the eighth round, Gervonta connected with a devastating well-placed uppercut followed by a straight left hand that put Frank out for the count. It was a beautiful display by a cerebral assassin.

With this win ‘Tank” retained his WBA Lightweight Title and informed the 135-Pound Division that he is back in full affect. Statement made.

Well done, Champ!

Blaze

On The Watch “It’s All About Adrien Broner vs Blair Cobbs”

Welterweight Showdown

Last night’s Don King promoted Main Event between former Four-Time Division World Champion Adrien Broner (35-5-1, 24 Kos) and Blair Cobbs (17-1-1, 10 Kos) at the Seminole Hard Rock Hotel and Casino in Hollywood, Florida, was another clear illustration of how bad things have gotten for AB inside that squared circle. Real Talk!

The once upon a time “Can Man” failed again to pull the trigger when he was hesitant to let his gloves go against Cobbs who had his “game plan” on point letting his own gloves do the talking all night. Blair was very active throwing punches in bunches from all angles and even clipping AB early with a swift left hand that knocked him down for a standing 8 count in the second round.

Although AB recovered quickly from the knockdown, he showed no life or urgency into getting his get back or any attempt of a man on mission inside that squared circle.

Cobbs wasn’t able to stop AB but he did keep his foot on the gas by being active with his gloves round by round. While AB looked like a shell of himself inside that squared circle his power was still quite alive whenever he managed to connect anything significant enough and having some effect on Cobbs just not enough to deter him.

As usual, Broner talked a good game to the lead up of the bout but neglected to follow through with the tough talk inside that squared circle. What Broner was known for in the past seemed to have disappeared, his cat like speed and reflexes were a no show and he paid the price by being tagged all night by Blair who looked focused, sharp and hungry at getting the job done by any means necessary.

After 10 completed rounds the Judges at hand scored it 97-91, 96-93, 96-93 unanimously for Blair Cobbs.

This was a solid win for Cobbs but if he has any plans on challenging the upper echelon of the Welterweight Division he needs to get back in the lab and continue to perfect his craft cause them Dudes up there don’t play with their food.

Blaze

On The Watch “It’s All About Queensberry vs Matchroom 5 vs 5”

Queensberry vs Matchroom 5 vs 5

Thank you to his Excellency Turki Alashikh, Chairman of the Board of Directors of the General Entertainment Authority for hosting another great show at the Kingdom Arena in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia. By facilitating two of the biggest promoters in boxing in Frank Warren and Eddie Hearn to go head-to-head, Queensberry Promotions and Matchroom Boxing came up with an intriguing and competitive “5 vs 5” that definitely brought the “HEAT” inside that squared circle.Although the outcome of it all was surprisingly one-sided, the anticipation brought forward was well worth it.

First up on the night representing Queensberry was Light Heavyweight Willy Hutchinson (18-1, 13 Kos) who took on Matchroom representative Light Heavyweight Craig Richards (18-4-1, 11 Kos). Hutchinson, who was the underdog on paper talked the most sh*t on the build-up to the fight undermining the more proven fighter, Richards. This was a good domestic dust up to start the night where both combatants had their moments but Hutchinson, the younger warrior seemed to be one step ahead all night making it look easy outmanoeuvring his opponent at will inside that squared circle. Richards, although he tried, did not have the right “game plan” on the night to sway the Judges. After 12 rounds of one-sided action the Judges at hand called it 119-109, 117-111, 116-112 unanimously for Willy Hutchinson. With this win under his belt Willy is now the proud owner of the vacant WBC Silver Light Heavyweight Championship. Well done.

Next up was WBA Featherweight Champion Raymond Ford (15-1-1, 8 Kos) representing Matchroom defending his recently earned title against the always ready Nick Ball (20-0-1, 11 Kos) representing Queensberry who himself recently had to settle for a draw against WBC Featherweight Champion Rey Vargas in his prior attempt at obtaining a Championship Title. On this night, knowing you don’t always get a second chance that quick at a title opportunity, Nick wasted no time at pressing the action right from the jump. Nick’s style is simple but effective if you can’t deter him from coming forward. Nick throws punches in bunches with some pop behind every punch. Although Nick is short in stature, his presence inside that squared circle seems to always be too much for his opponents to handle. Although Raymond did do his best at standing his ground going toe-to-toe with Nick and having some moments, it was visibly Nick having the more telling effects as the rounds progressed. Nick made it very uncomfortable for Raymond to maintain any type of consistent momentum round after round. After 12 rounds of action one Judge called it 115-113 for Raymond while the other two Judges called it 115-113, 115-113 for Nick giving him the split decision win and the New WBA Featherweight Champion of the world. Well done, Champ!

