On The Watch “It’s All About Danny Garcia vs Jose Benavidez Jr.”

Super Welterweight Showdown

Last night’s Showtime/PBC Main Event between Danny Garcia (37-3, 21 Kos) and Jose Benavidez Jr. (27-2-1, 18 Kos) at the Barclays Center in Brooklyn was a perfect performance to introduce Danny to the Super Welterweight Division. Real Talk!

Danny looked completely different from the man who last fought and lost to Errol Spence Jr. back in December 2020. This version of Danny last night was alert, strong, very active and focussed throughout the entire bout. Danny handled Jose with ease at this new weight division and fought a perfect bout at a clinical level that let you know that he’s still got plenty left in the tank to go.

Danny looked on point the entire night, rejuvenated with motivation to prove the naysayers wrong about moving up in weight. Jose tried to put up a fight but had no answers to Danny who was boxing circles around him round by round. To be honest Jose’s “game plan” or lack of was way off. Jose fought with no urgency the entire bout and got outworked by Danny who was very active with his punch selection all night.

After 12 full rounds of action, the Judges’ scores were 114-114, 116-112 and 117-111 in favor of Danny Garcia who secured his first win in the Super Welterweight Division.

Now the Judge who saw this bout as a draw he needs to rewatch the bout over again because truth be told this fight was a clinical performance by Danny from round 1 to round 12 hands down.

I don’t personally think Danny will run through the top “dogs” in the 154-Pound Division with ease like this but he can definitely make his presence felt.

Until your next outing, congratulations on your win Danny.

Blaze

On The Watch “It’s All about Vasiliy Lomachenko vs Teofimo Lopez”

Lightweight Title Unification Challenge

Last night’s highly anticipated Lightweight Division Main Event battle between WBA/WBO/WBC “Franchise” Champion Vasiliy Lomachenko (14-2, 10 Kos) and IBF Champion Teofimo Lopez (16-0, 12 Kos) inside “The Bubble” at the MGM Grand Conference Center in Las Vegas, was nothing short of entertaining.

Lopez showed up last night and showed up “BIG” inside that squared circle and corrupted the “Matrix” that is Lomachenko, real early with a flawless “game plan” from the jump. It was a chess match between two top tier combatants. However, the Master Chess player in Loma miscalculated his approach and fell behind in the first half of the bout and had to play catch up to make up for lost ground.

Loma’s slow start cost him dearly in this bout. His usual tactic of confusing his opponent wasn’t working on Lopez. Teofimo landed non-stop body punches that clearly limited Loma’s come forward approach. Loma obviously didn’t expect for Lopez to be this quick and accurate with heavy hands at the end of each punch.

Although Loma started to get things going his way in later rounds, Lopez’s steady jab with a sting attached to it, prevented Loma from ever clearly getting set up in his familiar riddim of fighting.

Teofimo’s youth, boxing IQ and sheer will to win carried him over to the finish line when Loma attempted to press him in trying to steal away the later rounds.

Last night’s bout wasn’t a passing of the torch but more of a “Takeover” by the young Lion Teofimo Lopez Jr. who seized the WBA/WBO/WBC “Franchise” Belts from Lomachenko’s grasp and retained his IBF Lightweight Title to now becoming the youngest four-belt champion in Boxing History. The Judges scored it 119-109, 117-111 and 116-112. I personably saw it a little closer than that but can’t complain at the outcome. Your Boy Teofimo had to dig deep for this one and definitely earned it the hard way.

The Lightweight Division has a new “King” and he goes by the name of Teofimo Lopez Jr. The “Takeover” has begun.

Congratulations Champ!

Blaze

On The Watch “It’s All About Yordenis Ugas vs Abel Ramos”

Vacant WBA “Regular” Welterweight Title

Last night’s main event at the Microsoft Theater in Los Angeles, California gave us a chance to see Yordenis Ugas (26-4, 12 Kos) outbox and dominate Abel Ramos (26-4-2, 20 Kos) for a full 12 rounds of none-stop action.

Ugas came out the gate and established his jab early with some well-timed combinations that clearly kept Abel off balance throughout the bout. Abel moved well inside that squared circle and did his best to attack Ugas when feasible, but Yordenis’ high guard and counterpunching made it real hard for Abel to land anything of significance to slow Yordenis down.

