On The Watch “It’s All About Oleksandr Usyk vs Tyson Fury II”

Unified Heavyweight Championship

The highly anticipated Heavyweight Showdown rematch between Unified Heavyweight Champion IBO/WBA/WBC/WBO/Ring Magazine Oleksandr Usyk (23-0, 12 Kos) and former WBC Heavyweight Champion Tyson Fury (34-2-1, 24 Kos) lived up to the “HYPE” but not without some controversy at the Kingdom Arena in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia.

The former Undisputed Heavyweight Champion Usyk came in this bout laser focused and clicking on all cylinders while Fury walked in much heavier and armed with a different “game plan” that had him stand his ground in a much more aggressive manner.

Tyson’s jab was on point and very active at keeping Usyk at bay but not enough to deter him from the task at hand. Usyk fought toe-to-toe with the Big Man and bobbed and weaved as best he could while Fury did his best at maintaining his distance while being more attentive round by round.

Both combatants had their moments round by round but as the fight progressed to the second half of the bout you could see Fury slowing his work rate down probably due the excess weight he was carrying.

Nevertheless, this bout was a highly contested showdown where both combatants had to work through their respective skill sets to cancel out one another in this chess like bout inside that squared circle. Both combatants threw enough leather at one another but the accuracy of the punch output favored Usyk.

This was a very close bout to call from start to finish but after 12 full rounds of action all three Judges at hand scored it unanimously 116-112 for Oleksandr Usyk.

Listen, I don’t have a problem with Usyk being declared the winner, but I personally think that Fury, in his second go around with Usyk did a lot better than being awarded only 4 rounds in this highly competitive bout.

Controversial scores aside, Usyk retained his IBO/WBA/WBC/WBO/Ring Magazine Championship belts and is still King of the Heavyweight Division.

Well done, Champ!

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On The Watch “It’s All About Gilberto Ramirez vs Chris Billam-Smith”

WBA/WBO Cruiserweight Unification

Last night’s Golden Boy/DAZN Latino Night Main Event between WBA Cruiserweight Champion Gilberto “Zurdo” Ramirez (47-1, 30 Kos) and WBO Cruiserweight Champion Chris Billam-Smith (20-2, 13 Kos) was a very competitive throwdown at The Venue in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia.

Judging by how this bout unraveled, it was clear to me that Chris’ team underestimated what “Zurdo” brought inside that squared circle. Chris’ team assumed that Gilberto wouldn’t be able to stand toe-to-toe with a true Cruiserweight since “Zurdo” was coming from the lower Division of Super Middleweight and Light Heavyweight to now Cruiserweight but failed to understand that “Zurdo” was always big and strong at those weights and damn near a weight bully who truly belonged in the Cruiserweight Division.

Prior to this bout, Gilberto defeated Arsen Goulamirian and relieved him from his WBA Cruiserweight Title which brought us to this Unification bout where Gilberto, a seasoned warrior did not back down from the challenge, but did step towards it with his gloves up.

Both combatants had their moments but it was Gilberto who boxed and moved and pressed the action going toe-to-toe outworking Chris, proving himself to be worthy of the Division.

Both warriors banged hard, throwing heavy punches at one another but as the rounds progressed it was Chris who started fading in the later rounds giving the edge to “Zurdo”. That being said I tip my “B” hat to Chris for never succumbing to the pressure when things looked bleak and ending the tough fight on his feet.

After 12 full rounds of action the Judges at hand scored it 116-112, 116-112 and 116-113 unanimously for Gilberto Ramirez.

This was a tough and taxing bout for Gilberto but the reward at the end of it was well worth the challenge. With this win “Zurdo” is now a Unified WBA/WBO Cruiserweight Champion and looking to contest the No.1 Dude in the Division, IBF/Ring Magazine Champion Jai Opetaia (26-0, 20 Kos).

Until then, congratulations Gilberto on a very impressive win.

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On The Watch “It’s All About Oleksandr Usyk vs Tyson Fury II”

Unified Heavyweight Championship

The highly anticipated rematch has officially been announced! Former WBC Heavyweight Champion Tyson Fury (34-1-1, 24 Kos) will be attempting his “get back” when he will face the Undisputed Heavyweight Champion but now Unified IBO/WBA/WBC/WBO/Ring Magazine Champion Oleksandr Usyk (22-0, 14 Kos) on December 21, 2024, in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia.

There wasn’t much trash talking done between the two at the press conference but it was clear that Tyson wasn’t looking like someone who wanted to play around. Tyson looked focused and determined to rectify the wrong that transpired on May 18, 2024.