Next up in a WBC Middleweight Title Eliminator we had Hamzah Sheeraz (20-0, 16 Kos) representing Queensberry taking on Austin Williams (16-1, 11 Kos) representing Matchroom in what was a very entertaining bout where both combatants had their moments. Austin pressed the action early with his aggressive style while Sheeraz remained patient throughout the bout and controlled his distance with a stiff but heavy jab. The action was nonstop round after round but nearing the end of the tenth round, Sheeraz caught Austin with a quick right hand that dropped him for a standing 8 count at the sound of the bell. At the beginning of the eleventh round the inevitable was around the corner. Seeing that Austin hadn’t clearly recovered from being dropped in the previous round Sheeraz wasted no time and went in for the kill and detonated heavy unanswered shots to the head of Austin who was about to get dropped prompting the referee at hand to step in and halt the bout at the 45 second mark of the opening round. This was a competitive bout from start to finish but Sheeraz clearly showed his superiority with his power to close the show. Well done.

Next up in an Interim IBF Heavyweight Championship we had Filip Hrgovic (17-1, 14 Kos) representing Matchroom going at it with Daniel Dubois (21-2, 20 Kos) representing Queensberry. Many thought that Dubois would be outclassed by the former 2016 Olympian Hrgovic but what transpired on the night was quite the opposite. Although both combatants did come out the gate throwing heavy leather at each other looking to do harm, it was Dubois who administered the most visible damage having Hrgovic bleeding from both eyes. Personally, I think Hrgovic didn’t look battle ready to handle Dubois. Hrgovic in the later rounds looked battered and exhausted unable to deter Dubois who was coming in stronger as the rounds progressed. Hrgovic was looking so weather-beaten by the eighth round that the referee had the ringside doctor examine his cuts who then recommended that the bout be halted. I expected Hrgovic to bring the “HEAT” on the night but this version of Hrgovic was not it. Dubois impressed me some more on the night and fought fearlessly against a very worthy opponent. Dubois kept his foot on Hrgovic’s neck and delivered a very good win which turned him into an Interim IBF Heavyweight Champion. Well done. Who’s next?

The Main Event and the final showdown of the “5 vs 5” came down to former Interim WBO Heavyweight Champion Zhilei Zhang (27-2-1, 22 Kos) representing Queensberry going up against former WBC Heavyweight Champion Deontay Wilder (43-4-1, 42 kos) representing Matchroom. Two very hard-hitting punchers looking to keep their careers alive. A lot was said about this matchup on whether retirement might be nearing considering their age but the outcome of this bout proved once again that “Big Bang” Zhang is still very relevant in today’s Heavyweight contention. The action was slow out the gate as both combatants were very aware of the power they both possess but it was only a matter of time before one of them connected with anything to garner the right attention. Wilder looked timid, disengaged and gun-shy every time he even attempted to throw anything solid, unlike Zhang who threw his punches with the purpose of doing bodily harm with every punch thrown. Wilder came to life in the fifth round attempting to let his hands go and getting the crowd involved only to be brought right back to reality by a heavy right hook by Zhang causing Deontay to contemplate life while spinning around lost in space defenseless and open for a detonating right hand that knocked him down flat on his back like a crime scene. Although a shaky looking Wilder made it back to his feet the referee pulled the plug preventing Deontay from absorbing any further damage. Wilder’s power has always been the key to his victories but last night Wilder was severely outsized and outgunned by Zhang who was determined to close the show the “Big Bang” way. Well done.

With this win now secured, Frank Warren and his Queensberry Promotions team had themselves a clean sweep of the first of many “5 vs 5” event with Matchroom Boxing.

Great night of Boxing!

Blaze

On The Watch “It’s All About Josh Taylor vs Jack Catterall 2”

Junior Welterweight Showdown

The highly awaited rematch between Former Undisputed Junior Welterweight Champion Josh Taylor (19-2, 13 Kos) and Jack Catterall (29-1, 13 Kos) took a couple of years to get here but with tonight’s final result at the First Direct Arena in Leeds, it was well worth it.

Although no titles were on the line this time around, Jack treated this revenge match like his life depended on it. This bout was personal for both warriors considering their previous encounter was highly controversial.

The built-up anger that Jack retained from their previous showdown was quite evident by the way he pressed the action from round to round. Jack basically picked up the action from their last meeting and kept that intolerable feeling at Josh’s neck keeping him from getting into any type of a flow inside that squared circle.

