On The Watch “It’s All About Teofimo Lopez vs Pedro Campa”

Junior Welterweight Showdown

Last night’s Top Rank/ESPN Main Event between former Unified Lightweight Champion Teofimo Lopez (17-1, 13 Kos) and Pedro Campa (34-2-1, 23 Kos) at the Resorts World Las Vegas, was the perfect bounce-back bout needed to introduce Teofimo into the Junior Welterweight Division.

Campa thought he could bully his opponent by standing his ground and going toe to toe in the pocket with Lopez and it looked good in the first few rounds but soon found out that Teofimo just needed a few feeling out rounds of his own to get his action going.

Teofimo fought at a slower pace than usual but was very effective with his output and punch selection while visibly administering damages to his opponent. Campa fought a good fight and kept it competitive but was clearly showing effect from the power shots Lopez was hitting him with.

As the rounds progressed Teofimo was clearly breaking Campa down. The inevitable occurred in round seven when Lopez connected with a strong right hand and left hook that dropped Campa for a quick 8 count that saw him bounce back up but clearly looked hurt by that time. Once action renewed Teofimo wasted no time and proceeded to administer a series of power punches from all angles with absolutely no resistance coming his way, forcing the referee to stop the bout.

Teofimo looked good last night inside that squared circle and fought a good fight by taking his opponent out. That being said I personally think he should still ease his way into the 140-Pound Division before calling out the “top dogs” in the Division. Them Dudes at the top will be a hell of a tougher obstacle then what you just conquered last night, no disrespect to Pedro Campa.

Until then congratulations Teofimo on your win. I can’t wait to see who’s next in line.

Blaze

On The Watch “It’s All About Artur Beterbiev vs Joe Smith Jr.”

Light Heavyweight Unification Showdown

Last night’s intriguing Top Rank/ESPN Main Event between IBF/WBC/Ring Magazine Light Heavyweight Champion Artur Beterbiev (18-0, 18 Kos) and WBO Light Heavyweight Champion Joe Smith Jr. (28-4, 22 Kos) left the fans in attendance  with their jaws dropping by the total destruction witnessed at the hands of Beterbiev at the Madison Square Garden Hulu Theater.

I anticipated a stoppage happening throughout this bout but this total annihilation by Beterbiev took me by surprise. Artur is usually a slow starter but, on this night, he came out gunslinging with his hands of stone geared up to do some serious damage.

Joe, who is also known for his power in both hands, was caught off guard by the early aggressiveness of Beterbiev. Joe attempted to go blow for blow from the first round but felt the wrath of Beterbiev’s power late in the round when he suddenly got clipped for a quick 8 count with barely any time left but survived the round.

In the second round, Beterbiev wasted no time and went straight for the kill shot by landing straight right hands to the dome of Joe that dropped him for another quick 8 count but he bounced right back up to only get dropped seconds later by another right to the dome for another quick 8 count.


Beterbiev was in seek and destroy mode from this point on and continued to administer an onslaught of unanswered straight punches to the dome that shocked Joe so hard off balance that the referee jumped in and stopped the fight after seeing how badly hurt Joe was, wondering around spaced out inside that squared circle.

Beterbiev just took down the second hardest puncher in the Light Heavyweight Division and made it look easyyyyy. With this destructive win Artur has now snatched the WBO Belt from Joe Smith Jr. and retained his IBF/WBC and Ring Magazine Belt, leaving the WBA Super Belt held by Dmitry Bivol as the only missing piece to become Undisputed Light Heavyweight Champion of the World.

Artur Beterbiev vs Dmitry Bivol for Undisputed is the right fight to make but only time will tell if the possibility of this match up can ever come into fruition.

Until then, congratulations Artur on another conclusive win and getting one step closer at achieving your goal of Undisputed.

