On The Watch “It’s All About Canelo Alvarez vs Sergey Kovalev”

WBO Light Heavyweight Challenge

Middleweight “King Pin” Champion Canelo Alvarez (53-1-2, 36 Kos) added another chapter to his history-making career last night at the MGM Grand Arena when he knocked out WBO Light Heavyweight Champion Sergey Kovalev (34-4-1, 29 Kos) in the eleventh round.

This bout was a chess match played at the highest level. Kovalev’s “game plan” was clear and executed to perfection. Sergey proceeded as instructed with his stiff jab and doubling up whenever permitted. As good as Kovalev’s jab was all night it literally came down to who had the better tactical approach on the night.

Canelo showed exceptional patience from the start. He did not let Kovalev’s jab deter him from the plan at hand which was making every punch count with controlled aggression. Canelo showed absolutely no fear towards the visibly bigger Kovalev. It was a thing of beauty to see how Canelo was systematically breaking down Kovalev’s body attack round by round.

Kovalev showed great boxing IQ throughout the very close bout but seemed to tire in the later rounds. All though the pace of the fight wasn’t that fast, Sergey was visibly looking weaker and ready for the “end game”. By round 11, Canelo went in for the kill with a devastating two-peace combo that flattened Kovalev into the ropes. Nuff said.

With this win, Canelo has once again conquered his fourth Division and becoming the fourth Mexican boxer to accomplish such an achievement. That being said, Canelo is now the only active boxer to concurrently hold world titles in the Light Heavyweight Division, Super Middleweight Division and Unified Middle Weight Division.

Congratulations Canelo on another great accomplishment. You are truly defying all odds and literally creating your own History.

Until the next chapter Champ.

Blaze

On The Watch “It’s All About Regis Prograis vs Josh Taylor”

World Boxing Super Series Super-Lightweight Ali Trophy Final

Tonight’s World Boxing Super Series Super-Lightweight Ali Trophy Finals at the O2 Arena in London between WBA Super-Lightweight World Champion & WBC Diamond Champion Regis Prograis (24-1, 20 Kos) and IBF Super-Lightweight World Champion Josh Taylor (16-0, 13 Kos), came down to the wire.

This bout was a back and forth tussle from the jump with both fighters trying to assert themselves round by round while working their respective “game plan” and each looking for that advantage.

Taylor came to fight tonight and he wasn’t about to let this big opportunity pass him by. Regis, on the other hand, started a little slower and in doing so, to me, kept the fight a lot closer than it should have been. The visiting fighter Regis, should have kept his foot on the peddle and kept that pressure coming by being busier round by round.

That being said, this bout was a strategic chess match with both fighters performing at a very high level of boxing IQ with neither fighter backing down.

As damn close as this bout was, to the Judges’ eyes they scored it 115-113, 117-112 and 114-114 in favor of Taylor. Josh backed his trash talking by keeping his IBF Super-Lightweight Title and picking up the WBA Super-Lightweight World Championship Belt, the vacant Super-Lightweight Ring Magazine Belt and the prestigious Ali Trophy.

By defeating the No. 1 seeded Regis Prograis and collecting all that hardware, Josh has officially captured the No. 1 Spot in the Super-Lightweight Division. Next on the hit list is a unification bout with WBC/WBO Super-Lightweight Champion Jose Ramirez (25-0, 17 Kos) to decide the Undisputed Champion in the 140-pound Division.

Until then Josh, congratulations on your latest accomplishments. The road to undisputed is on the horizon .

Blaze

On The Watch “It’s All About Gennady Golovkin vs Sergiy Derevyanchenko”

Vacant IBO/IBF Middleweight Championship Challenge

Last night’s DAZN Main Event card at Madison Square Garden in New York City between Gennady Golovkin (40-1-1, 35 Kos) and Sergiy Derevyanchenko (13-2, 10 Kos) was nothing short of exciting from start to finish. Real Talk!

We all know by now what “GGG” brings to the squared circle night in and night out but last night “GGG” had to dig really deep and walk through hell and back for this one. Although “GGG” came out the gate early in the first round and dropped Sergiy with a left hand for an 8 count and managed to cut Sergiy on his right eye in the second round, the remainder of the fight was not as smooth.

Sergiy “The Technician” that he is, sensing the urgency of the bout went into full attack mode from round 3 to round 12. The effective steady pressure that Sergiy applied round by round turned this bout into war and definitely caught “GGG” off-guard at times and forced him to take more head and body shots than usual.