As for Usyk, he walked in that press conference confident as ever looking like the Hitman from the character of the video game Hitman. Insinuating that he will be the hired Hitman to take the “Gypsy King” down once again.

Tyson learned very quickly from their last encounter that Usyk is a different breed, the most highly skilled assassin that he’s ever faced inside that squared circle. In order to beat this man, Tyson will have to be on point from round one and not slip up for one moment.

That being said, the Hitman Usyk will be expecting a highly motivated “Gypsy King” to bring the “HEAT” but Usyk will be fully prepared to defuse and halt the big giant from having his way with him inside that squared circle. That said, Usyk is sublimely making it be known, he’s coming for that knockout. Real Talk!

Speculations aside this second go around will be must see TV so tune in and witness the outcome, December 21, 2024, in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia.

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On The Watch “It’s All About Artur Beterbiev vs Dmitry Bivol”

Undisputed Light Heavyweight Champion

Last night, we witnessed the crowning of the first Undisputed Light Heavyweight Champion in the four-belt era when our own Russian/Canadian representative Undefeated IBF/WBC/WBO Light Heavyweight Champion Artur Beterbiev (21-0, 20 Kos) defeated highly skilled and Undefeated Super WBA/IBO Light Heavyweight Champion Dmitry Bivol (23-1, 12 Kos) at the Kingdom Arena in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia.

This bout to me definitely lived up to the “HYPE” surrounding it. It was a long time coming but this high-level chess match unfolded in a competitive way that showed us just how great and exceptional these two warriors are inside that squared circle.

Bivol came out the gate with a busy jab and clever foot movement keeping Beterbiev at bay but not discouraged as Beterbiev maintained his own pressure with a very calculated jab.

Surprisingly Bivol sat down on his punches and exchanged toe-to-toe with the heavy-handed Beterbiev which made this bout that much more interesting but Beterbiev made his presence known despite Bivol’s “game plan”. Although Bivol was dishing out combinations after combinations, Beterbiev’s single shots resonated with thunderous power every time they landed.

Both combatants had their moments as the rounds progressed but it was very clear and visible that the pressure that Beterbiev was coming in with had some serious effect on the light footed Bivol.

Heavy leather was being thrown from both combatants but the stress of the pace of the bout seemed more taxing on Bivol who had to keep constant movement to offset Beterbiev who was building up steam round by round.

The more Bivol stood his ground the more punishment Beterbiev administered. Both combatants showed no fear as the rounds progressed but fatigue looked to be weighing on Bivol as his high punch output diminished in the later rounds. That being said Bivol and Beterbiev did continue to bring the “HEAT” in the championship rounds.

After 12 rounds of competitive action the Judges at hand scored it 116-112, 115-113 and 114-114 in favor of Artur Beterbiev.

This was a highly contested bout from start to finish where both combatants brought their “A” game but when all was said and done there could only be one true winner and that is “King Artur” the first and new Undisputed IBO/IBF/WBA/WBC/WBO/Ring Magazine Light Heavyweight Champion of the World.

Well done, Champ. You’ve collected all the hardware piece by piece from every champion out there to now being “The Last Man Standing” in the Light Heavyweight Division.

Congratulations, Artur on an achievement well deserved.

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On The Watch “It’s All About Anthony Joshua vs Daniel Dubois”

IBF World Heavyweight Challenge

Former Unified Heavyweight Champion Anthony Joshua (28-4, 25 Kos) got himself a serious reality check when he brutally succumbed at the hands of IBF World Heavyweight Champion Daniel Dubois (22-2, 21 Kos) at tonight’s Main Event at the sold-out Wembley Stadium in London, England, courtesy of Riyadh Season.

This all-British Showdown surpassed all expectations and attendance at the same time. Dubois, who came in the ring looking hungry and laser-focussed, surprisingly kept things simple but efficient. Dubois’ “game plan” was obvious from the jump: to seek and destroy his opponent by all means necessary and the young Lion did just that. Real Talk!

Both combatants looked fit and strong but it was Dubois who imposed himself from the first round by chin checking AJ to a standing 8 count right before the bell ended the round. It was a wrap from that point on.

AJ looked lost and confused from round one and had no proper “game plan” to deter Dubois who was coming at him from all corners with some serious aggression. Dubois refused to give AJ any breathing room round by round. The pressure was real and the power shots that Dubois was landing on AJ were visibly taxing as AJ could not stand toe-to-toe with Dubois and eventually got clipped once again in the third round to another standing 8 count.

The inevitable was near and in the fifth round when AJ attempted to open up with his offence, Dubois landed a “Dynamite” of a right hand that chin checked Anthony cold to the floor prompting the referee to count him out.