Blaze

On The Watch “It’s All About George Kambosos Jr. vs Devin Haney”

Lightweight Unification Showdown

At last night’s Unification Lightweight Championship Top Rank/ESPN Main Event, we witness the dawn of a New King emerge when the self-proclaimed Emperor, Unified IBF/WBA/WBO/WBC “Franchise” Champion and Ring Magazine Lightweight Champion George Kambosos Jr. (20-1, 10 Kos), got systematically broken down round by round by WBC Lightweight Champion Devin Haney (28-0, 15 Kos) at the Marvel Stadium in Australia. Hands Down!

Devin singlehandedly silenced the 41, 000 plus fans in attendance at the Marvel Stadium by simply executing a flawless “game plan” with an exceptional display of boxing skills round after round. Devin’s jab was laser sharp and very active from the jump. His perfectly timed movements were causing Kambosos’ fits all night.

Kambosos was getting tagged all night frustrated that he couldn’t pin down or deter Devin from having his way. Kambosos and his team really botched their “game plan” this time around as the rounds progressed it was painfully visible to watch Kambosos be neutralized so easily with absolutely no answer to the problem at hand.

All the odds were against Devin when he stepped foot inside that squared circle, that being said the kid remained mentally strong and unfazed at the challenges in front of him. Devin took it all in with his million dollars smile on his face and showed the world that “dreams do come true” when he levelled up “Game 7 Style” and handily schooled the Champion on his own turf.

The outcome was inescapable. After twelve fully completed rounds, the Judges scored it 118-110, 116-112 and 116-112 all in favor of Devin Haney. This type of scoring does not do Devin justice but the right combatant definitely won this bout.

With this convincing win Devin now becomes the New Undisputed IBF/WBA/WBC/WBO/ Ring Magazine Lightweight Champion of the World.

Congratulations Devin on becoming the eight male combatants to ever capture this high-status
accomplishment of being Undisputed Champion. You and your dad had a “Dream” from day one and put into action and accomplished it, on the biggest stage of your career to date.

This was an historical victory well deserved. Well done!

Blaze

On The Watch “It’s All About Tyson Fury vs Dillian Whyte”

WBC Heavyweight Challenge

Tonight’s Queensberry Promotion/Top Rank Main Event between WBC/Ring Magazine Heavyweight Champion Tyson Fury (32-0-1, 23 Kos) and Mandatory challenger Dillian Whyte (28-3, 19 Kos) at the Wembley Stadium, Wembley, London, UK, with an attendance of 94,000 fans definitely lived up to the hype. Hands Down!

The “Gypsy King” defended his Championship belts for the second time and did it in style by boxing circles around “The Body Snatcher” Dillian who had absolutely no proper “game plan” in keeping Tyson from having his way inside that squared circle.

It was a boxing clinic by Tyson who kept Dillian at bay with a very effective jab, enabling Dillian from landing anything significant enough to deter Tyson from pressing the action from round one and on.

Tyson looked good from the jump boxing and moving at ease inside that squared circle. Dillian tried numerous times to land that heavy left hand but with no avail constantly missing and swinging at air whenever Tyson moved with grace avoiding every power shot coming from Dillian.

Tyson’s size, reach and boxing IQ inside the ring was simply too much of a puzzle for Dillian to overcome. Tyson always seemed to be two steps ahead of Dillian’s every move. Dillian was outmatched and outwitted inside that squared circle. To me this bout looked like a sparring session gone wrong for Dillian. It was only matter of time before the inevitable happened and by the 6th round, Tyson connected with a vicious right uppercut straight to the chin that dropped Dillian who then managed to get up before the count but was on shaky legs to continue. This prompted the referee to call the bout in fear for his safety. Game over!

This was a long overdue mandatory position that Dillian Whyte rightfully deserved from time but fell short on the biggest night of his career to the so-called pillow fisted “Gypsy King”. I tip my “B” hat to Fury for successfully defending his WBC/Ring Magazine Heavyweight Championship Titles and walking away from the game still undefeated and on his own terms in the presence of 94,000 fans at the Wembley Stadium in London.

Job well done Tyson, now enjoy your retirement.