Throughout the many struggles that Josh was dealing with inside that squared circle he still managed to stand his ground and bang toe-to-toe with Catterall. Both combatants had their moments exchanging heavy leather with serious battle wounds to show for it but this time around, Jack made sure he was the one with the eye-catching shots to help sway the Judges.

After 12 full completed rounds of action, the Judges at hand called it 117-111, 117-111, 116-113 unanimously for Jack Catterall. Although this bout was a lot closer than the score card suggest, I personally agree with the overall outcome.

With this credible win now under his belt, Jack believes that a title opportunity against the WBO Junior Welterweight Champion Teofimo Lopez (20-1, 13 Kos) is warranted but after Josh Taylor’s promoter Bob Arum’s outburst of disappointment after the scorecards were revealed, I can’t see Bob gifting Jack that much meriting opportunity any time soon.

I’m not sure what is to come next for Jack but until then, congratulations on a very good win.

Blaze

On The Watch “It’s All About Tyson Fury vs Oleksandr Usyk”

Undisputed Heavyweight Championship

The highly anticipated Undisputed Heavyweight Showdown between WBC Heavyweight Champion Tyson Fury (33-1-1, 24 Kos) and undefeated Unified Heavyweight IBF/IBO/WBA/WBO/Ring Magazine Champion Oleksandr Usyk (22-0, 14 Kos) definitely brought the house down at the Kingdom Arena in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia.

Them two Champions did the Heavyweight Division justice last night by bringing their best foot forward along with their “A” game that kept the tension in the building on high level for the duration of the entire bout.

In an impressive fashion, Usyk the smaller combatant, pressed the much bigger combatant Fury all night throwing punches in bunches creating havoc, attempting to disrupt Fury from having any type of comfortability inside that squared circle.

That said, Tyson came out the gate with a very good stiff jab that occasionally did tag Usyk but did not discourage him from sticking to the “game plan” of constantly applying pressure round after round.

Aside from the off and on showboating that Fury was attempting to distract the laser focussed Usyk, Tyson fought a very good fight for most of the night. Where I think Fury went wrong is thinking he was going to walk right through Usyk with ease and overwhelm him with his speed and size.

Tyson underestimated the skill set that Usyk possessed but quickly found out how levels above Usyk truly is inside that squared circle. As the rounds progressed, Usyk’s pressure and power punches were having a visible effect on the “Gypsy King” who was caught retreating from the smaller man whose pressure was becoming unavoidable at times.

Although Usyk did have to work extremely hard to crack a dent in the towering “Gypsy King”, Usyk systematically made the right adjustments needed to hurt Fury and had him physically out on his feet in the ninth round only being held up by the ropes prompting the referee to rule it a knockdown and handing him an 8-count saving Fury from having Usyk finish him off.

The proceeding rounds showed us once again that Usyk was the aggressor with a seek and destroy attitude clearly troubling the badly hurt Fury who looked puzzled by what was transpiring inside that squared circle. The “Gypsy King” was in a real fight this time around and was noticeably outgunned and outmatched by a determined warrior inside that squared circle.

After 12 exciting rounds of action, the Judges at hand called it 115-112, 114-113 for Usyk and 113-114 for Fury proclaiming the winner by split decision and the New Undisputed IBF/IBO/WBA/WBC/WBO/Ring Magazine Heavyweight Champion of the World Oleksandr Usyk!
This win now places Usyk as a former Undisputed Cruiserweight Champion and now an Undisputed Heavyweight Champion of the World. An incredible feat to place amongst the elite of the elite in boxing history.

Well done, Champs, you deserve every accolade earned. You traveled from country to country to vanquish the best of the best. You truly are “The Last Man Standing”.

Congratulations Champ. Enjoy this moment for yourself and your country!

Blaze

On The Watch “It’s All About Katie Taylor vs Amanda Serrano 2”

Undisputed Junior Welterweight Challenge

The highly anticipated rematch between Undisputed Junior Welterweight IBF/IBO/WBA/WBC/WBO/Ring Magazine Champion Katie Taylor (23-1, 6 Kos) and Unified Featherweight IBF/IBO/WBA/WBO/Ring Magazine Champion Amanda Serrano (46-2-1, 30 Kos) has been officially announced to meet up once again but at a different weight Division than their previous encounter.

Amanda has agreed to move up three Divisions in order to get that get back and challenge Katie for all the Jewels that she’s holding as the Undisputed Champion. It’s a tougher task than expected for Amanda. The 140-Pound Division favors Katie a lot more than Amanda but this highly decorated Pound-for-Pound Champion in Amanda is aiming high at proving the naysayers wrong and that she can conquer these harsh challenges ahead.

