On The Watch “It’s All About Kid Galahad vs Kiko Martinez”

IBF Featherweight Championship

Tonight’s Matchroom/DAZN Main Event was a shocking event to fans in attendance at the Sheffield Arena in Sheffield, England, when home grown IBF Featherweight Champion Kid Galahad (28-2, 17 Kos) got stopped by the former bantamweight Champion Kiko Martinez (43-10-2, 30 Kos). Unbelievable!

This was another case of a cherry pick gone wrong for the Champion. Galahad who was a betting favourite to win this bout, got his ass handed to him when the challenger Martinez put it on him in this voluntary defense.

No one gave Martinez a chance in this bout but he made sure to prove the naysayers wrong by stepping up his game and dropping Galahad for a quick 8 count late in the fifth round.

Although Galahad beat the count, he clearly looked hurt from being dropped hard in the round.
At the start of the sixth round the residual effects were still lingering when Galahad succumbed flat on his back and unresponsive by a straight right hand from Martinez that prompted the referee to stop the bout without giving the Champion a chance to a count.

The so called past his prime Kiko looked out of place inside that squared circle but defied all odds on the big stage by defeating the champion in devastating fashion. Job well done.

With this empathic win, the Spaniard now becomes a two weight Division Champion and the New IBF Featherweight Champion of the World.

Congratulations Kiko you defied all odds and earn this one hands down.

Blaze

On The Watch “It’s All About Terri Harper vs Alycia Baumgardner”

IBO/WBC Super Featherweight Challenge

Tonight’s Matchroom/DAZN Co Main Event between IBO/WBC Super Featherweight Champion Terri Harper (11-1-1, 6 Kos) and challenger Alycia Baumgardner (11-1, 7 Kos) at the Sheffield Arena in Sheffield, England was a perfect example of a cherry pick gone wrong. Real Talk!

Alycia, the American came in the Champion’s house and put it on her straight from the jump. Alycia looked confident and focussed right from the opening round, asserting herself quite well with control aggression.

Alycia wasted no time applying nonstop pressure clearly taking the Champion Terri by surprise. Alycia was simply too strong for the Champion who visibly had no way of keeping the challenger from applying pressure.

Alycia walked it like she talked it and stopped the champion in the fourth round on her feet with a devastating right hand that had her stunted and seemingly trapped inside a matrix prompting the referee to stop the bout.

Just like that, game seven scenario with the challenger dethroning the Champion in her own house. Unbelievable!

With this impeccable win Alycia just disrupted the Super Featherweight Division by becoming the New IBO/WBC Super Featherweight Champion of the World.

Congratulations Alycia on this exceptional performance. You took this voluntary opportunity and proved to the world that you belong with the top dogs of this Featherweight Division. You earned this one the hard way, and I can’t wait to see what becomes of this latest achievement.

Blaze

On The Watch “It’s All About Mikey Garcia vs Sandor Martin.”

Welterweight Showdown

Last night’s Matchroom/DAZN Main Event at the Chuckchansi Park, Fresno, CA, between former 4-Division World Champion Mikey Garcia (40-2, 30 Kos) and virtually unknown EBU European Super Lightweight Champion Sandor Martin (39-2, 13 Kos) was a perfect example of a cherry pick gone wrong. Real Talk!

A lot of people lost B.I.G. last night when they expected Mikey to have an easy stay-busy fight in front of his home crowd but then soon found out that Sandor wasn’t coming to lay down without a fight.

This was by far Sandor’s biggest moment of his career and he wasn’t about to drop the ball on the biggest stage with the lights and cameras all focussed on him. Sandor and his team came up with the perfect “game plan” which he executed to a “T”, offsetting the surprised Garcia round by round boxing and counterpunching, never letting Mikey get comfortable enough inside that squared circle.

Mikey’s usual punch output connection rate was non-existent at times and he was getting countered with some heavy, precise punch combinations that kept him from settling into any type of an offensive rhythm.