Blaze

On The Watch “It’s All About Josh Taylor vs Jack Catterall”

IBF/WBC/WBA/WBO Undisputed Junior Welterweight Challenge

Tonight’s Undisputed Junior Welterweight Title defense between IBF/WBC/WBA/WBO and Ring Magazine Champion Josh Taylor (19-0, 13 Kos) and mandatory challenger Jack Catterall (26-1, 13 Kos) at the SSE Hydro in Glasgow, Scotland was a straight up ROBBERY to the challenger hands down.

No disrespect to the Champion Josh Taylor who brought it tonight and fought a tough bout but truth be told, Jack came in and defeated the Champion convincingly after 12 full rounds of action but unfortunately got robbed by the Judges on his biggest night inside that squared circle.

Jack came out the gate with confidence and the right “game plan” which was executed perfectly. Standing his ground round after round boxing beautifully while asserting himself as the better man throughout the entire bout and dropping Josh in the 8th round clearly putting Josh in the deficit by then.

Personally, I thought Josh looked weight drained and struggled to assert himself throughout the bout and looked desperate as the rounds progressed. Although the referee deducted a point in round 10 from Catterall, Jack was still comfortably in the lead in my eyes with the higher work rate and punch connection going his way.

That being said, this bout was very entertaining and clearly surpassed the expectation that most people anticipated considering everybody thought this was going to be a cake walk for Taylor. After 12 full rounds of non-stop action the Judges scored it 113-112 for Catterall, 114-111 for Taylor, and 113-112 for Taylor giving him the spit decision win. Unbelievable!

I’m sorry, I’m a big fan of Josh Taylor but tonight homeboy clearly lost this bout hands down.
Jack put his paws all over him and fought a great fight and clearly deserved the win. This was another case of a straight up ROBBERY!! Real talk!

Jack did everything right and fought his heart out to secure the win but, in the end, got ROBBED by the Judges at hand. These three Judges should be barred from ever judging a sanction bout again. Real Talk!

Tonight, we should be celebrating the coronation of a new Undisputed Junior Welterweight Champion in Jack Catterall but instead the home grown Champion Josh Taylor reaped the benefits and retained his controversial Undisputed Crown.

These are the types of outcomes that gives Boxing a bad reputation.

Just my thoughts.

Blaze

On The Watch “It’s All About Amir Khan vs Kell Brook”

Grudge Match Supremacy

Tonight’s ESPN+/Ultimate Boxxer Grudge match Main Event between Amir Khan (34-6, 21 Kos) and Kell Brook (40-3, 28 Kos) finally came to a conclusion at the Manchester Arena in Manchester Lancashire, England.

This was a highly anticipated grudge match that was well overdue but definitely worth the wait. Amir talked a good game from day one and always felt he was the superior boxer to Brook considering both their careers to date but Kell stayed adamant that once they both graced that squared circle opposite each other that he would be the one to prevail with the victory.

Fast forward to tonight’s showdown and Kell stayed true to his prediction by stopping Amir Khan in the six round. Straight from the jump Kell kept his composure and asserted himself quite well in applying controlled aggression in the first round and visibly wobbling Khan with a mean left hand straight to the chin of Khan that had him hurt and on shaky legs until the end of the round.

As fast has Amir was with his hands, he didn’t look like he could handle Kell’s accurate and strong punches coming his way. Amir seemed shook at how strong Kell was inside that squared circle. Amir kept moving but looked like he was on shaky legs whenever Kell connected with anything flush.

As the rounds progressed it was clear to me that Khan had clearly thrown the original “game plan” out the window. Khan looked like an injured animal trying to survive with no clear path on how to adjust to Kell’s pressure.

That being said, Kell could see that Khan was breaking down and looking for a way out. The inevitable was bound to happen. In the sixth round Brook went in for the kill and applied a series of unanswered punches to the body and head of Amir Khan that prompted the referee to stop the bout at the time of 0:51 seconds of the round.

Although both combatants are clearly at the end of their respective careers, Brook showed himself and the rest of the sceptics out there that he still has the goods needed to take out Amir Khan and for that I tip my “B” hat to Kell for walking it like he talked it. Job well done Kell.