Katie, who is fresh off capturing the Undisputed Junior Welterweight Titles from Chantelle Cameron, hasn’t slowed down since. Having already shared the ring with Amanda, I’m expecting Katie to come fully loaded and ready for an action-packed fight.

These two Champion combatants are two of the biggest names in the game today. They brought the “HEAT” to the ring 2 years ago and will attempt to overshadow their previous encounter by raising the bar once again inside that squared circle and bring women’s boxing to the far front for all to see.

Tune in on Netflix Saturday night July 20, 2024, from the AT&T Stadium in Arlington, Texas. This Co-Main Event might just steal the show on the night. Real Talk!

Blaze

On The Watch “It’s All about Vasiliy Lomachenko vs George Kambosos Jr.”

Vacant IBF Lightweight Challenge

Last night’s Top Rank/ESPN + Main Event was a personal one for former three-division World Champion Vasiliy Lomachenko (18-3, 10 Kos) who turned back the clock and gave us fans a flawless and dominant performance over the IBO Lightweight Champion, former self-proclaimed “Emperor” George Kambosos Jr. (21-3, 10 Kos) at the RAC Arena in Perth, Australia.

There are levels to this boxing sh*t and last night Lomachenko made sure his “A” game was on point by the way he took Kambosos to school right from the jump. Kambosos got caught sleeping in the “Matrix” with no way out, no answers, no proper “game plan” to deter the season veteran from having his way with him inside that squared circle. Real Talk!

The only thing Kambosos had going for him was his home court advantage which resulted to nothing since the fans in attendance were dazzled and impressed by the way Lomachenko was completely breaking down and outclassing Kambosos round by round.

Lomachenko showed us speed, amazing footwork, precision punching with power clearly troubling Kambosos who could not find any answers to prevent this onslaught of punches coming his way.

The inevitable was moments away and by the 11th round a swift but heavy body shot forced Kambosos to take a knee to regroup but he rose back up only to be sat down with another body shot prompting the referee to stop the bout as Kambosos’ corner instantly threw in the towel at 2:49 mark of the round.

With this dominant performance, Lomachenko picks up the vacant IBF Lightweight Title and Kambosos’ IBO Title positioning himself for a possible unification bout in the near future.

Well done, Champ.

Blaze

On the Watch “It’s All About Jessica McCaskill vs Lauren Price”

IBO/WBA Welterweight Challenge

A new Champion was crowned tonight when previously Undisputed Welterweight Champion Jessica McCaskill (12-4-1, 5 Kos) put up what was left of her titles, the IBO/WBA/Ring Magazine belts on the line to challenge undefeated Lauren Price (7-0, 1 Ko) at the Cardiff International Arena, Cardiff, Wales.

Lauren put her best foot forward on the night and never looked back when she entered that squared circle and executed a flawless game plan. Lauren was aggressive, patient, stronger and faster than the champion who looked like an armateur on the night.

Truth be told, Jessica hasn’t looked like herself or the champion who dethroned the previous Undisputed Champion Cecillia Btacekhus. This version of Jessica had absolutely nothing going for herself or the right “game plan” to stand a chance against Lauren.

Jessica looked lost and lacked the activity to keep up with the younger combatant who possessed the quicker footwork, the quicker hand speed and the right punch selection to deter the Champion from ever getting any type of momentum. Real Talk!

Skill for skill, Jessica was simply outgunned and outmatched on the night. To make things worse both combatants had a clash of heads giving the Champion Jessica the worst of it handing her a severe swollen eye visibly affecting her eye sight and her productivity while she desperately attempted to go toe-to-toe with the gritty challenger.

As the rounds proceeded, the referee kept a close watch on Jessica’s eye which was looking worse round by round. Jessica eye was shutting out and she was taking some serious punishment.

By the start of the ninth round, the referee called up the Doctor on hand to have a look at the swelling of Jessica’s eye and instructed the referee that the bout could no longer continue.

Due to Jessica’s sickening swollen eye being completely shut by an earlier clash of heads, the Judges ruling went to the cards 90-82, 90-82,90-82 scoring it unanimously for Lauren Price.

With this dominant performance now under her belt Lauren is now the New IBO/WBA and Ring Magazine Welterweight Champion of the World.

Well done, Lauren, you did your home fans and country proud. With only seven bouts under your belt your future is looking brighter by the day. Congratulations.

Blaze