On The Watch “It’s All About Keith Thurman vs Mario Barrios”

Welterweight Throwdown

Last night’s Premier Boxing Champion/Fox Pay-Per View Main Event between Keith Thurman (30-1, 22 Kos) and Mario Barrios (26-2, 17 Kos) at the Michelob Ultra Arena in Las Vegas was a very crowd-pleasing entertaining bout.

Keith, who hasn’t graced the squared circle in nearly two years, appeared in tip top shape and ready to rumble right from the first bell. Keith looked sharp, strong and very accurate with his punch selection. Going toe to toe with a big first timer in the Welterweight Division in Mario Barrios is not an easy task. Barrios looked strong and big as well at the weight and very rangy with his reach and height creating a stiff challenge to Keith.

That said Keith, boxed with confidence and clearly displayed a higher boxing IQ round by round. I gotta tip my “B” hat to Barrios for stepping into the lion’s den and taking on such a proven competitor as his first fight into the Division. As good of a boxer Mario is he was levels below the highly experience Thurman inside that squared circle. Barrios held his ground, fought well and proved that he will be a problem to the rest of the Welterweight Division.

Keith was on point last night, firing heavy shots from all angles and moved beautifully from round 1 to 12 without displaying any fatigue or ring rust. Quite impressive.

After 12 full rounds of action the Judges scored it 118-110, 118-110 and 117-111 all in favor of Keith Thurman.

Thurman needed to prove to the 147-Pound Division that he was back and last night’s performance was adequate enough but the question still remains: will he still have what it takes to dethrone the current Champions in IBF/WBC Errol Spence Jr. (27-0, 21 Kos), WBO Terence Crawford (38-0 29 Kos) and WBA Super Yordenis Ugas (27-4, 12 Kos) holding the belts?

Until then, congratulations Keith on your comeback win. I can’t wait to see who your next challenger will be.

Blaze

On The Watch “It’s All About Gary Russell Jr. vs Mark Magsayo”

WBC Featherweight Challenge

Last night’s Showtime Main Event between WBC Featherweight Champion Gary Russell Jr. (32-2, 18 Kos) and mandatory challenger (24-0, 16 Kos) at the Borgata Hotel Casino & Spa in Atlantic City, wasn’t as eventful as we anticipated the bout to be but we did witness the longest reigning active run by a male Champion in boxing come to an end.

It was evident by the low punch output by Gary in the first few rounds that there was something wrong with his shoulder. Gary who is known for throwing multiple punches in bunches was relegated to pot shotting with only his left hand. Although he connected at will whenever he threw it, the overall output just wasn’t there.

Magsayo did what every fighter should do when an opponent is clearly fighting with a visible injury and that is to capitalize on it. Magsayo applied pressure early with power punches coming from all angle.


Gary did a great job at being elusive throughout the bout making it hard on Magsayo to maintain his aggressive approach but the early rounds that Magsayo had already banked in cost him dearly down the line.

Magsayo was visibly the more aggressive fighter with clearly the punch output and connection on his side. Although Gary attempted to sway the Judges with his punch and move “game plan”, after 12 full rounds of action the Judges scored it 114-114, 115-113 and 115-113 for Mark Magsayo.

With this win Mark Magsayo now becomes the new WBC Featherweight Champion of the World.

Congratulations Magsayo on your latest achievement.

Blaze

On The Watch “It’s All About Luis Ortiz vs Charles Martin”

IBF Heavyweight Title Eliminator

Last night’s FOX Pay-Per-View/Premier Boxing Champions Main Event between “King Kong” Luis Ortiz (33-2, 28 Kos) and “Prince” Charles Martin (28-3-1, 25 Kos) at the Seminole Hard Rock Hotel and Casino in Hollywood, Florida was quite the interesting bout to bring in the New Year 2022.

Both combatants promised fireworks in this bout and the first one to let out a spark was Charles when he pressed the action in the first round and surprisingly dropped Ortiz for a quick 8 count that got the crowd in attendance fired up.

Being that both combatants are southpaws, Charles was the one who looked more comfortable at letting his hands go in the earlier rounds, disrupting Ortiz with a good solid jab that landed dead on the mark in the fourth round and dropped Ortiz once again for an 8 count but this time right before the bell.

Ortiz, clearly behind on points entering the fifth round, attempted to press the action and appeared to do enough with his own strong jab to win the round.

By the sixth round, Ortiz continued with his pressure and eventually caught Martin with a strong jab to the dome that had him frozen in the “Matrix” dead on his feet, oblivious to his surroundings. This prompted Ortiz to administer an onslaught of heavy shots that dropped Martin tangled into the ropes and the floor which forced a weird break in the heated action.

