On The Watch “It’s All About Jesse “Bam” Rodriguez vs Fernando Martinez”

WBA/WBC/WBO Junior Bantamweight Unification Showdown

The second fight on “The Ring IV: Night of the Champions” was another continuation of the “Bam Rodriguez Show” when WBC/WBO/Ring Magazine Junior Bantamweight Champion Jesse “Bam” Rodriguez (23-0, 16 Kos) completely dominated WBA World Junior Bantamweight Champion Fernando “Pumita” Martinez (18-1, 9 Kos) at the ANB Arena in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia.

Martinez, a Champion himself, talked a good game during the build-up to this bout but the one who kept it true was Rodriguez who came into this bout laser-focused and on point as usual. Like I said before “Bam” is ahead of his time with his skill set is levels above his competition every time he enters that squared circle.

Martinez had absolutely no proper “game plan” to contest with “Bam” who completely dominated him and made it look effortless. It was like watching a sparring session where “Bam” toyed with his opponent and eventually sat him down for the count with a vicious left hand to end the night.  

With this convincing win now under his belt, Jesse “Bam” Rodriguez snatched the WBA World Title from Martinez and added it to his WBC/WBO/Ring Magazine Championship Titles, leaving the last remaining piece to the puzzle for him to retrieve: the IBF World Junior Bantamweight Title held by Champion Willibaldo Garcia Perez (23-6, 13 Kos).

The road to Undisputed is getting closer and closer.

Well done, Champ!

Blaze

On The Watch “It’s All About Abdullah Mason vs Sam Noakes”

Vacant WBO World Lightweight Challenge

First up in last night’s “The Ring IV: Night of the Champions” were two undefeated warriors in Abdullah Mason (20-0, 17 Kos) and Sam Noakes (17-1, 15 Kos) vying for the Vacant WBO World Lightweight Title at the ANB Arena in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia, and boy did these two combatants put on a hell of a show. Real Talk!

Mason, who was the favourite on the night, walked in this bout full of confidence thinking this was going to be easy work but soon found out from the jump that Noakes wasn’t going to be a walk in the park.

Noakes proved to be a tougher combatant than his previous challengers because on this night Noakes brought the “HEAT” and forced Mason into a toe-to-toe type fight that his father/coach did not want for his son. Mason literally threw away the “game plan” and slugged it out with Noakes and brought the house up to their feet with the way these two tough warriors exchanged gloves from round to round.

A determined Mason dug deep and withstood all that was coming at him but gave out more of his own by pressing the action further in the championship rounds with some serious body and head shots clearly breaking the resilient Noakes down who refused to quit.

After 12 full rounds of nonstop action, the Judges at hand scored it 117-111, 115-111 and 115-111 unanimously for Abdullah Mason.

With this convincing win Mason picked up the Vacant WBO World Lightweight Title crowning him the youngest current male World Champion at 21 years old.

Congratulations Champ. Well done!

Blaze

On The Watch “It’s All About Chris Eubank Jr. vs Conor Benn 2”

Middleweight Showdown

Last night’s Matchroom/Boxxer/DAZN Main Event rematch between Chris Eubank Jr. (35-4, 25 Kos) and Conor Benn (24-1, 14 Kos) at the Tottenham Hotspur Stadium in London, England, was more of a statement bout than a revenge bout by the way things unfolded. Real Talk!

I anticipated these two warriors to pick up the heat where they left off from their last encounter but what transpired was quite surprising. This time around Benn looked focussed and more calculative with his approach and a lot stronger at the weight. His controlled aggression and volume punches kept Eubank Jr. unsettled and unable to adjust on the fly like he did in the previous fight.

From the first bell Eubank Jr. looked uncharacteristically shaky and unsure of his own “game plan” by the way he attempted to box inside that squared circle. It was clear that the weight cut was once again a big issue. His punches looked weak and his usual punch output was non-existent this time around.

It was painful to watch at times as the bigger man was clearly getting bullied and manhandled by the smaller but stronger man round by round. Benn executed his “game plan” to a “T” and beat the usual tough and durable Eubank Jr. to the punch every time.