Congratulations Kell – you won this bout in a convincing fashion.

Blaze

On The Watch “It’s All About Artur Beterbiev vs Marcus Browne”

IBF/WBC Light Heavyweight Championship Challenge

Last night’s GYM Promotion/Top Rank Main Event between IBF/WBC Light Heavyweight Champion Artur Beterbiev (17-0, 17 Kos) and Marcus Browne (24-2, 16 Kos) at the Bell Centre, Montreal, Quebec, Canada was the only bout on a horrendous card that made any sense. Real Talk!

No disrespect but whoever put this card together did a horrible job. None of these matchups on the card were competitive, that is until the Main Event.

The tough and durable Artur Beterbiev suffered an early cut in the fourth round when an accidental clash of heads cut him and Marcus up but saw Artur suffer the worst of it. Blood was gushing nonstop from Artur’s forehead blinding him at times, but it did not deter him from proceeding with the task at hand.

Marcus, who had a very good “game plan” kept poking in and out with a good jab and constantly moving, frustrating Artur. It was the type of “game plan” that required 100 % of your concentration and stamina to maintain throughout the night.

That being said, Artur kept his composure and continued to administer enough pressure with his heavy punches coming from all angles to slowly wear Marcus down round after round. Once Marcus felt the thumping power of Artur’s punches the original “game plan” went out the window.

Artur’s head to body attack eventually dropped Marcus in the seventh round for a quick 8 count but judging from the body language Marcus was displaying, the inevitable was near and by the ninth round a series of unanswered body shots dropped Marcus again. This time Marcus did not respond to the count forcing the referee to stop the bout.

At first glance Marcus showed he could hang with Artur but as the rounds progressed and the action picked up, it became quite clear that Artur was simply too strong of a resilient opponent for Marcus to overcome inside that squared circle. Bloodied and all, nothing was going to dissuade this man from walking out the Champion.

With this convincing win, Artur retained his IBF/WBC Light Heavyweight Championship belts and the No. 1 Spot in the 175-Pound Division.

Dethroning this man from his position will not be easy but I am looking forward to see who will attempt to try.

Until then congratulations Artur on another conclusive win.

Blaze

On The Watch “It’s All About Vasiliy Lomachenko vs Richard Commey”

Vacant WBO Inter-Continental Lightweight Title

Vasiliy Lomachenko (16-2, 11 Kos) had himself another dominating performance last night on the Top Rank Main Event card at the Madison Square Garden in New York City, when he completely dismantled Richard Commey (30-4, 27 Kos) with ease.

Loma looked as sharp as ever and laser focussed from rounds one to twelve. His foot work from side to side with speed caused mad confusion to Richard who clearly had a hard time judging his distance, at times missing widely in the air.

Loma wasted absolutely no punches and his punch output was ridiculously troubling Commey who was getting lumped up from head to body at will.

As the rounds progressed, it became painfully clear that Commey did not belong with Loma inside that squared circle. By round seven, Loma applied some serious aggressive pressure with power behind every shot that dropped Commey cold for a quick 8 count. The resilient Commey survived the troubling round and actually proceeded to stay somewhat competitive enough to make it through the full 12 rounds of action.

All three Judges scored it 119-108, 119-108 and 117-110 unanimously for Lomachenko.

This hungry version of Lomachenko will definitely be a problem to the 135-Pound Division. Loma is not holding back and is looking for all the smoke with the top Lightweights in the Division hands down.

With this convincing win Loma picked up the vacant WBO Inter-Continental Lightweight Title possibly giving him a clearer path at the new Unified IBF/WBA/WBO/WBC “Franchise” Champion and Ring Magazine Lightweight Champion George Kambosos Jr. (20-0, 10 Kos).

A very intriguing matchup if it ever comes to fruition in the near future.

Until then, congratulation Vasiliy on another overwhelming performance.