Once Martin was untangled by the referee, Ortiz when in for the kill with a series of unanswered body and head shots that dropped Martin for another 8 count that eventually urged the referee to stop the bout.

Ortiz had to dig deep coming off the canvas twice in this bout to pull this one off but “King Kong” prevailed and got the job done in a convincing fashion.

With this win, Ortiz is now the mandatory challenger to the IBF Title held by Heavyweight Unified Champion Oleksandr Usyk (19-0, 13 Kos). That being said Ortiz made it real clear last night after the bout that if any Heavyweight wants to fight for the IBF Heavyweight Title they will have to go through “King Kong” to get that opportunity.

With Ortiz getting up there in age, nearly three months shy of his 43rd birthday, the competitors are probably thinking the time is now to get Ortiz out of the way. The trap is set, now let’s see who signs up for the challenge.

Blaze

On The Watch “It’s All About Gervonta Davis vs Isaac Cruz”

WBA “Regular” Lightweight challenge

Sunday night’s Showtime PPV Main Event between WBA “Regular” Lightweight Champion Gervonta Davis (26-0, 24 Kos) and Isaac Cruz (22-2-1, 15 Kos) at the Staples Center in Los Angeles, CA was an exciting bout that had Tank reaching into his toolbox to pull of the win after injuring his left hand at the midpoint of the bout. Real Talk!

Isaac came out the gate like a hungry “Pitbull” ready to take out his prey. His steady aggressive style was key to applying pressure on Tank who did a lot of movement, slipping and dipping, countering Cruz with some well-timed combinations preventing Cruz from having an easy stationary target.

Cruz’s style forced Tank to stay light on his feet and use more of his boxing skills adjusting on the fly and countering Cruz’s nonstop pressure. Cruz made this bout a lot tougher than I expected it to be for Davis. The Kid is tough as nails and took some heavy shots from Tank but never looked deterred as the rounds were piling up.

Cruz’s resilience inside that squared circle made this bout intriguing since Tank had to work to secure this bout. Cruz put it all on the line and fought a hell of a fight going toe to toe with a known heavy banger like Tank.

That being said, there are levels to this boxing sh*t and Tank kept his composure, flipped the script on Cruz and boxed his way with an injured left hand (his money shot) all the way to the 12th round. The Judges scored it 116-112, 115-113 and 115-113 unanimously for Gervonta Davis.

I tip my “B” hat to Isaac for giving us such a great performance. The Kid is tough, durable and a serious problem to any Lightweight in the Division. This was a competitive bout from start to finish with leather being thrown from both sides but the more accurate and effective work came from the Champ. Hands Down.

Congratulations Gervonta, this was a tougher win then expected but you prevailed – now on to the next one.

Blaze

On the Watch ” It’s All About Jaron Ennis vs Thomas Dulorme”

Welterweight Showdown

Last night’s SHOWTIME Co Main Event between Jaron Ennis (28-0, 26 Kos) and Thomas Dulorme (25-6-1, 16 Kos) at the Mandalay Bay Resort and Casino’s Michelob ULTRA Arena was a highlight reel for the one they call “Boots” that only lasted one minute and 49 seconds. Real Talk!

For the boxing fans who haven’t yet noticed, Jaron is not to play with inside that squared circle.

It was a quick night at the office for Jaron when he walked inside that squared circle and completely annihilated his opponent by dropping him twice for the count inside the first round with a devastating right hook and straight left hand that stunned Thomas severely on his back which prompted the referee to stop the bout.

Thomas talked that talk and was supposedly the one to give Jaron that tough test he’s been looking for but judging from this outcome, your Boy Ennis had a completely different take on how he personally wanted things to unfold.

With 18 consecutive stoppages on deck, you Boy Ennis is still putting the 147-Pound Division on heavy notice. The Champions and the top 5 Welterweights in the Division can’t keep ignoring “Boots” cause your Boy is out here making steady statements every time inside that squared circle.

His time is definitely now. Who wants next?

Blaze

On The Watch “It’s All About Tyson Fury vs Deontay Wilder”

WBC Championship Heavyweight Throwdown

Last night’s PBC/Top Rank Main Event Heavyweight Championship bout between WBC/Ring Magazine Champion Tyson Furry (31-0-1, 22 Kos) and Deontay Wilder (42-2-1, 41 Kos) at the T-Mobile Arena in Las Vegas, was a proper showdown that will definitely last the test of time in the Heavyweight Division. Real Talk!

This trilogy bout lived up to the hype from start to finish. Tyson walked in as a “Spartan” and clearly silenced “The Bronze Bomber” without any dispute. Although Deontay was able detonate two heavy bombs on Tyson that dropped him in the fourth round, Deontay was not able to empty the artillery needed to keep Fury from coming forward with controlled aggression.

