On The Watch “It’s All About Nick Ball vs Brandon Figueroa”

WBA Featherweight Challenge

Tonight’s homecoming Queensberry/DAZN Main Event between WBA Featherweight Champion Nick Ball (23-1-1, 13 kos) and challenger Brandon Figueroa (27-2-1 20 Kos) surpassed my expectations by the way these two warriors banged on one another from start to finish at the Echo Arena, Liverpool, England.

Brandon, fighting for the first time out of the country on enemy territory, did not let Nick, who was fighting in his own backyard of Liverpool deter him from the task at hand. Brandon looked focussed from the jump and did not let the energy from Nick’s fans distract him whatsoever from executing the “game plan”.

That being said, Nick approached this bout in usual form. He came in with the heavy punches flowing with his nonstop pressure but was met with a willing combatant who was willing to bang with him punch for punch making this bout that much more interesting as it unfolded.

Nick, being the house fighter had the crowd behind him every time he threw a punch but Brandon kept his own work rate up and boxed competitively and well enough to keep things honest inside that squared circle.

Brandon did not come all the way to the United Kingdom to lay down and take a beating at Nick’s hands. Brandon stood tall and banged toe-to-toe with the bully and dished out just as much as he was taking in and made this a tougher outing than expected for Nick.

Brandon kept a challenging pace that clearly bothered Nick from settling down and getting comfortable enough to dictate the bout. Brandon kept the “HEAT” coming at all times. By the twelfth round, Brandon finally caught an opening and landed a hard left right to Nick’s chin that viciously dropped him to a standing 8 count. Nick quickly got back up to his feet to continue only to receive an onslaught of unanswered punches that eventually knocked him out outside of the ring which prompted the referee to stop the bout.

Brandon, the “Heartbreaker” stayed true to his moniker and broke everybody’s heart in attendance in that building when he brutally stopped their Champion Nick Ball and snatched the WBA Featherweight Championship belt from him.

This impressive win by Brandon now crowns him a Three-Time World Champion.

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 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 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

On The Watch “It’s All About Joe Joyce vs Filip Hrgovic”

Heavyweight Showdown

Last night’s Queensberry Promotions/DAZN Main Event between Joe “Juggernaut” Joyce (16-4, 15 Kos) and Filip “El Animal” Hrgovic (18-1, 14 Kos) was quite entertaining considering what these two combatants brought to that squared circle at the Co-Op Live Arena in Manchester, England.

Hrgovic, who took this bout on short notice, clearly wasn’t at his best on the night but did assert himself quite well considering the short three-week camp. Hrgovic conserved his energy by throwing calculated and effectives punches round by round making sure each and every one of them was felt.

As for Joyce, who may have looked the part, definitely looked like a fighter that has been regressing fight after fight as of late. Joyce understood the assignment and proceeded to press the action but to me he was getting hit way too cleanly round by round. Joyce was never a fast fighter but last night, although his punches still looked like they thumped with power, his slow movement and reaction made it painful to watch at times.

That said, Hrgovic may not have been in tip top shape but was good enough to go rounds with a slow looking “Juggernaut” and hammer in his punches as much as he could to edge out the rounds in my opinion.

Joyce showed us he could still take a heavy punch but at the cost of taking them he did not look good. After 10 brutal rounds of action the Judges at hand scored it 98-92, 97-93 and 96-95 unanimously for Filip Hrgovic.

This was an important bout for both combatants. The winner can move forward to a brighter opportunity while the loser will fall down the Heavyweight Division standings and re-evaluate their future.

Blaze

On the Watch “It’s All About Natasha Jonas vs Lauren Price”

Welterweight Unification Showdown

Last night’s Boxxer/Sky Sports Main Event between IBF/WBC Welterweight Champion Natasha Jonas (16-3-1, 9 kos) and IBO/WBA/Ring Magazine Welterweight Champion Lauren Price (9-0, 2 Kos) was not a passing of the torch but rather a coronation of a new Queen in the Welterweight Division at the Royal Albert Hall in London, England.