Blaze

On The Watch “It’s All About Terence Crawford vs Shawn Porter”

WBO Welterweight Challenge

Last night’s Top Rank Main Event between WBO Champion Terence Crawford (38-0, 29 Kos) and Shawn Porter (31-4-1, 17 Kos) at the Mandalay Bay Resort and Casino’s Michelob ULTRA Arena, was a statement-type performance by the Champion that definitely lived up to the hype. Real Talk!

Everybody in the building knew what Porter was going to bring inside that squared circle but nobody knew how Crawford was going to deal with it. Porter brought the heat straight from round one and on and didn’t stop applying pressure making it a real fight. The “game plan” looked simple on Porter’s side but he wasn’t dealing with an average-type of fighter in Crawford.

The key for Crawford was to not get caught up in Porter’s “game plan” but to settle down and execute his own by being patient and sticking to his exceptional boxing skills. He could not get caught stuck exchanging leather for leather letting himself open at times giving unnecessary opportunities which he did, giving Porter successful rounds.

The back and forth both combatants were dishing out was exciting and definitely crowd pleasing to the fans in attendance.

That said, as the rounds were piling up, I could sense Crawford needed to do something spectacular to slow down the momentum Porter had going for himself at that point. Crawford needed to remind the Boxing World why he was on the Pound-for-Pound list.

In the 10th round, Crawford caught Porter with a well-placed short left to the dome that sat him down for a quick 8 count. Porter, who looked surprised, bounced right back up on his feet but the inevitable was looming over Porter’s head. Porter proceeded to go at Crawford with aggression only to be met with a heavy two-piece combo that severely rocked a still concussed and frustrated Porter to the floor for second time. Although Porter managed to beat the 10 count, Shawn’s Dad, Kenny Porter had seen enough and waved the referee to stop the bout. Just like that Crawford put an end to “Showtime” Shawn Porter by TKO in the 10th round.

This was the type of a performance that Terence needed to silence all the naysayers that doubted his greatness inside that squared circle. Porter brought the “heat” and asserted himself quite well but Terence showed to have the equalizer to shut the show down.

This was by far the most noteworthy and hardest combatant to date in Terence’s career and he prevailed in an impressive fashion.

Congratulations Terence on retaining your WBO Welterweight Championship. You truly are one of the Pound-for-Pound greats in the game today.

Blaze

On The Watch “It’s All About Mikaela Mayer vs Maiva Hamadouche”

Junior Lightweight IBF/WBO Unification Championship

Last night’s Top Rank Main Event between WBO Junior Lightweight Champion Mikaela Mayer (16-0, 5 Kos) and IBF Junior Lightweight Champion Maiva Hamadouche (22-2, 18 Kos) at the Theater at Virgin Hotels Las Vegas was a perfect display of what two of the best female boxers can produce when matched perfectly.

The undefeated Champion Mikaela showed us a different aspect of her boxing game when she elected to bang toe to toe with the always ready known banger Maiva, inside that squared circle. I was quite surprised and impressed to see that Mikaela stood her ground and asserted herself quite well in a tough battle with the shorter but ferocious Maiva.

Maiva came out the gate real aggressive and pressed the action from the jump. Maiva did her best to neutralize Mikaela’s reach but Mikaela’s patience and ring IQ played dividends when she opted to fight fire with fire disrupting Miava’s “game plan”.

This bout was nonstop action with heavy leather being thrown from round 1 to 10 with either combatant letting one another room to breathe. Although both combatants, threw an abundance of punches, it was Mikaela who seemed to land the more telling body to head punches as the rounds progressed.

That being said, after 10 full rounds of action, the Judges scored it 100-90, 99-91, 98-92 unanimously for Mikaela Mayer.

I personally felt that the score card was a lot closer than what they had but I have no dispute with the winner. This bout was by far one of the best fights for the year 2021.

Mikaela fought hard and dug deep for this one and overcame a worthy Champion in Maiva.

Congratulations Mikaela on becoming the New Junior Lightweight IBF/WBO Champion of the World.

Blaze