On The Watch “It’s All About David Morrell vs Zak Chelli”

Light Heavyweight Showdown

In tonight’s Light Heavyweight shootout at the Co-op Live Arena in Manchester, David Morrell (12-2, 9 Kos) got himself a stay busy fight with late replacement opponent Zak Chelli (17-3-1, 9 Kos) but unfortunately found out the hard way that playing with your food for too long can be detrimental to your health inside that squared circle. Real Talk! 

Morrell, the superior combatant, came out the gate aggressively and in control dictating the action from every corner but Chelli surprisingly never wavered and continued to press the action despite appearing to be trailing on the card. Chelli showed resilience and durability while fighting his way back into the bout.

In my personal opinion, Morrell looked too comfortable coasting through the rounds looking dominant but not pressing the action enough to close the show like everyone expected him to do. In doing so, confidence was building up on Chelli’s side where he believed in himself and continued to assert himself by pressing the action and crowding Morrell with his own offensive barrages showing effect in the later rounds.

Chelli started to put his punches together and landing some damaging shots proving slowly wearing Morrell down as his punch output and defensive stance were looking shaky and finally managing to hurt Morrell in the ninth round.

With damage being done in the ninth round, Chelli went in for the kill in the tenth round

and proceeded to land a barrage of clean unanswered heavy shots forcing the referee to halt the bout at the 2:24 mark of the round.

This is a devastating loss for Morrell who was attempting to regain traction in the Light Heavyweight Division but it was a very good victory for Chelli who may have dramatically changed his situation financially and his standing in the Light Heavyweight Division regarding future opportunities.

Well done, Zak, you’ve earned this one the hard way.

Blaze

On The Watch “It’s All About Gilberto Ramirez vs David Benavidez”

WBA/WBO Cruiserweight Showdown

Last night’s PBC/PPV Prime Video Main Event surpassed my expectations when WBA/WBO Cruiserweight Champion Gilberto “Zurdo” Ramirez (48-2, 30 Kos) took on WBC Light Heavyweight Champion David “The Mexican Monster “Benavidez (32-0, 26 Kos) and completely got dominated by the younger man who was moving up in weight to do battle at the T-Mobile Arena in Las Vegas.

I anticipated these two warriors who are very familiar with one another after sparing over 100 rounds or so in the past to give us a mind-blowing boxing match but what transpired was the complete opposite.

 Ramirez came out the gate with a “game plan” in mind and proceeded to execute it as instructed in the first few rounds but soon found out that once Benavidez started to let his hands go that this “Mexican Monster” was the real deal under them bright lights.

Ramirez quickly threw the original “game plan” out the ring as Benavidez started to pick up the pace and forced Ramirez into a shootout. As I’ve mentioned in the past going toe-to-toe with “The Mexican Monster” while not being properly prepared is a death trap which Ramirez fell right into. Not being able to match Benavidez punch for punch is detrimental to your health.  

The hand speed in which Benavidez comes at you with has a tendency of breaking most combatants down and it did just that in the final seconds of the fourth round when Benavidez unleashed a barrage of unanswered punches to the head of Ramirez, dropping him to a standing 8 count.

Ramirez either refused or ignored his cornerman’s instructions but the inevitable was near. Ramirez wrongfully continued to stand toe-to-toe and attempted to bang with Benavidez but was visibly breaking down, unable to stand his ground as Benavidez’s speed and clip rate was too much to contend with and eventually succumbed to a deadly three-piece punch combination that closed the show in the sixth round prompting the referee to halt the bout.

To simply put it, Ramirez was outgunned on every level. It was a very impressive and dominate performance by “The Mexican Monster” who now enters History as the first combatant to win Titles at Super Middleweight, Light Heavyweight and now Cruiserweight.

With Benavidez now holding the WBA/WBO Cruiserweight Titles and the WBC Light Heavyweight Title, his options are quite interesting. I can’t wait to see which avenue he decides to tackle next.

Until then, congratulations David.

Blaze

On The Watch “It’s All About Isaac Cruz vs Lamont Roach Jr.”

Interim WBC Junior Welterweight Challenge

Last night’s PBC/Prime Video Pay-Per-View Main Event between Interim WBC Junior Welterweight Champion Isaac “PitBull” Cruz (28-3-2, 18 Kos) and challenger Lamont “The Reaper” Roach Jr. (25-1-3, 10 Kos) who was moving up in weight to yet another Division, surpassed my expectations. However, the fight still managed to end in a controversial way at the Frost Bank Center in San Antonio, Texas.

Isaac came out the gate in his usual “Pitbull” fashion ready to take out his prey with some heavy blows coming from all angles. His steady aggressive style of approach was expected and even managed to connect with a knock down due to Lamont’s glove touching the canvas in round three but what transpired after that is what changed the outcome of the fight.