Mikey, the veteran boxer that he is, was shockingly getting outboxed by Sandor who was gaining more and more confidence as the rounds were piling up. Mikey had himself a few good looks at times but not enough momentum to disrupt Sandor’s aggressive approach.

After 10 full rounds of action the Judges scored it 95-95, 97-93, 97-93 all in favor of the underdog Sandor Martin.

The right combatant won this bout hands down. Mikey simply didn’t do enough in my eyes to secure the win. Maybe the long layoff played a part in his lackluster performance but my personal opinion is that Mikey simply overlooked his opponent and paid the price inside that squared circle.

That being said, I tip my “B” hat to Sandor for sticking with the “game plan’ and pulling off one the best wins of his career to date. You touched down in the United State for the first time in your career and left a lasting impression with a great victory.

Congratulations Sandor you truly earned this one, job well done.

Blaze

On The Watch “It’s All About Anthony Joshua vs Oleksandr Usyk”

IBO/IBF/WBA/WBO Heavyweight Challenge

Tonight’s Matchroom Main Event at the Tottenham Hotspur Stadium in London, England was a disappointing outcome in my eyes when Heavyweight Champion Anthony Joshua (24-2, 22 Kos) succumbed to the former Cruiserweight Unified Champion turned Heavyweight Oleksandr Usyk (19-0, 13 Kos) by a unanimous decision on home turf. Unbelievable!!

Usyk, the former Unified Cruiserweight Champion walked it like he talked it and moved up to the Heavyweight Division and after only two Heavyweight bouts under his belt dethroned the No. 1 Unified Heavyweight Champion Anthony Joshua by handing him a schooling display of Boxing 101.

AJ the hulking Heavyweight had his moments throughout the bout but severely neglected to impose his own physical attributes when needed. AJ let the smaller man in Usyk have his own way with him inside that squared circle and it cost him dearly round after round.

Usyk’s “game plan” was simple but effective. He boxed and moved for 12 rounds and accumulated enough points to outduel the gun-shy Heavyweight Champion Anthony Joshua. Usyk the visible smaller man inside that squared circle had absolutely no fear in his eyes and proceeded to put hands on AJ all night handing him the most embarrassing loss that could have easily been avoided had AJ presented a better effort inside that squared circle.

Real Talk, AJ got his ass handed to him tonight hands down. After 12 full rounds of action the Judges scored it 117-112, 116-112, 115-113 all in favor for the New Unified Heavyweight Champion Oleksandr Usyk.

With Usyk now being the New Unified Heavyweight Champion, the Heavyweight Division has once again taken a massive blow, leaving AJ contemplating his next move. There’s going to be a lot of soul searching on this one for AJ cause this loss right here is a game changer.

Congratulation to Usyk for conquering yet again another Division in an emphatic fashion.

Although a rematch clause is most likely to be executed by AJ, I personally think he needs to re-evaluate that option because another performance like this could well be detrimental to the rest of his career.

Just my thoughts.

Blaze

On The Watch “It’s All About Conor Benn vs Adrian Granados”

Welterweight Showdown

Conor Benn (19-0, 12 Kos) had himself another step-up bout tonight when he took on the tough and durable Adrian Granados (21-9-3, 15 Kos) on the Matchroom/DAZN card at the Headingley Stadium in Leeds, England.

There was a lot of trash talking coming from both sides but the one combatant who backed up the tough talks was Conor, hands down! Conor was clearly on a seek and destroy mission from rounds one to ten.

Conor came inside that squared circle to please the fans in attendance and to show the boxing world that he’s world class ready. Conor’s aggression was quite visible and affective at times administering some heavy power punches from head to body with seemingly no resistance coming from Granados.

Adrian showed toughness as usual absorbing the onslaught coming his way but his lack of commitment to go toe to toe with Conor made things quite easy to judge round by round. Granados had absolutely no power to his punches tonight and his constant movement did not add up to the right “game plan” to disrupt Conor’s nonstop aggressive punch output.