As dominant as Ugas was inside that squared circle, I personally felt he could have stepped on the gas a little more and upped his offensive output. To me, Ugas pretty much controlled the bout while still fighting in first gear. Had he pressed the action a little more we could have probably seen a stoppage by Ugas.

That being said, Yordenis clearly won this bout last night hands down. The Judges’ scores were 115-113, 115-113 for Yordenis and 117-111 for Ramos. I’m baffled by Judge Dr. Lou Moret’s card of 117-111 for Abel. No disrespect to Ramos but your Boy got done up by a superior boxer in Ugas in pretty much every round. Real Talk! There was absolutely no other way to tally the score in Ramos’ favor. None!

With this win, Yordenis is now the new WBA “Regular” Welterweight Champion. Congratulations “Champ”. You’ve grinded a long time and worked your way up to this point. Enjoy the fruits of your labour. You deserve it.

Blaze

On The Watch “It’s All About Erislandy Lara vs Greg Vendetti”

WBA “Regular” Junior Middleweight Challenge

Last night’s main event at the Microsoft Theater in Los Angeles between WBA “Regular” Junior Middleweight Champion Erislandy Lara (27-3-3, 15 Kos) and contender Greg Vendetti (22-4-1, 12 Kos) was an impressive showing by the one they call “The American Dream”.

The much older but seasoned veteran Lara, showed us fans and the rest of the 154-Pound Division that he’s not to be slept on just yet. Your Boy Lara still got the goods to mix it up with the other champions in the Division, hands down.

Vendetti, a tough and durable contender did his best to disrupt Lara but simply lacks the Boxing IQ to beat a seasoned well-schooled veteran like Lara. No disrespect to Vendetti. He’s no slouch inside that squared circle and he did go 12 full rounds with “The American Dream” but painfully got out-boxed by a world class fighter.

Vendetti and his team clearly underestimated Lara’s abilities inside that squared circle considering Lara is getting up there in age. At 37 years old Lara may look ripe for the taking but not by your average fighter. Real Talk!

That being said, Lara is still top 3 in the 154-Pound Division and he’s out there looking for all the smoke. Lara is determined to reclaim the No. 1 Spot that he once held at the Junior Middleweight Division. To accomplish that, Lara will be looking to challenge the winner of the upcoming Junior Middleweight Unification bout between WBC Champion Jermell Charlo and IBF/WBA Super Champion Jeison Rosario.

The Junior Middleweight Division is “Blazing” right now and Erislandy Lara is still in the mix of it all.

Until then, stay locked in Lara you just might be next.

Blaze

On The Watch “It’s All About Richard Commey vs Teofimo Lopez”

IBF Lightweight Championship Challenge

Last night at Madison Square Garden In New York City, Teofimo Lopez (15-0, 12 Kos) fulfilled his Dad’s premonition of becoming Champion by his 15th professional fight. Real Talk!

What was supposed to be Teofimo’s biggest challenge ended up being one of his easiest fight to date. No disrespect to IBF Lightweight Champion Richard Commey (29-3, 26 Kos) who is a tough Champion on his own right but from the moment the first round started it was clear that Teofimo’s power was going to be a problem the minute he connected on Commey.

The left hand was landing at will with some vicious strength behind it in the first round that visibly rattled Commey. Teofimo’s speed and accuracy were too much for Commey and by the second round Lopez connected with a clear-cut right hand that dropped Commey for an 8 count that visibly shook him hard. Once Commey got up, Teofimo pounced on him with a flurry of punches that went unanswered forcing the referee to stop the fight 1:13 in the second round.

This display by Teofimo is exactly what he needed to put the Lightweight Division on notice. The Kid Lopez is a problem. He’s got the goods and the charisma to do something real big here but the question remains: is he ready for what awaits him in his next bout?

With this convincing win, Teofimo becomes the New IBF Lightweight Champion of the World. The “takeover” is in effect. In the New Year 2020 a date will be set to face Unified WBA/WBO WBC Franchise and Ring Magazine Lightweight Champion Vasiliy Lomachenko (14-1-1, 10 Kos).