After round three, Lamont flipped his “game plan” up and started fighting Isaac in the pocket going toe-to-toe and asserting himself in a very foolish but impressive way where his respect had to be earned. That approach caused Isaac to retreat and lower his punch output as Lamont started to build up his momentum with his own punch output coming at Isaac disrupting him from coming forward.

Isaac’s seek and destroy ways were being outmaneuvered by the way Lamont was boxing and moving and asserting himself, when need be, just enough to keep Isaac from bullying him as the rounds progressed.

The adjustments that Lamont made round by round were quite visible and effective in his favor. Lamont had literally put a leash on the “Pitbull” and controlled the action inside that squared circle.

That being said, the Judges who had the last say at the completion of this bout scored it 115-111 for Isaac Cruz but vetoed by the other two Judges who scored it 113-113, resulting it in a majority draw. Unbelievable!

I will admit that this bout was definitely a close one but judging by the punch output and the body of work that Lamont poured out in this fight overall, it should have been a clear-cut win for “The Reaper” hands down!

There are levels to this boxing sh*t and last night Lamont showed us once again that his skill set is real while moving up in weight and for that I tip my “B” hat to Lamont. Win, lose or draw this kid brings it every time out.

Blaze

On The Watch “It’s All About Stephen Fulton vs O’Shaquie Foster”

Interim WBC Lightweight Challenge

Last night’s PBC/Prime Video Pay-Per-View co Main Event between WBC Super Featherweight Champion O’Shaquie Foster (24-3, 12 Kos) and challenger, former two Division Champion Stephen Fulton (23-2, 8 Kos), was supposed to be contested at the Super Featherweight Division but due to Stephen blowing the contractual weight limit by 2 pounds the bout got moved up to the Lightweight Division in order to maintain it on the card at the Frost Bank Center in San Antonio, Texas.

It was very unprofessional of Stephen for blowing the weight after talking all that sh*t to the build-up of the fight. A lesson had to be given for the disrespect and O’Shaquie did just that by unleashing a one-sided beatdown that was well deserved.

O’Shaquie wasted no time at the first bell and started drilling in his stiff and accurate jab that couldn’t miss all night. O’Shaquie pressed the action using his size and his length walking down Stephen, who had absolutely no proper “game plan” at deterring O’Shaquie from having his way with him round by round.

O’Shaquie’s reach and power punches coming from all angles had Stephen bewildered and clueless all night. Stephen looked disengaged and inattentive to his corner man who was trying desperately to encourage him to let his hands go and fight back.

As the rounds progressed it was clear that Stephen was mentally and physically defeated. After 12 rounds of one-sided action the Judges at hand scored it 119-109, 118-110 and 117-111 unanimously for O’Shaquie Foster.

With this impressive and dominant win, O’Shaquie is now the new Interim WBC Lightweight Champion and is still WBC Super Featherweight Champion, giving him the option in the coming days to decide whether to stay at the 135-Pound Division and challenge to upgrade his interim title by taking on the full WBC Champion Shakur Stevenson or returning to the 130-Pound Division to continue defending his title.

Until then, congratulations O’Shaquie on a great performance!

Blaze

On The Watch “It’s All About David Benavidez vs Anthony Yarde”

WBC Light Heavyweight Showdown

The Main Event at “The Ring IV: Night of the Champions” between WBC Light Heavyweight Champion David Benavidez (31-0, 25 Kos) and challenger Anthony Yarde (27-4, 24 Kos) did not disappoint as this was another showcase type of a fight for “The Monster Bandera Roja” at the ANB Arena in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia. Real Talk!

Yarde came in this bout looking fit and strong as usual and beaming with confidence but lacked the proper “game plan” to derail the “The Mexican Monster” from having his way with it. Yarde found out first hand what the moniker “The Mexican Monster” really means.

Being under pressure with an aggressive combatant under the bright lights, has a way of making you rethink your approach and that is exactly what happened when things got heavy in there with Yarde.

Going toe-to-toe with “The Mexican Monster” while not being properly prepared is a death trap which suits David perfectly fine since he usually thrives on his opponent’s aggression. Yarde stood his ground and tried to bang as best he could but eventually crumbled in round seven to a standing 8 count and a two-point deduction for David for hitting Yarde after his knee touched the canvas.  That being said, the inevitable was near, Yarde got up but continued receiving an onslaught of unanswered shots and looked visibly shook prompting the referee to jump in and stop the bout.

There are levels to this boing sh*t and in Yarde’s third attempt at a title he found out the hard way where he stands in the hierarchy of the Light Heavyweight Division.

With this win David retained his WBC Light Heavyweight Championship and continues his winning streak, anticipating his next challenge.   