Sergiy stuck to the “game plan” at hand and executed it beautifully. Sergiy let his hands go and forced “GGG” to fight his fight. By that point Golovkin had clearly abandoned his “game plan” and resorted to slug it out with “The Technician” by administering substantial and efficient power shots that may have swayed the Judging.

Golovkin, visibly looking tired throughout the bout, still managed to finish the championship rounds with cleaner punches and controlled aggression down the stretch.

That being said, all three Judges scored it 114-113, 115-112 and 115-112 by unanimous decision in favor of Gennady Golovkin.

It was a hell of a close fight and the fans in attendance showed their displeasure with the score cards by booing loudly and rightfully so. This was not Golovkin’s best showing but undeniably one of his toughest bouts to date.

With this win Golovkin is once again IBO/IBF Middleweight Champion of the World.

Congratulations Gennady on becoming a two-time Middleweight Champion. The “Drama Show” continues.

Blaze

On The Watch “It’s All About Deontay Wilder vs Luis Ortiz 2″

WBC Heavyweight Rematch Challenge

Heavyweight Luis Ortiz (31-1, 26 Kos) has been campaigning for a rematch with WBC Heavyweight Champion Deontay Wilder (41-0-1, 40 Kos) since their last competitive tussle back in March 3, 2018 and his request has officially been announced.

Ortiz will be looking to avenge his one and only loss to date on November 23, 2019 at the MGM Grand in Las Vegas. Although their first encounter ended with Ortiz getting knocked out in the 10th round, everybody in the boxing community knows that Ortiz gave Deontay the business that night and came extremely close to upsetting the WBC Heavyweight Champion. If it wasn’t for Luis running out of gas in the later rounds, the end result could have easily been in favour of “King Kong”. Real Talk!

That being said, we can’t front on Wilder, Dude did drop and stop Ortiz and we all known Ortiz is no one to play with inside that squared circle. However, having shared the ring with Ortiz, Wilder should be better prepared this time around for any possible onslaught Ortiz may have hidden in his arsenal. The “Boogeyman” fear factor will have no effect on the “Bronze Bomber”. Dude got his weight up and his confidence is already at 100! Nuff Said!

Peeps in the boxing community are claiming that Ortiz is now showing his age inside that squared circle but still being avoided by his peers. Personally, age aside, Ortiz’s skill set is superior to most sh*t talkers in the Heavyweight Division. That said I’m not ready to pull the plug on Ortiz just yet. He campaigned for the rematch with Wilder now he’s gotta make it count and show us fans that he can talk it like he walks it. Duplicating that infamous round 7 back in March won’t be easy but “King Kong” has got to bring it on fight night in order to have a chance at beating the heavy fisted “Bronze Bomber” inside that squared circle.

Don’t miss this action-packed Heavyweight rematch on Fox Sport PBC Pay-per-View on Saturday night November 23, 2019 at the MGM Grand in Las Vegas.

Blaze

On The Watch “It’s All About Errol Spence Jr. vs Shawn Porter”

IBF/WBC Welterweight Title Unification

Last night’s Welterweight Title Unification bout at the Staples Center in Los Angeles between IBF Champion Errol Spence Jr. (26-0, 21 Kos) and WBC Champion Shawn Porter (30-3-1, 17 Kos), lived up to the hype from start to finish. Real Talk!

Porter, the underdog, laid it all inside that squared circle. “Showtime” lived up to his name last night and to me, outperformed himself by bringing it straight up to Spence from round to round. Porter’s “game plan” was clear from the jump to rough up Spence with constant pressure while keeping it awkward and standing strong by not letting Spence have his way with him inside that squared circle.

Spence was in a real dog fight last night and surprisingly was unable to command the bout in his usual aggressive fashion. However, the “Truth” stayed cool like his demeanour and weathered the storm by simply adapting to Porter’s rugged tactics by fighting blow for blow and making his punch selections count whenever the openings presented themselves.

These two Champions showed up last night administering some serious heavy leather to one another and kept it real tight all throughout the rounds. To me neither one of them really had a clear-cut lead until the 11th round when Spence scored a decisive left hook “money shot” knockdown that may have sealed the deal for him to win on a spit-decision.

By the end of the twelfth round, two of the Judges had it scored 116-111 for Spence and one Judge had it 115-112 for Porter.

I tip my “B” hat to “Showtime” Shawn Porter” for bringing his all last night. He stepped up to the plate while other competitors are choosing to side step to the “Truth”.