Lauren came out the gate with the utmost confidence looking to prove her dominance over her fellow Champion Natasha. Lauren’s “game plan” was simple but effective and very well executed.

Natasha, the 40-year-old veteran Champion had met her match on the night. As seasoned and competitive as Natasha was, she found out quickly that she could not compete with the younger combatant inside that squared circle.

Lauren was a serious force to contend with, where Natasha simply could not deter the stronger and extremely accurate warrior from having her way with her.

Natasha got outworked and outhustled from every corner and had absolutely no proper “game plan” to keep up with Lauren. It was a dominant performance by Price from start to finish where she showed levels way above what Natasha was accustomed to.

Simply put, Lauren made it look easy. After 10 rounds of one-sided action, the Judges at hand scored it 100-90, 98-93 and 98-92 unanimously for Lauren Price.

With this impressive statement win now under her belt, Lauren retains her
IBO/WBA/Ring Magazine Welterweight Titles, snatched the IBF/WBC Welterweight Titles from Natasha and unified the Welterweight Division.

Well done, Lauren. Undisputed should be next on the horizon but until then good luck to the competition.

Blaze

On The Watch ”It’s All About Jack Catterall vs Arnold Barboza Jr.”

Junior Welterweight Challenge

Tonight’s Matchroom/DAZN Main Event between WBO International Junior Welterweight Champion Jack “El Gato” Catterall (30-2, 13 Kos) and WBO Intercontinental Junior Welterweight Champion Arnold Barboza Jr. (32-0, 11 Kos), was an interesting bout where both combatants had to get creative with their approach inside that squared circle at the Co-op Live Arena in Manchester, England.

This was a chess like match where both combatants had their moments as the rounds progressed. Being the away fighter, Barboza had no choice but to stay active with his hands but Catterall stood his ground and exchanged leather for leather as best he could.

You could see both combatants struggling to get an edge on one another as each looked equally matched inside that squared circle making it harder to call round by round. It was a very calculative type bout where every mistake made cost the opponent dearly.

Both combatants had their share of telling punches being thrown but as the championship rounds rolled out it was becoming clearer to the eye that Barboza was the one putting in that extra push to secure the defining rounds.

That being said, after 12 full rounds of action one Judge scored it 115-113 for Catterall while the other two Judges scored it 115-113 for Barboza giving him the split decision win and the right to claim the vacant WBO Interim Junior Welterweight Title.

It was a tight competitive bout from start to finish but I personally think the right man won on the night. With this win now secured by Barboza an official mandatory position has now been set to challenge for the full WBO World Junior Welterweight Title held by Teofimo Lopez (21-1, 13 Kos).

That said, will Teofimo accept the challenge? Only time will tell.

Until then, congratulations Arnold on another great win.

Blaze

On The Watch “It’s All About Sunny Edwards vs Galal Yafai”

Flyweight Showdown

Tonight’s Matchroom/DAZN Main Event between former IBF World Flyweight Champion “Showtime” Sunny Edwards (21-2, 4 Kos) and WBC International Champion Galal Yafai (9-0, 7 kos) definitely shocked the viewers at home and the fans in attendance by the surprising outcome of this bout at The Resorts World Arena in Birmingham, England.

I personally never anticipated this outcome but tonight I witnessed a one-sided beatdown being handed out by Yafai that clearly had Sunny contemplating life inside that squared circle. Yafai had that pressure style with his hands going from head to body right from the gate that didn’t let Sunny get any breathing room at any moment throughout the duration of the bout.

Sunny looked disengaged from round one and unprepared to handle the nonstop pressure that was coming at him which was quite surprising since Sunny had seen and dealt with many different styles prior to this bout but for some reason could not deal with what was coming at him on this particular night.

Sunny had always been known for his speed and exceptional defence but tonight, neither were on point. Sunny was getting touched up from left to right, head to body, consistently being manhandled while retreating on the ropes.