I’m intrigued by the potential outcome of this bout but only time will tell if Teofimo will be ready for what the “matrix” will have in store for him come fight night.

Until then Teofimo, congratulations on your astonishing victory.

Blaze

On The Watch “It’s All About Marcus Browne vs Jean Pascal”

Interim WBA Light Heavyweight Challenge

Last night, on FOX at the Barclays Center in Brooklyn, Jean Pascal (34-6-1, 20 Kos) jumped right back into the Light Heavyweight contention by overcoming previously undefeated and Interim WBA Light Heavyweight Champion Marcus Browne (23-1, 16 Kos) by an eight round technical decision, due to a clash of heads from which Marcus suffered a severe cut over his left eye that then prompted the Dr. and the Referee to stop the bout.

This bout was shaping up to be a very interesting matchup. I would have liked to see it through the entire 12 rounds. Before the clash of heads, this bout was tight from start to finish. Marcus, who seemed to be controlling the bout and throwing more punches, still managed to get dropped by Pascal in the fourth round and then twice in the seventh round. Real Talk!

To me, Pascal was getting out-boxed at times but his heavy shots and clear-cut knock downs were to emphatic to overlook. It seemed to me that Browne’s punch resistance was particularly weak on that night and Pascal made sure to take advantage of it and made it count whenever the opening presented itself.

Once the bout went to the scorecards, all three Judges scored their fight identically, 75-74 across the panel for Pascal.

This surprise upset to Browne is a major hit considering Marcus was attempting to make the first defense of the WBA Interim Light Heavyweight Title. Personally, I’m thinking Marcus will ask to run it back one more time with Pascal if he has any plans on staying in contention in the top Light Heavyweight Division.

That being said, congratulations are in order to Pascal. With this win, Pascal is now the New WBA Interim Light Heavyweight and WBC “silver” Light Heavyweight Champion. With these two belts in his possession, Pascal has the option of a rematch with WBA Super Light Heavyweight Champion Dmitry Bivol (16-0, 11 Kos) or a bout with WBC Light Heavyweight Champion Oleksandr Gvozdyk (17-0, 14 Kos). These are two very tough opponents sitting at the top of the Light Heavyweight Division.

The choice is yours Pascal now which avenue will you be taking?

Blaze

On The Watch “It’s All About Demetrius Andrade vs Maciej Sulecki”

WBO Middleweight Title Challenge

In his first hometown fight last Saturday night in DAZN’s main event at the Dunkin Donuts Center in Rhode Island, Providence, WBO Middleweight Champion Demetrius Andrade (28-0 17 Kos) had himself a showcase type performance in shutting out highly ranked Maciej Sulecki (28-2, 11 Kos).

It was clear from the first round that there are levels to this Boxing sh*t and Sulecki found that out quick when he got dropped for an 8 count. No disrespect to Sulecki who was a worthy opponent but, on that night, Sulecki had met his match. I expected to see a competitive bout between them two but as the rounds wore on Andrade’s superior skills were on full display and turned the bout into a glorified sparring session for his home crowd to witness live.

Sulecki seemed out of place and had absolutely no answer to Andrade’s slick offensive attack and defensive skills. Truth be told this was the first time I saw Sulecki get outboxed and literally shutout for a full twelve rounds of action. No other opponent has ever had this much success against him until that night. All three of the Judges scored it 120-107 for Andrade.

That being said, Andrade is a serious problem in the Middleweight Division and to any competitors game enough to step into that squared circle with him. I personally think we still haven’t seen the best of Andrade yet. But if the Unified “Kingpin” Champion of the Middleweight Division Canelo Alvarez (52-1-2, 35 Kos) were ever to accept his challenge maybe then we would see Andrade’s full arsenal on display and finally get the best fighting the best for Undisputed Middleweight Champion of the World. Just a thought.

Until then Demetrius keep piling up them wins, your call will be answered soon.

Blaze

On The Watch “It’s All About Deontay Wilder vs Dominic Breazeale”

WBC Heavyweight Challenge

Last night’s Main Event at the Barclays Center in Brooklyn, New York was another highlight reel for the WBC Heavyweight Champion Deontay Wilder (41-0-1, 40 Kos). Real Talk!

