On The Watch “It’s All About Liam Smith vs Chris Eubank Jr. 2″

Middleweight Throwdown

Tonight’s Sky Sport/Boxxer Main Event was a much-needed rematch between Liam Smith (33-4-1, 20 Kos) and Chris Eubank Jr. (33-3, 24 Kos) at the AO Arena in Manchester Lancaster, UK where the outcome of this bout was completely different from their first encounter.

Tonight, Eubank Jr. came into this bout calm and laser focussed with one mission in mind, to rectify and redeem himself from the brutal loss obtained from Liam’s hands seven months ago.

With new head trainer Brian “Bomac” McIntyre leading his corner, Eubank showed dominance once again right from the jump but this time followed the “game plan” constructed and did not miss a beat. Eubank systematically broke Liam down round by round disabling his opponent from ever getting his offense going. Eubank showed way more activity with his punch output and a strong steady jab that kept Liam covered up with nothing to answer with. This version of Eubank seemed too much for Liam inside that squared circle. Liam was being battered around like a punching bag round by round and eventually succumbed to a right uppercut that dropped him for a quick 8 count. However, he survived the round due to the referee taking his sweet time collecting his displaced gum shield and bringing it to his corner giving Liam more time to recover.

Regardless of the referee’s stalling tactics, Eubank continued his dominance by administering constant pressure with some very good work from the body to the head coming from all angles with no real resistance from his opponent. This was a one-sided beatdown that continued all the way to the tenth round where Liam was at the receiving end of a barrage of punches that eventually sat him down once again for another 8 count that saw him rise up to his feet only to again receive another onslaught of abuse prompting the referee to step in and stop the bout.

With this dominant performance over Liam, Eubank has now silenced all the naysayers who doubted his capabilities inside that squared circle. This was a must win for Eubank and tonight he showed improvement and discipline under the guidance of McIntyre.

I’m intrigued to see how well this partnership can be, until then congratulations Chris on another resounding performance.

Blaze

On The Watch “It’s All About Carlos Adames vs Julian Williams”

WBC Interim Middleweight Challenge

Last night’s PBC/Showtime Main Event between WBC Interim Middleweight Champion Carlos Adames (23-1, 18 Kos) and challenger Julian Williams (28-3-1, 16 Kos) was a controversial but one that was action-pack fight from start to finish at The Armory in Minneapolis.

What started out as an even playing field with both combatants working out their respective “game plan” quicky unravelled when both combatants started to put up some heavy leather along with their combinations, looking for that respect inside that squared circle.

Williams came out the gate with a chip on his shoulder looking to silence all the naysayers who thought he would be outgunned inside that squared circle and actually looked the part in the earlier rounds going toe to toe with Adames standing his ground blow for blow.

With them two warriors standing in the phone booth exchanging leather definitely had the fans in attendance going but I personally think that may have been the wrong “game plan” to use against a dangerous combatant like Adames.

The way that Adames was laying them hard body shots was undeniably braking Williams down round by round. As hard as Williams was fighting back, it was visibly clear that fatigue was settling by the way he was getting plummeted like a punching bag from top to bottom.

As the rounds progressed it was distinctly clear that Williams did not belong inside that squared circle opposite Adames. Williams showed bravery by withstanding the unanswered onslaught coming his way but while he refused to succumb to Adames, the referee at hand saw it fitting to halt the bout in the ninth round.

Although Julian, who was still standing, contested the stoppage, the writing was already on the wall, the inevitable was coming and it could have been a worse ending for Williams. Real Talk!

With this win now intact Carlos retained his WBC Interim Middleweight Title, patiently awaiting his opportunity at the full WBC Middleweight Champion Jermall Charlo.

Blaze

On The Watch “It’s All About Chris Eubank Jr. vs Liam Smith”

Middleweight Throwdown

Tonight’s Sky Sports/Boxxer Main Event between Chris Eubank Jr. (32-3, 23 Kos) and Liam Smith (33-3-1, 20 Kos) at the Manchester Lancaster, UK was a proper domestic showdown that shocked the fans in attendance and the world watching. Real Talk!

Former WBO Light Middleweight Champion Liam moved up in weight to challenge the former WBA Interim Middleweight Champion Eubank Jr. at the full Middleweight Division and asserted himself quite well at the new weight and stood his ground going toe-to-toe with the naturally bigger man inside that squared circle.

While Eubank used a nice stiff jab from the jump to keep Liam at bay, Smith kept coming forward never deterred in applying as much pressure as he could round by round.

Both combatants had their moments looking very active with their hands but in the third round, it looked like Eubank was about to take the lead until the unexpected happened throughout the fourth round when Liam backed Eubank to the corner and teed off on him with a series of accurate punches that dropped Eubank for the first time in his career. Although Eubank did get up, he clearly had no legs or the sense to survive the round. Seeing Eubank visibly hurt, Liam wasted no time at putting Eubank out of his misery by seizing the moment and dropping him to the canvas one more time prompting the referee to stop the bout at 1:09 of round four. Unbelievable!