Congratulations Errol on becoming the New IBF/WBC Unified Welterweight Champion of the World. You walked it like you talked it and proved to be the “Man” to beat in the 147-pound Division.

Can’t wait to see who signs up next to face you.

Blaze

On The Watch “It’s All About Anthony Dirrell vs David Benavidez”

WBC Super Middleweight Challenge

The co-main event on the Errol Spence Jr.-Shawn Porter pay-per-view card at the Staples Center in Los Angeles was blazing last night. David Benavidez (22-0, 19 Kos) regained his WBC Super Middleweight Belt in a conclusive fashion by stopping Two-Time Champion Anthony Dirrell (33-2-1, 24 Kos) by a 9th round TKO. Anthony’s corner had seen enough.

It was a beautiful display by Benavidez. Not an easy one but well worth the challenge. Dirrell stood his ground and seemed to be boxing and moving well and keeping the rounds close but Benavidez who was visibly stronger and taller than Dirrell, started breaking him down systematically and patiently round by round with some serious heavy hands.

To me the “game-changer” was the left hook that opened up a horrible cut over Dirrell’s right eye in the 6th round. It was downhill from that point on for Dirrell. The onslaught coming from Benavidez was too much and the fight was quickly looking one-sided as the rounds wore on.

Dirrell was being walked down and outgunned from every corner. It was only fitting for Dirrell’s corner to pull the plug in the 9th round and stop the bloodbath from continuing.

With this win Benavidez reclaims his WBC Super Middleweight Title and becomes one of the youngest Two-Time Champions to ever do it this good.

Congratulations Champ. Now on to the next.

Blaze

On The Watch “It’s All About Canelo Alvarez vs Sergey Kovalev”

WBO Light Heavyweight Challenge

Its Official, Middleweight “King Pin” Champion Canelo Alvarez (52-1-2, 35 Kos) will be moving up two weight Divisions to challenge Sergey Kovalev (34-3-1, 29 Kos) for his WBO Light Heavyweight Championship on Saturday November 2, 2019 at the MGM Grand Garden Arena in Las Vegas.

From having two tough bouts with Gennady Golovkin onto a stern challenge with Daniel Jacobs, Canelo is now seeking to outdo himself once again by attempting to dethrone the Three-Time Light Heavyweight Champion Sergey Kovalev and become the fourth Mexican fighter to win World Titles in four different Divisions.

I’m very intrigued with this matchup. A lot of people in the boxing community see this bout as a cherry pick by Canelo but I personally see it has a real tough task ahead for Alvarez. Real Talk! Peeps need to stop looking at Kovalev’s age and really see what the “Krusher” brings to that squared circle. With trainer Buddy McGirt by his side leading the helm and challenging him in camp, Kovalev has now regained focus and is now showing up a more disciplined fighter inside the ring. Sergey has shown us many times before that he is a very smart, skillful fighter with an extended boxing IQ that also carries heat in both hands. Definitely not a walk in the park for any competitor.

That being said, Canelo is out here chasing history and testing himself every time he enters that squared circle. Canelo is the total package at this point in his career. Skill for skill Alvarez is heads above most and on this night, November 2, 2019 Canelo will be banking on his extensive skills and the right “game plan” from trainer Eddy Reynoso to take down the visibly bigger and stronger “Krusher”.

A successful leap from the 160-pound Division to the 175-pound Division is not familiar. In fact, only a few of the greats have succeeded in doing so but Canelo feels he is destined to join the limited prestige club and plans on achieving that goal come Saturday night November 2, 2019 live on DAZN at the MGM Grand Garden Arena in Las Vegas. That is if he can effectively slay the “Krusher” down to pieces.

Blaze

On The Watch “It’s All About Regis Prograis vs Josh Taylor”

World Boxing Super Series Super-Lightweight Ali Trophy Final

It has officially been announced that the World Boxing Super Series Super-Lightweight Ali Trophy Final between WBA Super-Lightweight World Champion & WBC Diamond Champion Regis Prograis (24-0, 20 Kos) and IBF Super-Lightweight World Champion & WBC Silver Champion Josh Taylor (15-0, 13 Kos), will be taking place on Saturday night October 26, 2019 at the O2 Arena in London.

Depending on who you’re asking, these two right here might just be the two best Super-Lightweights in the Division today. Real Talk! Regis entered the WBSS Tournament as the No. 1 seed while Josh entered as the No. 2 seed. Both undefeated with no shortage of confidence from either combatant.