Yafai looked like a man possessed and determined to come out on top. Yafai’s nonstop unanswered onslaught and bullish ways towards Sunny in the sixth round prompted the referee to stop the fight to prevent Sunny from taking any further unnecessary abuse. This version of Sunny inside that squared circle tonight stood no chance at turning the fight into his favor.

With this very convincing win now under his belt, Galal picked up the Vacant WBC Interim World Flyweight Championship Title, positioning himself next in line at a chance at the full WBC Flyweight Title.

Congratulations Galal, you’ve officially announced yourself to the Flyweight Division. Well Done!

Blaze

On The Watch “It’s All About Jack Catterall vs Regis Prograis”

Junior Welterweight Showdown

Tonight’s Matchroom/DAZN Main Event between Jack Catterall (30-1, 13 Kos) and former two-time Junior Welterweight Champion Regis Prograis (29-3, 24 Kos) was a statement bout that both fighters needed in order to move forward but on this night at the Co-op Live Arena in Manchester, England, Catterall prevailed.

Catterall was in a fight tonight and got dropped for the first time in his career to date in the fifth round but got up and continued to gain momentum as the rounds progressed. At that point, both combatants had their highs and lows throughout the rounds but Catterall kept his cool and picked his spots just right to even the score.

The ninth round was a game changer for Catterall who dropped Prograis twice in the round and abused him from that point on. Prograis’ defense and stamina looked shaky and he failed to even out the score with his lack of action in the later rounds. Knowing he was heavily down on the score cards Regis should have pressed the action but Jack stayed ahead of the game and made things hard for Prograis simply by moving around where Prograis was unable to land anything significant enough to do damage.

After 12 full rounds of action the Judges at hand scored it 117-108, 116-109 and 116-109 unanimously for Jack Catterall.

With this convincing win now under his belt Jack picked up the vacant WBO International Junior Welterweight Title positioning himself one step closer to a possible opportunity at the full Championship Title being held by Teofimo Lopez (21-1- 13 Kos).

Jack is deserving of this opportunity especially after defeating two highly ranked former champions in Josh Taylor and now Regis Prograis in back-to-back wins but only time will tell if the opportunity will be granted to him.

Until then, congratulations Jack on a very impressive win.

Blaze

On The Watch “It’s All About Anthony Joshua vs Daniel Dubois”

IBF World Heavyweight Challenge

Former Unified Heavyweight Champion Anthony Joshua (28-4, 25 Kos) got himself a serious reality check when he brutally succumbed at the hands of IBF World Heavyweight Champion Daniel Dubois (22-2, 21 Kos) at tonight’s Main Event at the sold-out Wembley Stadium in London, England, courtesy of Riyadh Season.

This all-British Showdown surpassed all expectations and attendance at the same time. Dubois, who came in the ring looking hungry and laser-focussed, surprisingly kept things simple but efficient. Dubois’ “game plan” was obvious from the jump: to seek and destroy his opponent by all means necessary and the young Lion did just that. Real Talk!

Both combatants looked fit and strong but it was Dubois who imposed himself from the first round by chin checking AJ to a standing 8 count right before the bell ended the round. It was a wrap from that point on.

AJ looked lost and confused from round one and had no proper “game plan” to deter Dubois who was coming at him from all corners with some serious aggression. Dubois refused to give AJ any breathing room round by round. The pressure was real and the power shots that Dubois was landing on AJ were visibly taxing as AJ could not stand toe-to-toe with Dubois and eventually got clipped once again in the third round to another standing 8 count.

The inevitable was near and in the fifth round when AJ attempted to open up with his offence, Dubois landed a “Dynamite” of a right hand that chin checked Anthony cold to the floor prompting the referee to count him out.

Although Anthony showed a lot of heart tonight by rising up every time he got dropped, this version of AJ was the worst I’ve ever seen get into that squared circle. Dubois manhandled and dominated AJ from rounds 1 to 5 which is not an easy task to do but Dubois made it look effortless and for that I tip my “B” hat to the young Lion. You silenced the naysayers and myself, and put the Heavyweight Division and the boxing world on notice that Daniel “Dynamite” Dubois is the real deal. Real Talk!

Blaze