No disrespect to Liam who is a good fighter, I never anticipated this type of finish by his hands. Liam flattened Eubank who was said to be the bigger and stronger fighter of the two in such a devastating fashion never seen before by any of his previous opponents. This is the type of finish that has you rethinking what the hell went wrong.

The build-up to this bout had a lot of heat from both sides but it was Liam who walked it like he talked it and stole the show in the blink of an eye.

This bout was a great domestic win for Liam but it was also the type of win that will bring up even greater opportunities ahead in the 154- or 160-pound Division.

Congratulations Liam, you walked inside that squared circle the underdog but walked out the “Top Dog” of the night. Well done!

Blaze

On The Watch “It’s All About Claressa Shields vs Savannah Marshall”

IBF/WBA/WBC/WBO Unified Middleweight Championship Showdown

Tonight’s highly anticipated Sky Sports/Boxxer Main Event between IBF/WBA/WBC Middleweight Champion Claressa Shields (13-0, 2 Kos) and WBO World Middleweight Champion Savannah Marshall (12-1, 10 Kos) was a bout that represented the best of the best on the biggest platform of them all.

The self-proclaimed GWOAT of women’s boxing walked it like she talked it and asserted herself right from the jump and took it straight to Savannah who had absolutely no answer to Claressa’s non-stop action.

Although Savannah was the bigger combatant inside that squared circle, it was Claressa who pressed the action from start to finish making it real unconfutable for Savannah to establish any type of consistent offensive attack. Real Talk!

Claressa’s high-volume punches prevented Savannah from settling in with her strong jab. For every jab Savannah landed Claressa answered with flurries of punches making every round that much harder for Savannah to establish her own “game plan”.

Claressa was focussed and on point round by round physically and mentally ready for everything Savannah was throwing at her. Claressa showed the World tonight what she was all about inside that squared circle. Savannah was in a real fight tonight and had no proper “game plan” to deter Claressa from having her way with her.

After 10 full rounds of non-stop action, the Judges at hand called it 96-94, 97-93, 97 -93 unanimously for Claressa Shields – the New Undisputed IBF/WBA/WBC/WBO and Ring Magazine Middleweight Champion of the World. A beautiful display of boxing at its finest by the self-proclaimed GWOAT of women boxing to date.

Congratulations Claressa on another dominating performance. You truly are women’s boxing at its finest. Good luck to the competitors attempting to dethrone you.

Blaze

On The Watch “It’s All About Chris Eubank Jr. vs Liam Williams”

Middleweight Throwdown

Tonight’s grudge match between Chris Eubanks Jr. (32-2, 23 Kos) and Liam Williams (23-4-1, 18 Kos) at the Motorpoint Arena in Cardiff Wales got put to bed indefinitely.

Eubank Jr. got himself into a proper dust up with Liam and handled him accordingly. There was a lot of animosity going back and forth prior to the bout but things got settled fittingly inside that squared circle.

Chris came out the gate quite composed and proceeded with a proper “game plan” that saw the aggressive Williams get dropped in round 1, 2, 4 and 11. That said, Liam put up a good fight and stayed competitive but clearly underestimated Chris’ boxing abilities inside that squared circle.

Chris walked it like he talked it and proceeded to give Liam a proper beating for the trash talking he gave up prior to the bout. It was clear to me that Chris wanted to punish Liam round after round instead of knocking him out when it presented itself and in doing so gave Liam hope as the rounds progressed.

That being said, after 12 full rounds of action the Judges scored it 116-109, 116108 and 117109 all in favor of Chris Eubank Jr.

Haters will talk their talk as usual but truth be told Junior has showed mass improvement under the guidance of Roy Jones Jr. hands down.

With this convincing win Eubanks edges one step closer to a title shot either with the WBA where he is ranked No. 1 or with the WBC where he is ranked No. 3. with the governing bodies.

Until then, keep working on perfecting your craft, Chris.  Your time will come – just stay ready for that call.

Blaze

On The Watch “It’s All About Jaime Munguia vs Gabriel Rosado”

WBO Inter-Continental Middleweight Championship

Last night’s Golden Boy/DAZN Main Event between Jaime Munguia (38-0, 30 Kos) and Gabriel Rosado (26-14-1, 15 Kos) at the Honda Center, Anaheim, CA, did not lack excitement. Real Talk!

Them two warriors fought their hearts out inside that squared circle from start to finish. Nonstop action coming from both sides with heavy leather being thrown with bad intentions.

Fight by fight you can see the improvements Munguia has been making and last night all was on display. His defence was always questionable but noticeably improved in my eyes. His durability and the crazy punch output with the combinations and his heavy hands, is what separates him inside that squared circle. This Kid is something special and definitely has a crowd-pleasing style to keep you on the edge of your seat.

That being said, Gabe ain’t no walk in the park for anybody inside that squared circle and last night Gabe put that impressive pressure style of fighting on Munguia round after round, determined to make his presence felt inside that squared circle. Gabe did a hell of a job and showed his toughness with his own durability as well. Gabe dished it just as much as he was taking.

The only drawback for Gabe was that he needed to be a tad busier cause the Kid Munguia had them punch combinations coming in bunches whenever Gabe hit him with a good one, which clearly swayed the Judges.