Well done, Champ!

Blaze

On The Watch “It’s All About Sebastian Fundora vs Tim Tszyu”

WBC Junior Middleweight Showdown

Last night’s PBC/Prime Video PPV Co-Main Event between WBC Junior Middleweight Champion Sebastian Fundora (23-1-1, 15 Kos) and former foe Tim Tszyu (25-3, 18 Kos), was a very impressive showing by the Champion at the Grand Garden Arena in Las Vegas.

Fundora came into this rematch locked and loaded and ready to put a beating on his opponent, who talked a good game all the way to the build up but fell short of delivering the goods by the way this bout unfolded.

I’m not sure what kind of “game plan” Tszyu and his team concocted but this version of Tszyu compared to the version that challenged him in their previous time stood absolutely no chance of dethroning the Champion inside that squared circle last night.

This version of Tszyu regressed dramatically while Fundora stood there teeing off on him at will manhandling him round by round detonating an active jab while keeping his height and reach to his advantage at all times.

From the time Tszyu got dropped in the first round to a standing 8 count the writing was already on the canvas. Tszyu looked defeated and disengaged, unable to press the action and lacked the motivation to be competitive with a strong towering competitor firing shot at a high clip.    

At the end of the seventh round, the referee at hand approached Tszyu’s corner asking if they wanted to continue and to my surprise Tszyu’s answer was no.

Forcing Tszyu to quit on his stool is not something that I expected to happen but I most definitely tip my “B” hat to Fundora for this very impressive win and retaining his WBC Junior Middleweight Championship.

Now onto the next, Champ.

Blaze

On The Watch “It’s All About Caleb Plant vs Jose Armando Resendiz”

Interim WBA Super Middleweight Challenge

Last night’s PBC/Amazon Prime Main Event between Interim WBA Super Middleweight Champion Caleb Plant (23-3, 14 kos) and challenger Jose Armando Resendiz (16-2, 11 Kos) at Michelob Ultra Arena in Las Vegas, tuned out to be another cherry pick gone wrong.

This bout was meant to be a stay busy fight with no real threat ahead for Plant but what occurred was quite surprising when the underdog Resendiz came in with the right “game plan” and asserted himself quite well and stunned the opposition.

I don’t think Plant anticipated this type of battle from the younger warrior but what he ran into was a hungry and determined combatant who brought that “HEAT” to every minute of every round. Plant showed Resendiz no respect and paid the price for it as he was in a real war of attrition last night.

Plant showed some resistance in the early rounds but seemed to lose steam and confidence as Resendiz was starting to build momentum with his offensive work rate round by round. Plant was physically the bigger combatant but the bigger puncher would have to go to Resendiz who was visibly landing the more thumping and telling punches.

After 12 hard rounds of action one Judge scored it 115-113 for Plant (suspect), while the other two Judges scored it 116-112 for Resendiz, giving him the split decision victory.

No one but Resendiz and his team anticipated this type of outcome, and for that I tip my “B” hat to him for silencing naysayers who counted them out and seizing the opportunity bestowed on him to now becoming the new Interim WBA Super Middleweight Champion of the World.

Congratulations Jose Armando Resendiz. Well done!

Blaze

On The Watch “It’s All About Gervonta Davis vs Lamont Roach”

WBA Lightweight Showdown

Last night’s PBC/Prime Video PPV Main Event between Undefeated WBA Lightweight Champion Gervonta “Tank” Davis (30-0-1, 28 Kos) against WBA Super Featherweight Champion Lamont Roach Jr. (25-1-2, 10 Kos), will forever be tainted by the unusual controversial outcome handed out at the result of this bout. Real Talk!

At the start of the bell Lamont came in focused with a very good “game plan” which he proceeded to use quite effectively while Gervonta took his time downloading his usual data but this time he was met with some resistance from Lamont who did not cooperate as anticipated by Gervonta.

Lamont had brought his “A” game on the night standing his ground and going toe-to-toe with the heavy handed “Tank” who uncharacteristically looked disengaged at times and was taking in more punches than usual. Lamont’s power didn’t seem to bother Gervonta but Lamont’s activity proved to be enough to sway the rounds in his favor.

Both combatants had their moments when exchanging blows where “Tank” showed some levels but was not convincing enough in my eyes. Lamont took in some heavy shots but the kid showed heart and grit and remained fixated at continuing with the “game plan” at hand.

A controversial incident occurred in the ninth round where Gervonta deliberately took a knee due to supposedly having a substance from his hair dripping into his eye which confused the referee Steve Willis, who had started a standing 8 count but changed his mind and allowed Davis to be illegally tended to by his cornerman. In all reality, this should had been called a 10-8 round for Lamont.