Although Adrian completed the full ten rounds, his performance tonight was very lackluster. Granados looked more like a fighter who wanted to survive then the always gamed warrior we were accustomed to seeing.

That being said, after 10 rounds of somewhat action the Judges scored it 100-90, 90-91 and 97-93 unanimously in favor of Conor Ben.

Conor may have been unable to stop Adrian within the 10 rounds tonight but he did get some much-needed rounds in that showed us how improved of a boxer he has become in a such a short professional career to date.

Keep the momentum going Conor, your time is coming. Until then congratulations on your latest win.

Blaze

On The Watch “It’s All About Canelo Alvarez vs Billy Joe Saunders”

WBA/WBC/WBO Super Middleweight Title Unification

Last night’s DAZN/Matchroom Main Event card at the AT&T Stadium in Arlington, Texas, between Pound-for-Pound “Kingpin” Unified Super WBA/WBC and Ring Magazine Super Middleweight Champion Canelo Alvarez (56-1-2, 38 Kos) and WBO Super Middleweight Champion Billy Joe Saunders (30-1, 14 Kos) definitely lived up to the hype in front of a record-breaking indoor crowd of 73,126 in attendance.

This bout was an intriguing-type fight, a high played chess match executed on the biggest stage that required both combatants to strategize every move countered by each other. Billy showed up big tonight and proved to be a worthy opponent with exceptional skills that made things quite tricky at times with his elusive ways. Billy fought well, boxed and moved with the right “game plan” at hand until Canelo started to set Billy up by applying calculated pressure with some heavy body punches that really troubled Billy as the rounds were piling up.

Canelo is a different “Beast” inside that squared circle and Billy found out just how tough of an opponent Canelo can be when pressed to go toe to toe. Canelo kept it cool round by round but never wavered when Billy had his moments in spurts building his own confidence up. However, it was only a matter of time before Canelo eventually caught up to Billy. That being said a devastating right uppercut to Billy’s right eye did just that in the 8th round and undeniably changed the momentum in Canelo’s favor. The “End Game” was inevitable.

That particular punch instantly swelled Billy’s eye shut. Due to the heavy damage sustained, Billy retired on his stool following the end of the 8th round, unable to continue.

With this stoppage Canelo was awarded the TKO victory and awarded the WBO Super Middleweight Belt to be added to his collection alongside his Super WBA/WBC and Ring Magazine Titles. Once again Canelo captures the “0” of another undefeated and worthy Champion in Billy Joe Saunders.

The road to Undisputed is still the task at hand. In order to attain the last remaining Title, Canelo will need to Unify the 168-Pound Division by Challenging the IBF Champion Caleb Plant (21-0, 12 Kos). Another captivating bout to look forward too.

History is on your horizon Canelo, until then, congratulations on another convincing win.

Blaze

On the Watch “It’s All About Dereck Chisora vs Joseph Parker”

Vacant WBO Inter-Continental Heavyweight Title

Tonight’s Matchroom/DAZN Main Event between Joseph Parker (29-2, 21 Kos) and Dereck Chisora (32-11, 23 kos) at the Manchester Arena in Manchester, England was a tough outing for both combatants.

Straight from the jump in the first 7 seconds of round 1, Chisora caught Parker flush on the side of the head for a quick knockdown and an 8 count to start the fight that proceeded to go back and forth from this point on.

Chisora was aggressive out the gate pressuring Parker who kept his cool, defending off the onslaught coming his way. Parker had to fight fire with fire to establish himself because things weren’t looking good as the rounds were piling up.

Parker’s jab eventually started to affect Chisora who clearly was looking tired from pressing the action so much. As the rounds were accumulating Parker needed to dig deep and battle of a tired looking Chisora who still kept on coming forward throwing bombs from left to right.

This bout may not have been the prettiest of fights out there but Chisora definitely made it a tough one for Parker all night. After 12 rounds of hard-hitting action the Judges scored it 115-113 for Chisora while the other two judges scored it 116-111 and 115-113 in favor of Parker. Personally, I wouldn’t have been mad at a draw but that 116-111 is out of pocket.