After 12 full rounds of nonstop action, the Judges scored it 119-109, 118-110 and 117-111 all unanimously for Jaime Munguia. I don’t have a problem with the winner but this type of score card is disrespectful. Win or lose Gabe made this bout a lot closer than what these Judges saw, HANDS DOWN!

Munguia got tested last night in probably his biggest fight to date. With this win he now becomes the new WBO Inter-Continental Middleweight Champion, giving him a clear path to WBO Middleweight Champion Demetrius Andrade or WBC Middleweight Champion Jermall Charlo. Given these two options, Munguia is still hoping for a chance at IBF Middleweight Champion Gennady Golovkin.

Regardless of the path Jaime decides to take on, anyone of these three Champions will guaranty an exciting bout.

Until then, congratulations on your win Jaime.

Blaze

On The Watch “It’s All About Jermall Charlo vs Juan Macias Montiel”

WBC Middleweight Title Defense

Last night’s PBC/Showtime Main Event between WBC Middleweight Champion Jermall Charlo (32-0, 22 Kos) and Juan Macias Montiel (22-5-2, 22 Kos) turned out to be a better show than expected at the Toyota Center in Houston, Texas.

The “Hit Man” was definitely in a fight last night and although he clearly won the bout, I gotta tip my “B” hat to Montiel for making it exciting. Montiel came to fight and made it quite interesting. If Charlo was looking for an easy fight last night Montiel made sure to make it tough for him at least as best he could. Montiel showed some serious durability in this bout. Dude refused to bow down to the “Hit Man”. Charlo hit this Dude with everything from head to body with some serious sting behind it and Montiel, although clearly buzzed out at times looking punch drunk, still fought back and held his own. Montiel definitely earned my respect with this one.

Montiel never stopped coming forward throughout the bout. After 12 rounds of non-stop action, the Judges scored it 120-108, 119-109, 118-109 unanimously in favor of Jermall Charlo. With this win Charlo retained his WBC Middleweight Title. Well done.

Montiel proved to be a hell of a tough competitor but Charlo demonstrated to be levels above inside that squared circle.

Congratulations Champ, can’t wait to see who’s next for the “Hit Man”.

Blaze

On The Watch “It’s All About Jaime Munguia vs Kamil Szeremeta”

WBO Inter-Continental Middleweight Title Defense

Last night’s Golden Boy/DAZN Main Event between WBO Inter-Continental Middleweight Champion Jaime Munguia (37-0, 29 Kos) and Kamil Szeremeta (21-2, 5 Kos) at the Haskins Center, El Paso, Texas, was another showcase type of event for the Champion.

No disrespect to Szeremeta but he did not belong inside that squared circle with this young Lion Munguia. I personally think this bout was a step down from his previous outing. This bout was simply an open night to some light sparing session for Munguia.

Munguia may not be quite ready for the belt holders in the Division but the kid needs to be fed with better competition. You can clearly see he’s eager to test his skills with the best of them.

Szeremeta had absolutely nothing to offer him. Munguia was having his way with him with little to no resistance coming back Munguia’s body and head attacks were simply too strong for Szeremeta to withstand. It was like watching Munguia hit the heavy bag at will. It didn’t take long for Szeremeta’s corner to pull the plug at the end of the 6th round. The onslaught was just too painful to watch. Real Talk!

The kid needs to be unleashed and properly tested. Hopefully his next bout will do just that.

Just my thoughts.

Blaze

On The Watch “It’s All About Jarrett Hurd vs Luis Arias”

Middleweight Throwdown

Last night Luis Arias (19-2-1, 9 Kos) silenced a lot of naysayers when he entered that squared circle and upset Jarrett Hurd (24-2, 16 Kos) at the Hard Rock Stadium, in Miami Florida.

Arias, who was visibly the smaller fighter between the two surprisingly brought the fight to Hurd right from the jump. Exchanging leather for leather and going blow for blow making sure Hurd knew he was in for a hard long night of entertaining action.

Hurd, who usually likes to fight in the phone booth style, at times looked uncomfortable with the non-stop pressure that Arias was applying. Both were landing heavy shots on each other to the point that neither fighter could have easily been stopped during the bout. Real Talk!

Although this bout was quite entertaining to watch, I personally don’t think it’s the most effective way to preserve ones’ career. This type of fighting style is what cost Hurd his first loss to J-Rock. I’m not sure if this is due to the trainer change but your Boy Hurd looked like he’d regressed since his last ring appearance. Hurd’s defence was non-existent and if he plans on mixing it up with any of the top Dudes in the Junior Middleweight Division or the Middleweight Division with that style, the end result could be worse than this one. Real Talk!

That being said, I gotta tip my “B” hat to Arias for sticking to his “game plan” and never giving up or backing down from a tough challenge. You fought a good one with your head up high. You stood your ground and dished out more then you received.

After 10 hard rounds of action one Judge scored it 95-94 for Hurd while the other two Judges scored it 97-93 and 96-94 for Arias giving him the split decision.

Congratulations Luis, this was by far your best win to date, now keep this positive momentum going strong.

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