That being said, it was clear that Lamont had asserted himself pretty well and definitely became a threat inside that squared circle where Gervonta had tried to step his game up at times to regain the lead but was met with a tougher combatant than expected. Lamont fought with controlled aggression making the bout that much more entertaining than expected.

After 12 full rounds action one Judge scored it 115-113 for Davis while the other two Judges scored it 114-114 even, resulting in a majority draw.

Factor in the missed 10-8 round by the referee and there could have been a clearer winner, nevertheless, with this draw, Gervonta retained his WBA Lightweight Title while Lamont earned the respect of his peers and the boxing community for an outstanding outing of a night.

Blaze

On The Watch “It’s All About Jose Valenzuela vs Gary Antuanne Russell”

WBA Super Lightweight Challenge

It’s unusual for a fighter coming back from a loss and an opportunity to fight for a WBC Interim World Super Lightweight Title to automatically receive another great occasion to contest for another Title, but the opportunity did present itself for Gary Antuanne Russell (18-1, 17 Kos) to challenge yet again for a Title, the WBA Super Lightweight Belt being held by Jose Valenzuela (14-3, 9 Kos) as the Co-Main Event at the Barclays Center in Brooklyn, New York.

Gary Antuanne understood the task at hand and the opportunity given so he did not want to fail at his second attempt at becoming Champion. Gary Antuanne preceded to execute a flawless “game plan” that could not be deterred by Jose who clearly did not prepare for this type of an attack.

Jose, who himself possesses very good boxing skills equipped with power, could not fend off the heavy onslaught coming his way. Gary Antuanne’s punch output along with the power and the clip they were coming at was simply too much for Jose to contend with. Jose was getting outworked and outpunched from every corner and was unable to respond with any type of calculated “game plan”.

The pressure that Jose was dealing with inside that squared circle was real and Gary Antuanne showed Jose absolutely no respect by the way he handed out this one-sided beatdown.

After 12 rounds of one-sided action, the Judges at hand scored it 120-108, 119-109 and 119 109 unanimously for Gary Antuanne Russell.

With this convincing win now under his belt, Gary Antuanne can now be crowned the new WBA Super Lightweight Champion of the World.

Congratulations Gary Antuanne. A unification bout is definitely on the horizon.

Blaze

On The Watch “It’s All About David Benavidez vs David Morrell”

Light Heavyweight Showdown

Last night’s PBC/PPV Prime Video Main Event between WBC Interim Light Heavyweight Champion David Benavidez (30-0, 24 Kos) and WBA “Regular” Light Heavyweight Champion David Morrell (11-1, 9 Kos) was a very entertaining bout from start to finish that lived up to the “HYPE” at the T-Mobile Arena in Las Vegas.

Both combatants wasted no time with the introduction once the first bell rang and proceeded to throw mad leather to feel each other’s power right from the jump. Two very big and strong combatants with different skill sets trying to earn each other’s respect inside that squared circle.

Morell showed power, intelligence and durability and a different type of resistance that Benavidez wasn’t used to dealing with inside that squared circle but what Morell lacked was the professional experience to deter a strong and active warrior with Benavidez’s experience.

Morell found out that going toe-to-toe with the “Mexican Monster” wasn’t the brightest idea. Benavidez’s punch output was key last night. Morell had a hard time keeping up punch for punch with Benavidez as the rounds progressed. Although Morell had his moments and made it a lot tougher on Benavidez, the activity of Benavidez punch connection ratio swayed the rounds in his favor. Those uppercuts and straight body shots landing at will by Benavidez could not be ignored.

That being said, Morell did do good work at times landing some good heavy shots, clearly showing his power and even scored a knock-down with a quick right hook on Benavidez in the 11th round that had the crowd on their feet but surprisingly, the benefit of the knock-down was useless when the referee penalized Morell for hitting after the bell. A suspect call if you ask me.

Benavidez got seriously touched up last night but his offence did a good job at hiding his lack of defence but proved once again that he’s a tough Dude with a higher work rate than most of his opponents inside that squared circle.

That said, after 12 full rounds of action, the Judges at hand scored it 115-111, 115-111 and 118-108 unanimously for David Benavidez. I don’t have a problem with Benavidez being declared the winner but that score of 118-108 is straight out of pocket!

With this solid win now under his belt Benavidez retained his WBC Interim Light Heavyweight Title and snatched the WBA “Regular” Light Heavyweight Championship Title from Morell, giving him an even clearer path to challenge the winner of the Undisputed Light Heavyweight Championship between Undisputed Light Heavyweight Champion Artur Beterbiev and Dmitry Bivol on February 22, 2025, at the Kingdom Arena in Riyadh Saudi Arabia.

Until then, congratulations David.

Blaze