Deontay came out the gate with the right “game plan” but neglected to utilize it to its fullest and stick with the task at hand as the tiredness and the rounds became harder to endure as Fury maintained constant pressure on him.

I gotta tip my “B” hat to Deontay cause Dude was getting manhandled inside that squared circle but his strong heart and sheer will wouldn’t let him bow down without a fight. Deontay was on shaky legs early in the bout and took some heavy punishment while handing some of his own as well,  but the “Spartan” warrior that Tyson is proved to be the better prepared combatant on the night. Hands down!

Once again, the strongest puncher in the Heavyweight Division Deontay Wilder got broken down and dropped three times by the so called “pillow-fisted” Tyson Fury who dramatically put a stop to the bout with a devastating knockout in the 11th round. Unbelievable!

I gotta tip my “B” hat to the “Gypsy King”. This man walks it like he talks it inside that squared circle. With another convincing win over the “Bronze Bomber” Tyson successfully defended his WBC Heavyweight Championship and Ring Magazine Belt.

With Boxing Trainer SugarHill Steward in the Gypsy’s corner, it’s going to be hard pressed to remove the WBC Heavyweight Championship and Ring Magazine Belt from this man’s possession. Good luck to the competition.

Until then, congratulations Tyson on another historical type performance. You are truly the man to beat in the Heavyweight Division.

Blaze

On The Watch “It’s All About Frank Sanchez vs Efe Ajagba”

Heavyweight Throwdown

In a battle of unbeaten Heavyweight Prospects at the T-Mobile Arena in Las Vegas, Frank Sanchez (19-0, 13 Kos) put on a boxing clinic when he dropped and dismantled hard hitting Efe Ajagba (15-1, 12 Kos) to a clear-cut unanimous decision win.

There are levels to this boxing sh*t and although both combatants are fairly new to the professional game, Sanchez showed he was levels above Ajagba inside that squared circle by boxing and moving beautifully with ease round after round administering nonestop action.

Ajagba, who is known for his power, was unable to let go of the hammer, and when he did let loose, he quickly got countered with a barrage of punches that eventually cost him in the seventh round when he got caught and dropped.

As the rounds were piling up, it was clear that Ajagba lacked the proper preparation to compete with a superior technical boxer of Sanchez’s caliber.

After 10 rounds of one-sided action all three Judges scored it 98-91, 98-91 and 97-92 all in favor of Frank Sanchez.

It was a very impressive showing by Sanchez who exhibited exceptional offensive and defensive skills inside that squared circle.

Can’t wait to see what comes after this imposing victory. Until then, congratulations Sanchez.

Blaze

On The Watch “It’s All About Manny Pacquiao vs Yordenis Ugas”

WBA “Super” welterweight Challenge

Last night’s PBC/FOX Sport Pay-Per-View Main Event at the T-Mobile Arena in Las Vegas between Manny Pacquiao (62-8-2, 39 Kos) and WBA “Super” Champion Yordenis Ugas (27-4, 12 Kos) was a shocking type of an event that saw the underdog Yordenis silence all the critics when he handily defeated the Legendary “Pacman” by unanimous decision.

It was a beautiful display of boxing by Ugas who stuck to the “game plan” from the jump and executed it perfectly. Ugas’ strong and steady jab was key all night in preventing Manny from rushing him with his flurry of punches. Ugas asserted himself and imposed and utilized his size and reach the right way.

Pacquiao looked surprisingly confused at times, not able to get into a proper offensive flow to offset Ugas, who kept it really simple but effective enough to trouble Pacquiao round by round.

I was very impressed by Ugas’ patience inside that squared circle, never letting the moment of fighting a legend deter him or distract him off his mission at hand.

Watching the way this bout unfolded it was evident to me that Pacquiao underestimated Ugas’ ability to box the way that he did. I tip my “B” hat to Ugas for showing us that he can still elevate his game as the competition steps up. Ugas came into this bout as the underdog but walked out earning Pacquiao’s respect the hard way, inside that squared circle.

After 12 full rounds of non-stop action, all three Judges scored it 116-112, 116-112, 115-113 in favor of Yordenis Ugas. By far the best win of his career to date.

With this convincing win, Yordenis retained his WBA “Super” Welterweight Title and reinforced his position in 147-Pound Division. With the momentum on his side, Ugas is now looking forward to a unification bout with WBO Welterweight Champion Terence Crawford (37-0, 28 Kos) or an encounter with Unified IBF/WBC Welterweight Champion Errol Spence Jr. (27-0, 21 Kos).

Regardless of the opponent, both combatants would have the making of an exciting bout.

Until then Yordenis congratulations on your latest triumph.

