On The Watch “It’s All About Canelo Alvarez vs Edgar Berlanga”

WBA/WBC/WBO Super Middleweight Challenge

It has now officially been announced: the “Kingpin” Unified WBA/WBC/WBO/Ring Magazine Super Middleweight Champion Canelo Alvarez (61-2-2, 39 Kos) will be defending his Crown on September 14, 2024, at the T-Mobile Arena in Las Vegas against Edgar Berlanga (22-0, 17 Kos) giving us that feel of Mexico vs Puerto Rico to look forward too.

Berlanga, who has been chasing this opportunity for quite some time now will be competing in his first world title bout come fight night. Berlanga has been talking up a storm about how he’s the chosen one to beat Canelo and dethrone him of his Crown and No. 1 spot in the Super Middleweight Division but backing those tough talks is a whole different story when you step foot inside that squared circle with the ‘Kingpin” opposite of you.

Mexico vs Puerto Rico has always been a good sell in boxing but the hate that Berlanga has been receiving for being Canelo’s chosen opponent is overshadowing the possibilities this bout could actually bring. Berlanga has no choice but to prove the naysayers wrong by bringing his A game and his best performance come fight night.

We already know what Canelo brings every time out. He takes no opponent lightly and always performs at his best on the biggest stage. This may not be the fight that everyone was looking for but regardless of his opponent Canelo will make this event memorable for all fans in attendance.

Tune in on DAZN/PBC on Prime Video PPV Saturday night September 14, 2024, live at the T-Mobile Arena in Las Vegas.

Blaze

On The Watch “It’s All About Terence Crawford vs Israil Madrimov”

WBA Junior Middleweight Champion

Last night’s Riyadh Season’s Main Event between former Undisputed Welterweight Champion Terence Crawford (41-0, 31 Kos) and WBA Junior Middleweight Champion Israil Madrimov (10-1-1, 7 Kos) definitely lived up to the hype at the BMO Stadium in Los Angeles.

It was a chess match from the jump where both combatants executed their respective “game plan’ to a ‘T” pushing one another to put their boxing IQ to the test. Although Crawford was the one moving up in weight, he definitely held his own with the bigger fighter Madrimov who constantly pressed the action.

Madrimov was resilient and very patient inside that squared circle but was met with a very strong and determined combatant in Crawford who surprisingly stood his ground and fought him toe-to-toe showing absolutely no fear.

Neither combatant had sole control of the bout but both did have their moments making it really hard to determine a clear winner after every rounds. Madrimov’s punch accuracy was on point while Crawford made sure to answer every call given his way with his own power punches clearly marking Madrimov’s face.

Both combatants made it tough on one another while dishing out hard leather from head to body. If you were one the peeps thinking this bout was going to be a cake walk for Crawford then you were all for a major shock cause that Boy Madrimov took in the challenge with open arms and kept things very interesting round by round.

That being said, Crawford showed us all why he is one of the Pound-for-Pound greats in the game today and possibly closed out the championship rounds in convincing fashion. After 12 full rounds of action the Judges scored it 116-112, 115-113 and 115-113 all in favor of Terence “Bud” Crawford.

I tip my ‘B” hat to Israil Madrimov for standing his ground and testing his skills with one of the greats in the game today. You showed up and gave us fans a hell of a fight where you proved all who doubted you that you belong with the top dogs of 154-Pound Division, hands down!

That said, congratulations to Terence for conquering his fourth Division and becoming the new WBA Junior Middleweight Champion and WBO Interim Junior Middleweight Champion as well.

You walk the talk and back it up every time out, good luck to the competition trying to derail this Champion because this version of “Bud” is looking for all the smoke!

Blaze

On The Watch “It’s All About Jared Anderson vs Martin Bakole”

Heavyweight Showdown

His Excellency Turki Alashikh, Chairman of the Board of Directors of General Entertainment Authority did it again but this time he brought his first overseas Riyadh Season to the United State and blessed us boxing fans with an incredible competitive undercard at the sold-out BMO Stadium in Los Angeles.

First up on the night and probably the most intriguing bout in my opinion was Heavyweight “The Real Big Baby” Jared Anderson (17-1, 15 Kos) taking on the hard-hitting Heavyweight Martin Bakole (21-1, 16 Kos).

This was a case of greatly underestimating your 284-pound monster standing across from you. At the first bell Jared started off well with a stiff jab changing levels head to body with good movement while Martin stayed surprisingly very stationary with a bait of a right hand looking to detonate which he eventually landed with a vicious uppercut and a three-punch combo that dropped Jared for the first time and a quick standing 8 count.

This was the beginning of the end for Jared who proceeded to ignored his coach’s instructions and decided to get his “get back” by going toe-to-toe with the Big Boy. Jared had his moments landing some big shots but Martin took them clean and brushed them off while landing his own hard hitting and destructive shots

As the rounds progressed the action started to look one sided for Bakole who was having his way with Jared busting him up from all angles. Jared refused to bow down and showed some serious toughness but going toe-to-toe with Bakole was not the right plan.

By the fifth round the inevitable was nearby. Bakole landed a well-placed left uppercut
That dropped Jared for the second time. A shaky looking Jared beat the count and was willing to continue only to be met with a barrage of unanswered punches dropping him again for the third time.