By the championship rounds it was clear that Eubank Jr.’s energy was completely depleted and his will was the only thing keeping him going and standing on his feet. Seeing what state Eubank Jr. was in, Benn proceeded to keep the pressure on for the remaining rounds and managed to score two knockdowns in the 12th round that sealed the deal in a very convincing fashion.

After 12 one-sided rounds of a systematic beatdown, the Judges scored it 119-107, 118-108 and 116-110, unanimously for Conor Benn. Well done!

Although these two combatants are now tied 1-1 between them, it is clear that Eubank Jr. is no longer able to make the middleweight Division and should forget about a trilogy and close the door on this rivalry.

As for Benn, he’s made it clear that the 147-Pound Division is where he’s heading back to and is looking to bring the “HEAT” to all the Champions in that Division.  

Blaze

On The Watch “It’s All About Joseph Parker vs Fabio Wardley”

Heavyweight Showdown

Last night’s Queensberry Promotions/DAZN Main Event between WBO Interim Heavyweight Champion Joseph Parker (36-4, 24 Kos) and undefeated WBA Interim Heavyweight Champion Fabio Wardley (20-0, 19 Kos), surpassed all my expectations when these two Heavyweights collided at the O2 Arena in London.

Both combatants went into this bout with the utmost confidence and displayed it right from the jump as both warriors wasted no time at establishing their respective “game plan”. Parker was visibly the bigger man but Wardley who was not intimated at all stood his ground round by round.

We had a serious shootout on the night with heavy shots coming from both sides. Both combatants had their moments throughout the night but what surprised me the most was how both warriors withstood each other’s heavy shots. Every round had a dramatic impact right before the bell.

Parker’s experience showed dividends as the rounds progressed. Parker was very efficient and calculative with his punch selection and power shots as the bigger man but Wardley’s chin, durability and will to win alongside his own power, could not go unnoticed.  

Wardley is as tough as they come and tonight, he laid it all on the line inside that squared circle. The clock was ticking and desperation was creeping into the back of Wardley’s mind. Entering the 11th round, Wardley brought forth a devastating attack that clipped Parker and sent him in retreat mode to the ropes absorbing and at times avoiding an abundance of unanswered heavy shots coming his way, prompting the referee to jump in and halt the fight before any further damage could be done.

Some will argue that the stoppage may have been premature considering Parker was up on the card but the unanswered onslaught dished out at the time was quite convincing.

With this imposing win under his belt, Wardley has now positioned himself as the No. 1 opponent to challenge the Undisputed Heavyweight Champion Oleksandr Usyk. In doing so, he’s definitely put the heavyweight Division on notice.

Well done!

Blaze

On the Watch “It’s All About Jaron Ennis vs Uisma Lima”

Junior Middleweight Showdown

Last night’s Matchroom/DAZN Main Event between former Unified Welterweight .Champion Jaron “Boots” Ennis (35-0, 31 Kos) and Uisma Lima (14-2, 10 Kos), was a statement event where “Boots” announced himself in an aggressive fashion to the 154-Pound Division at the Wells Fargo Center in Philadelphia. Real Talk!

Jaron was looking to impress his hometown crowd and that he did at just about 1:58 of the first round by dropping Uisma three times and knocking him out with a barrage of unanswered punches coming in from all angles, quickly prompting the referee to stop the bout and saving Uisma from further damage.

Uisma was caught cold from the jump and didn’t have enough time to recover as Jaron went in for the kill and shut down the show before sending everyone on attendance home happy with the outcome. No need for the Judges on this night.

With this impressive win now under his belt, Jaron picked up the Interim Junior Middleweight Belt positioning himself in line to challenge the full Champion Abass Baraou (17-1, 9 Kos).

That being said, Jaron has made it be known that he’s looking to take over the 154-Pound Division and is looking at all the champions or top contenders – anyone of them can get it.

Statement made and heard!

Blaze

On The Watch ”It’s All About Alexis Barriere vs Guido Vianello”

Heavyweight Showdown

In last night’s Matchroom/DAZN Co-Feature Main Event at the Wells Fargo Center in Philadelphia, our own Canadian prospect Alexis Barriere (12-1, 10 Kos) was dealt a minor setback at the hands of Guido “The Gladiator” Vianello (14-3, 12 Kos).