With this win Joseph picks up the Vacant WBO Inter-Continental Heavyweight Belt and repositions himself as a key player in the Heavyweight Division but truth be told, Parker is going to have to step his game up even more if he has any aspirations of recapturing one of the full Heavyweight Titles from the two Champions right now. Real Talk!

Blaze

On the Watch “It’s All About Katie Taylor vs Natasha Jonas”

Undisputed Lightweight Title Defense

Tonight’s Matchroom/DAZN Co Main Event between Undisputed Lightweight Champion Katie Taylor (18-0, 6 Kos) and Natasha Jonas (9-2-1, 7 kos) at the Manchester Arena in Manchester, England did not disappoint.

These two exceptional boxers put on quite a show from start to finish. Real Talk! Natasha proved to be a worthy opponent and physically pushed Katie to really up her game inside that squared circle.

Natasha stood her ground and went blow for blow with the Champ, dishing out just as much as she was receiving making the bout a really close to call. Both combatants were landing heavy shots and pressing the action round after round.

That being said, I personally think the deciding factor in this bout was the constant four-punch combinations that Taylor was dishing out. That was key in tonight’s showdown. Katie’s work rate edged it out as the Judges scored it 96-94, 96-95, 96-95 in favor of the Champ.

This was by far one of her toughest wins to date but one well-deserving for the Undisputed Lightweight champion Katie Taylor.

Congratulations Champ!

Blaze

On the Watch “It’s All About Chris Eubank Jr. vs Marcus Morrison”

Middleweight Showdown

Chris Eubank Jr. (30-2, 22 Kos) had himself some much-needed rounds tonight on the Matchroom/DAZN card at the Manchester Arena in Manchester, England when he took on Marcus Morrison (23-4, 16 Kos).

No disrespect to Marcus who was a tough Dude that showed up ready to fight, but it was clear after round 2 that Marcus was way over his head and did not belong inside that squared circle with Chris. As the rounds were piling up you could clearly see that Chris was purposely keeping him around in order to get some rounds in. I don’t blame him for doing so considering Chris hadn’t fought in 17 months and was working with a new trainer in Roy Jones Jr. in his corner.

Chris was visibly capable of stopping Marcus whenever he pressed the action but personally, I was pleased in seeing Chris listening to his corner and executing the instructions given while boxing with patience and dominating his opponent with ease.

After 10 full rounds of action all three Judges scored it 98-92, 98-92, 98-92, in favor of Eubank. Job well done.

I can definitely see the positive work you’ve been putting in with Roy Jones – now keep at it and keep the momentum going.

Until then, congratulations on your win.

Blaze

On the Watch “It’s All About Dmitry Bivol vs Craig Richards”

Super WBA Light Heavyweight Title Defense

Dmitry Bivol (18-0, 11 Kos) who we haven’t seen grace the squared circle since his last title defense back in October 12, 2019, had himself quite the rounds tonight on the Matchroom/DAZN card at the Manchester Arena in Manchester, England when he defended his WBA Light Heavyweight Title against contender Craig Richards (16-2-1, 9 Kos).

Craig made Dmitry work tonight and asserted himself quite well. Aside from a few lapses, Craig stood his ground and made it an interesting bout. That being said Dmitry needed the rounds and defended his belt like a Champion should and performed exceptionally well for someone who’s been out of action for a year and a half.

Dmitry had himself a live body tonight and boxed a beautiful fight while showing us his exceptional skills round by round. There are levels to this boxing sh*t and tonight, Dmitry had to show us just that to secure this win by the score of 118-110, 115-114 and 115-113.

Had Craig pressed the action by being a tad more aggressive, this outcome would have certainly been in his favor. Craig may have come up short tonight but he definitely showed us he belongs with the top tier in the 168-Pound Division.

That being said, this bout was not a cake walk for Dmitry but he did successfully retain his WBA Light Heavyweight Title.

Congratulations Dmitry on another great win.

Blaze