Jared once again beat the count to continue but the onslaught of heavy damaging punches coming his way forced the referee to step in and put a stop to the bout.

This was a very entertaining bout from start to finish but truth be told Bakole was simply too much too soon for Jared to handle.

A statement was made on the night that Bakole is a serious threat to anyone in the Heavyweight Division.

Blaze

On The Watch “It’s All About Joe Joyce vs Derek Chisora”

Heavyweight Showdown

Over the past weekend a ‘WAR’ ready Derek Chisora (35-13, 23 Kos) handed “The Juggernaut’ Joe Joyce (16-3, 15 Kos) his third defeat of his career at the O2 Arena in Greenwich, London.

Truth be told, this crossroads bout exceeded my expectation. Chisora showed me on Saturday night that he still had something left in him to pull it off. Chisora had absolutely no fear and stood his ground and banged toe-to-toe with the 281 pound “Juggernaut” who had the harder looking punches going for him but lacked severe hand speed at that weight.

It wasn’t a pretty fight to watch but watching Chisora hold his own and dishing it out at this age was quite entertaining. Chisora took in some heavy shots at times but his activity with his own punch output carried him over in a very tight bout.

Joe’s lack of defence cost him dearly once again as he got clipped and dropped for a quick standing 8 count in the ninth round which saw a tired Chisora still manage to maintain the momentum throughout the 10th round and finish the round strongly.

After 10 hard-hitting laboring rounds of action the Judges at hand scored it 97-92, 96-94, 96-94 all in favor of Derek Chisora.

It was a physically tough bout on both warriors but the right combatant won this bout. Chisora went through hell and back on this one but silenced the naysayers who had counted him out. Well done!

Blaze

On The Watch “It’s All About Claressa Shields vs Vanessa Lepage-Joanisse”

WBC Heavyweight Challenge

Over the past weekend we witnessed the self-proclaimed GWOAT Claressa Shield (15-0, 3 Kos) conquer yet another Division when she moved up to Heavyweight and challenged our own Canadian WBC Heavyweight Champion Vanessa Lepage-Joanisse (7-2-2, 2 Kos) at the Little Caesars Arena in Detroit.

Listen I’m a supporter of our Canadian athletes that get down and represent us to the fullest but this particular Heavyweight Showdown was a mismatch from the jump. No disrespect to Vanessa who was game to the challenge but truth be told she had nothing to deter Claressa from having her way with her inside that squared circle.

Although Claressa was the one moving up in weight, she was the bigger and stronger boxer of the two and wasted no time asserting herself by pressing the action from the first bell dishing out heavy punches from all angles clearly taking Vanessa by surprise.

Vanessa looked shaky and by the second round Claressa went in for the kill by dropping Vanessa with a heavy counter right hand off the ropes for a quick 8 count. When Vanessa rose back up she got dropped again by another right hand and a second standing 8 count. With Vanessa now looking defeated Claressa hit her up with a barrage of unanswered shots dropping Vanessa for the third time and prompting the referee and Vanessa’s corner to stop the fight.

This is a very impressive version of Claressa where she continues to add to her historical career by adding the WBC Heavyweight Title and the vacant WBO Light Heavyweight Title, now crowning her a four Division Champion.

Congratulations Claressa on another dominating performance. Good luck to the challengers attempting to dethrone this version of the self-proclaimed GWOAT, she definitely walks it like she talks it, Hands Down!

Blaze

On the Watch ” It’s All About Jaron Ennis vs David Avanesyan”

IBF Welterweight Challenge

Last night’s Matchroom/DAZN Main Event between IBF Welterweight Champion Jaron “Boots” Ennis (32-0, 29 Kos) and David Avanesyan (30-5-1, 18 Kos) (the one who replaced mandatory challenger Cody Crowley) at the Wells Fargo Center in Philadelphia, was more or less a showcase type of an event that saw his hometown fans in attendance looking quite satisfied by the performance of their Champion.

Jaron pressed the action from the first bell and never looked back while David embraced the pressure and dished out some of his own to show Jaron he wasn’t here to lay down as everyone expected.

David tried heavily to stand his ground in a bravado way but Jaron was simply too big, too strong and too skillful to be contained by him. No disrespect to David but Jaron pretty much toyed with him inside that squared circle. As tough and durable as David usually is, on this night he was severely outgunned and outmatched with simply no answer to the problems that Jaron was throwing his way.

There are levels to this boxing sh*t and on this night, David found out the hard way that he did not belong inside that squared circle with Jaron. When “Boots” decided to stop playing with his food in the fifth round he caught David with a hard overhand left and dropped him for a standing 8 count that saw him rise up to further punishment that lasted the entire remaining round.

Having assessed the situation after the fifth round, David’s corner and the ringside Doctor both agreed that any further assault at the hands of “Boots” would be futile and it was best to call an end to the bout.

With this very convincing stoppage win Jaron defended his IBF Welterweight Title and picked up another TKO to be added to his ever-growing knockout percentage to date.

Jaron is the total package. Skillful, powerful and blessed with levels above his opposition on the ring IQ inside that squared circle. Good luck to the competition trying to derail this Dude on their way up.

Who’s next?

Blaze

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