No one anticipated ever seeing this outcome but truth be told, Guido was never going to be an easy out for anybody in the Heavyweight Division on any given night. Coming off a tough 10 round loss to Heavyweight prospect Richard Torrez Jr., Guido desperately needed a win to keep himself going in the Heavyweight conversations.

Giving what was at stake, Guido proceeded to dish out his best work by dismantling Alexis from head to body inside that squared circle. Alexis looked outgunned and unprepared for the pressure and the heavy shots that were coming his way.

Usually, Alexis is the hunter inside the squared circle but on this night, he was the hunted being outboxed and outhustled from every angle. Guido’s speed and power played a major factor as he was able to drop Alexis in the fourth round and stop Alexis in the fifth round after the referee waved it over preventing any further onslaught. This was a tough loss for Alexis and a teaching lesson that he will bounce back from but this was definitely a great win for Guido.

Blaze

On The Watch ”It’s All About Dave Allen vs Arslanbek Makhmudov”

Heavyweight Showdown

Last night’s Matchroom/DAZN Main Event between Dave “White Rhino” Allen (24-8-2, 19 Kos) and our own Canadian/Russian representative Arslanbek Makhmudov (21-2, 19 Kos), was an entertaining bout that had the 9,000 fans in attendance on the edge of their seats at the Sheffield Arena in Sheffield, England.

Dave, fresh off stopping the young and upcoming Heavyweight Johnny Fisher in his last bout, was feeling like the stars were aligning themselves in his favour and proceeded to tackle another hefty challenge in the form Arslanbek Makhmudov and chopping down the big “Lion” that most would opt to avoid on their road to redemption.

The “White Rhino” went into this bout with the utmost confidence but was met with a force that refused to succumb and in return Arslanbek gave Dave a good beating throughout the duration of the bout.

Dave showed us once again that his chin is a hell of a tough one to take down but that steady heavy jab that Arslanbek was dishing out round by round was quite affective and consistent at preventing Dave from getting to him.  At times things got ugly inside that squared circle as Arslanbek did a lot of holding and eventually lost a few points because of it.

Dave had a few sporadic moments throughout the bout but was not active enough with his hands when the opportunity presented itself. Although Arslanbek looked tired in the later rounds his work rate over all could not go unnoticed.

After 12 full rounds of action, the Judges at hand scored it 117-109, 116-110 and 115-111 unanimously for Arslanbek Makhmudov.

There are levels to this boxing sh*t and last night our own Canadian/Russian representative Arslanbek Makhmudov showed just that by beating a tough and durable warrior in Dave Allen.

Blaze

On The Watch “It’s All About Regis Prograis vs Joseph Diaz”

Welterweight Showdown

Last night’s Golden Boy/DAZN Co-Main Event between former Junior Welterweight Champion Regis Prograis (30-3, 24 Kos) and former Featherweight Champion Joseph “Jo Jo” Diaz (34-8-1, 15 Kos), was quite an entertaining bout that took place at a catchweight of 143 pounds at the University of Illinois, Chicago.

Both combatants desperately needed a victory. That being said the action was on and popping right from the gate as Diaz pressed the action early and rocked Prograis with a deadly left hook that had him on shaky legs for the remainder of the first round. To my surprise, Prograis fought back instinctively in survivor mode preventing Diaz from stopping him in the first round.

Diaz proceeded to press the action in the second round and once again managed to rock Prograis putting him right back on shaky legs and Prograis still managed to complete the second round.   

By the third round, Prograis still looking a little shaky on them legs, started to put his punches together by being active enough to win rounds by matching fire with fire with Diaz round by round.

Both warriors brought the “HEAT” inside that squared circle hammering heavy shots after heavy shots looking to do some damage to each other. What surprised me the most is how a non-puncher like Diaz was able to hurt Prograis multiple times throughout the bout.

I’m starting to think that Prograis amour might be broken considering how his last few opponents have been against non-punchers like Devin Haney, Jack Catterall and now “Jo Jo” Diaz and they have all been able to look stronger and more durable than him inside that squared circle.

Nevertheless, after 10 rounds of action the Judges at hand scored it 96-94, 96-94 and 98-92 (suspect) unanimously for Regis Prograis.

Prograis may have secured the win with his activity on the night but Diaz definitely put in that work to the point where Prograis, although the winner, should definitely re-evaluate his punch resistance problem at this point in his career if he plans on fully moving up to the Welterweight Division. Them Boys up there at the top, they do pack a punch and they don’t play with their food.  