This showdown is a sure shot banger with major fireworks on the horizon when these two Dudes touch gloves inside that squared circle. There is a lot at stake here: a unification bout, undefeated records, the vacant Ring Magazine Super-Lightweight Championship and above all the prestigious Ali Trophy.

The winner of this World Boxing Super Series Super-Lightweight Tournament will stand to be the clear-cut No.1 in the 140-pound Division and one step closer at Undisputed. Both warriors can clearly see the benefits ahead and are determined and driven to come out on top but there can only be one true victor.

Both have talked the talk but all the slick and greasy trash talking doesn’t win fights, however, gloving them up inside that squared circle does. Now let’s see who can back it up under the bright lights. Tune in live on Sky Sports Box Office in the UK and DAZN in the US. Saturday October 26, 2019, at the O2 Arena.

Blaze

On The Watch “It’s All About Andy Ruiz Jr. vs Anthony Joshua”

World Heavyweight Championship Challenge

It has now officially been announced. The highly anticipated rematch between newly crowned Unified IBF, IBO, WBA and WBO Heavyweight Champion of the World Andy Ruiz Jr. (33-1, 22 Kos) and former Heavyweight Champion Anthony Joshua (22-1, 21 Kos) is set to take place in an open-air arena in Diriyah, Saudi Arabia on Saturday night December 7, 2019.

In my eyes, what Andy accomplished back on June 1 at Madison Square Garden in New York City is genuinely one of the biggest upsets in Heavyweight history. Having finally tasted the fruits of his labor and enjoying that good life, Andy is now back preparing himself to prove the naysayers wrong if they think his win over AJ was a lucky break. The instant fame and attention he’s received till this day, along with holding all them Championship Belts, is something he’s not willing to part ways with anytime soon. Ruiz is firmly stating that his hunger to succeed is still there and he wants it to last. come December 7, 2019, Andy is anticipating on still being Heavyweight Champion of the World.

That being said, Anthony is seriously looking forward to the challenge ahead and at becoming a two-time Unified Heavyweight Champion of the World. AJ understands that he badly dropped the ball back in June and is now refocused on righting the wrong and reclaiming the No 1 Spot in the Heavyweight Division. Judging by the previous outcome it may look like Andy has AJ’s number and that could well be the case, but I’m anticipating Joshua to make the proper adjustments needed to neutralize Andy’s aggressive output.

With a full camp ahead this time around, Andy is expecting to be leaner, faster and that much sharper come fight night for whatever AJ is planning on bringing to that squared circle. Personally, I feel the pressure will be on Anthony to deliver and to deliver in a convincing fashion in order to reclaim the throne that was once his.

Andy ruined AJ’s U.S. debut back in June at Madison Square Garden in New York City. It will be up to Anthony to make sure history doesn’t repeat itself in Diriyah, Saudi Arabia on Saturday night December 7, 2019, live on DAZN and Sky Sports Box Office. Tune in and witness the outcome.

Blaze

On The Watch “It’s All About Erislandy Lara vs Ramon Alvarez”

Vacant WBA “regular” Junior Middleweight Title

Last night, at the Minneapolis Armory in Minnesota, Erislandy Lara (26-3-3, 15 Kos) picked up a much-needed win when he easily annihilated Ramon Alvarez (28-8-3, 16 Kos) in two rounds by TKO.

Ramon, who came in slightly over the contested weight, seemed quite big on the night but sluggish for the few rounds we got to see of him. Ramon was clearly outgunned and outclassed inside that squared circle. Lara was noticeably too much for him to handle from the jump. Personally, Ramon had absolutely no business challenging Lara on that night.

Lara desperately needed a convincing victory and he delivered on the task at hand. We didn’t get to see Lara’s full ammunition but did get a glimpse of his power when he staggered Ramon for a quick 8 count before the stoppage. Lara seemed to be sitting down more than usual on his punches making sure his opponent felt every bit of his power. This version of Lara could make his future bouts that more intriguing to watch if he continues with that type of approach.

With this win, Lara picked up the Vacant WBA “regular” junior middleweight Title
and rejoined the winner’s circle once again. That being said, in order to become the mandatory challenger to Unified WBA Super Junior Middleweight Champion Julian Williams, Lara will most likely set a date with fellow WBA Gold Junior Middleweight Champion Michel Soro (34-2-1, 23 Kos) to firmly establish who’s next in line.

Lara’s drive back to the top of the 154-pound Division is not an easy one but it’s definitely keeping him within the conversations amongst the top of the Division.

Seize the momentum Lara and keep focussed, until your next challenge.

Blaze