Blaze

On The Watch “It’s All About Jermell Charlo vs Brian Castano”

Junior Middleweight Unification Championship Showdown

Last night’s PBC/Showtime Main Event Junior Middleweight Unification Championship bout between WBC/WBA Super/IBF and Ring Magazine Champion Jermell Charlo (34-1-1, 18 Kos) and WBO Champion Brian Castano (17-0-2, 12 Kos) at the AT&T Center in San Antonio, Texas, was nothing short of exciting from start to finish but did end with controversy.

A lot of people in the boxing community expected “Iron Man” Jermell to completely and easily destroy Castano on his way to Undisputed but things didn’t go as planned. Castano showed up last night and was a real live aggressive body inside that squared circle. Real Talk!

I’m not sure if Jermell underestimated Castano but his passive/aggressive approach may have cost him at times inside that squared circle. Jermell, who was clearly the bigger fighter of the two combatants, had a visibly hard time with Castano’s pressure style of fighting. Although Jermell’s jab and long range made it harder for Castano, the man still found his way in time and time again with some serious controlled aggression.

Both combatants threw some serious leather at each other. Jermell’s punches looked more telling at times but Castano’s controlled aggressive offensive output could not go unnoticed. I gotta tip my “B” hat to Castano cause Dude was definitely touching Charlo and making this fight tough as hell for the Unified Champ inside that squared circle.

Jermell showed his own toughness withstanding Castano’s onslaught cause say what you want the Kid Castano can pop. That being said, this bout was tight from the jump. Charlo had himself two very telling rounds when he clipped and wobbled Castano early in the second round and when he threw some serious combinations in the tenth round that had Castano retreating to survive the round. As good as these two telling rounds were, Charlo was not able to stop Castano.

That being said, Castano had his moments as well actually clipping and hurting Jermell when he was working his inside game whenever he had Jermell on them ropes. In my eyes, Castano’s non-stop pressure for the bulk of the bout clearly showed who controlled the fight inside that squared circle.

After 12 full rounds of non-stop action the Judges scored it 114-113 for Castano, 117-111 for Charlo and 114-114, a split decision draw. Listen, I’m ok with them Judges scoring the championship rounds for Jermell but that 117-111 is straight up OUT OF POCKET!! A ridiculous score if you ask me.

Controversial ending aside, both Champions leave with their titles in hand. Jermell is still WBC/WBA Super/IBF and Ring Magazine Champion and Castano WBO Champion.

Congratulations to both combatants for putting on an exciting show from start to finish, hopefully part two will be in the near future.

Blaze

On The Watch “It’s All About Gervonta Davis vs Mario Barrios”

WBA Super Lightweight Championship

Last night’s PPV PBC/Showtime Main Event matchup between Gervonta Davis (25-0, 24 Kos) and WBA “Regular” Super Lightweight Champion Mario Barrios (26-1, 17 Kos) at the State Farm Arena in Atlanta, definitely lived up to the hype. Real talk!

Davis, who last fought in the 130-pound Division, moved up two weight Divisions to challenge tough and powerful Barrios for his WBA “Regular” Super Lightweight Title. As expected, this bout wasn’t no cakewalk for Davis. Barrios the much taller and rangier fighter of the two, kept things quite interesting and competitive for as long as he could inside that squared circle.

Barrios came to fight and stood his ground like the Champion that he was. Barrios boxed and moved and made things challenging for the shorter Davis. Although Barrios stayed disciplined throughout the rounds you could sense Davis getting comfortable and adjusting his “game plan” as the rounds progressed.

Once Davis’ range and power punches started connecting, you could visibly see Barrios feel the power “Tank” was landing from head to body. It was only a matter of time before Barrios slipped and in the 8th round, a two-piece combo from “Tank” straight to Barrios’ dome dropped him for a quick 8 count.

Impressively, Barrios survived the round and continued to stand his ground in a competitive fashion all the way to the 10th round like a warrior on a mission to live. That being said, by the 11th round the “End Game” was inevitable. Davis’ pressure and heavy onslaught was too much for Barrios to endure. A well-placed vicious uppercut to the solar plexus dropped Barrios hard to the ground but still Barrios rose up after the 8 count only to be dropped again by a series of heavy unanswered punches which then prompted the referee to stop the fight at the 2:13 mark of the 11th round.

I gotta tip my “B” hat to Barrios, Dude came in a Champion and fought like a Champion. This was by far Davis’ biggest test to date which he passed with flying colors. The naysayers will try to discredit Gervonta’s latest accomplishment but this was not an easy task. “Tank” showed up last night and proved to be levels above his competition. With this convincing win “Tank” becomes the new WBA “Regular” Super Lightweight Champion of the world and a three-Division World Champion.

Peeps need to stop hating on the young man and appreciate the talent this Kat brings inside that squared circle time and time again. Real talk!

Congratulations “Tank” on another impressive victory, now on to the next.

Blaze