Blaze

On The Watch “It’s All About Oleksandr Usyk vs Daniel Dubois II”

Unified Heavyweight Championship Showdown

Last night’s Heavyweight Championship Main Event was a clinical beatdown by Unified IBO/WBA/WBC/WBO/Ring Magazine Heavyweight Champion Oleksandr Usyk (24-0, 15 Kos) when he took down yet again, IBF World Heavyweight Champion Daniel Dubois (22-3, 21 Kos) at the packed house of 90,000 plus fans at Wembley Stadium in London.

Dubois had previously worked his way back to Usyk by beating highly rated Filip Hrgovic, Jarrell Miller and former Unified Heavyweight Champion Anthony Joshua to capture the IBF World Heavyweight Title that Usyk had vacated. Beaming with confidence after destroying three top Heavyweights in the game back-to-back, Dubois felt the time was right to right the wrong he succumbed to at the hands of Usyk his fist time out and redeem himself.   

That being said, as confident as Dubois felt going inside that squared circle last night, school was in full session from round one by the way Usyk controlled the ring. Dubois’ bullyish ways were ineffective as Usyk was boxing circles around him clearly frustrating him round by round enabling Dubois to properly detonate one of his signature bombs on him.

Dubois had improved in many ways but for some reason when facing Usyk, he looked lost and not properly prepared to handled what was transpiring inside that squared circle. 

 There are levels to this boxing sh*t and anyone facing Usyk inside that squared circle ends up finding out quickly how ahead of the game this man truly is. Usyk may not be known for packing a punch but he definitely knows how to close a show when the opportunity presents itself. The fifth round saw both combatants exchange heavily at one another but it was Usyk who connected first by chinning Dubois and dropping him for a quick standing 8 count only to see Dubois get back on his feet and wrongfully looking to go toe-to-toe with the cerebral assassin Usyk, who was locked and loaded and once again connected with a well-placed left hook right back on the chin of Dubois, dramatically dropping him for the count prompting the referee at hand to call the fight.

This was a beautiful display of greatness at its best. Usyk proved to the world and his peers why he is the true King of the Heavyweight Division, hands down! This win solidified Usyk as a two-time IBF/IBO/WBA/WBC/WBO/Ring Magazine Undisputed Heavyweight Champion of the world.

Well done, Champ!

Blaze

On The Watch “It’s All About Galal Yafai vs Francisco Rodriguez Jr.”

WBC Interim World Flyweight Challenge

Tonight’s Matchroom/DAZN Main Event between WBC Interim World Champion Galal Yafi (9-1, 7 Kos) and challenger former unified WBO/IBF Minimumweight World Champion Francisco “Chichuas” Rodriguez Jr. (40-6-1, 27 Kos), surpassed all expectations when they touched gloves for a throwdown at the BP Pulse LIVE Arena, in Birmingham, England.

I don’t think Galal prepared appropriately for what transpired but Francisco seized his opportunity and brought the “HEAT” from round one and on and never looked back. Real Talk!

Francisco let his gloves go from head to body with exceptional clip and power behind every shot that had Galal on unsteady legs and confused from the jump. Normally, Galal has always been the aggressor and able to dictate the fight but this time around he was the prey trying to keep up with the heavy onslaught coming his way.

Galal was outgunned, outhustled and outmuscled from every corner. Galal attempted to stand his ground and go toe-to-toe but truth be told that was the wrong “game plan” to have considering that Francisco’s experience and durability was on a different level on the night.

Both combatants threw heavy leather at each other but the one administering the most visible damage round by round was Francisco with the way he boxed and moved with aggression clearly troubling Galai.

That being said, Galal had absolutely nothing to deter Francisco from having his way with him inside that squared circle. It was a one-sided beatdown that could have been halted but instead continued to go 12 full rounds with Galal eventually getting dropped to a standing 8 count in the final round. The Judges at hand had absolutely no issues scoring this bout 119-108, 119-108 and 118-109 unanimously for Francisco “Chichuas” Rodriguez Jr.

With this convincing victory now under his belt, Francisco is now the new WBC Interim World Champion.

Well done, Champ.

Blaze