The “Bronze Bomber” handled his mandatory challenger Dominic “Trouble” Breazeale (20-2, 18 Kos) in a demoralizing fashion with a ruthless one-punch knockout at 2:17 of the very first round. The sh*t was straight out of a video game. Night Night!

This sh*t had way more hype in the build-up of the fight then the actual bout. Breazeale talked a good game and spoke of strategies and all that but, real talk, when that bell rung, Breazeale’s “Game Plan” went out the ring once Deontay connected with that straight right hand. Lights out!

I was hoping to see some rounds out of Breazeale and see what Deontay had been working on but clearly, Wilder had a different agenda and called it an early night. (Dude had an after party he needed to attend and he had to make sure he was clean ).

With a destructive performance like this, Deontay reaffirms his stance as the hardest hitting Heavyweight in the game today. He may not be the most polished Heavyweight, but one thing is for sure, his power in both hands, is real.

Until then, congratulations on your win Champ. I can’t wait to see who signs up for that contract next.

Blaze

On The Watch “It’s All About Shawn Porter vs Yordenis Ugas”

WBC Welterweight Title Defence

Last night at the Dignity Health Sports Park in Carson, California, Shawn Porter (30-2-1, 17 Kos) defended his newly acquired WBC Welterweight Title against a formidable opponent in Yordenis Ugas (23-4, 11 Kos).

It was a tight bout from start to finish that saw Porter successfully retain his WBC Belt with a split decision with the score of 116-112 for Porter, 117-111 for Ugas and 115-113 for Porter.

The score card doesn’t tell the whole story cause this bout was very interesting and could have easily gone either way or to a draw if you ask me.

Ugas, the underdog, came out and executed his “game plan” and asserted himself quite well. His body shots were there all night, he fought smart and was under control. To me he was the stalker moving in on Porter with efficiency and accuracy.

To my surprise Porter was doing a lot more movement and fighting on the back foot while loading up way more on his punches. He fought under control but seemed to me a little more hesitant than usual. His typical aggressive style seemed to pop up in sporadic stretches unlike his customary approach. That being said he still fought under control but with less urgency from round to round.

Ugas may have come up short last night but he definitely showed the rest of the Welterweights that he belonged amongst the top in the 147-pound Division. Real Talk! He should keep his head up high and welcome all challengers ahead.

As for Porter, whether he believes it or not, he dodged a real close call last night. Holding on to that WBC Title might prove to be a tougher task than expected in the near future.

That being said, congratulations are still in order Shawn on securing your first tile defence.

Your thoughts on this one?

Blaze

On The Watch “It’s All About Brian Castano vs Erislandy Lara”

WBA Junior Middleweight Challenge

Fresh of his gruelling unification defeat of April 2018 to Jarrett Hurd, Erislandy Lara (25-3-3, 14 Kos) jumped right back into the mix and into that squared circle last night at the Barclays Center in Brooklyn, New York to challenge younger unbeaten WBA (regular) Junior Middleweight Champion Brian Carlos Castano (15-0-1, 11 Kos).

Both combatants came out their respective corners with one thing in mind: to prove that they belong amongst the best in the 154-pound Division. The end result after 12 hard rounds was an unsettled split draw. One Judge had it 115-113 for Lara, one Judge had it 115-113 for Castano and the third Judge had it dead even 114-114.

Real Talk! I can’t front, it was a real tight fight with both warriors having their way from time to time but personally I think Lara had the cleaner work. Lara was way more accurate with his punch selection while Castano not as precise but definitely more aggressive with his punch output.

Castano’s stalking tactics throughout the bout is what kept him in the “Game” all night. His “phone booth” style of fighting was very effective but Lara’s defense was also keeping Castano from administering heavy pain.

That being said, Castano’s performance last night proved that he can definitely hang with the “top dogs” in the 154-pound Division. Going 12 tough back and forth rounds with “The American Dream” Erislandy Lara is no easy task.

With no clear winner or loser on the night, Castano retained his WBA (regular) Junior Middleweight Championship Title in the hope of securing a unification bout with the other Champions in the 154-pound Division or better yet a rematch with Lara to clear the air?

Your thoughts on this one?

Blaze