Although Anthony showed a lot of heart tonight by rising up every time he got dropped, this version of AJ was the worst I’ve ever seen get into that squared circle. Dubois manhandled and dominated AJ from rounds 1 to 5 which is not an easy task to do but Dubois made it look effortless and for that I tip my “B” hat to the young Lion. You silenced the naysayers and myself, and put the Heavyweight Division and the boxing world on notice that Daniel “Dynamite” Dubois is the real deal. Real Talk!

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On The Watch “It’s All About Terence Crawford vs Israil Madrimov”

WBA Junior Middleweight Champion

Last night’s Riyadh Season’s Main Event between former Undisputed Welterweight Champion Terence Crawford (41-0, 31 Kos) and WBA Junior Middleweight Champion Israil Madrimov (10-1-1, 7 Kos) definitely lived up to the hype at the BMO Stadium in Los Angeles.

It was a chess match from the jump where both combatants executed their respective “game plan’ to a ‘T” pushing one another to put their boxing IQ to the test. Although Crawford was the one moving up in weight, he definitely held his own with the bigger fighter Madrimov who constantly pressed the action.

Madrimov was resilient and very patient inside that squared circle but was met with a very strong and determined combatant in Crawford who surprisingly stood his ground and fought him toe-to-toe showing absolutely no fear.

Neither combatant had sole control of the bout but both did have their moments making it really hard to determine a clear winner after every rounds. Madrimov’s punch accuracy was on point while Crawford made sure to answer every call given his way with his own power punches clearly marking Madrimov’s face.

Both combatants made it tough on one another while dishing out hard leather from head to body. If you were one the peeps thinking this bout was going to be a cake walk for Crawford then you were all for a major shock cause that Boy Madrimov took in the challenge with open arms and kept things very interesting round by round.

That being said, Crawford showed us all why he is one of the Pound-for-Pound greats in the game today and possibly closed out the championship rounds in convincing fashion. After 12 full rounds of action the Judges scored it 116-112, 115-113 and 115-113 all in favor of Terence “Bud” Crawford.

I tip my ‘B” hat to Israil Madrimov for standing his ground and testing his skills with one of the greats in the game today. You showed up and gave us fans a hell of a fight where you proved all who doubted you that you belong with the top dogs of 154-Pound Division, hands down!

That said, congratulations to Terence for conquering his fourth Division and becoming the new WBA Junior Middleweight Champion and WBO Interim Junior Middleweight Champion as well.

You walk the talk and back it up every time out, good luck to the competition trying to derail this Champion because this version of “Bud” is looking for all the smoke!

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On The Watch “It’s All About Anthony Joshua vs Daniel Dubois”

IBF World Heavyweight Challenge

With Oleksandr Usyk recently announcing that he has vacated the IBF Heavyweight Title, Interim IBF Heavyweight Champion Daniel Dubois (21-2, 20 Kos) has now been elevated to full IBF Heavyweight Champion of the World, clearing a perfect path to make the first defense of his Title against former Heavyweight Champion Anthony Joshua (28-3, 25 Kos) in an all-British Showdown on September 21, 2024, at Wembley Stadium in London, England, courtesy of Riyadh Season.

This is a very intriguing matchup where both combatants look the part and carry the power to end the night in a dramatic fashion. The youth that Dubois has over AJ could come into play and the momentum that Dubois is rocking after stoppage wins over Jarell Miller and Filip Hrgovic has him feeling unbeatable.

That being said, Anthony himself has been looking on point in his last few fights as well and very much focussed on the task at hand. Regardless of the opponent across from him, his sole purpose is to dominate the Heavyweight Division once again and regain the Championship Titles by any means necessary.

The experience AJ has on the biggest stage will definitely play a part but the young Lion in Dubois will bring a significant amount of a challenge on the night. Both combatants have shown much improvement as of late with the confidence beaming from both sides, but the million-dollar question in the room is who will prevail victorious.

Tune in and be part of this mega British Heavyweight Showdown on September 21, 2024, at Wembley Stadium in London, England.

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On The Watch “It’s All About Tyson Fury vs Oleksandr Usyk”

Undisputed Heavyweight Championship

The highly anticipated Undisputed Heavyweight Showdown between WBC Heavyweight Champion Tyson Fury (34-1-1, 24 Kos) and undefeated Unified Heavyweight IBF/IBO/WBA/WBO/Ring Magazine Champion Oleksandr Usyk (22-0, 14 Kos) definitely brought the house down at the Kingdom Arena in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia.

Them two Champions did the Heavyweight Division justice last night by bringing their best foot forward along with their “A” game that kept the tension in the building on high level for the duration of the entire bout.

In an impressive fashion, Usyk the smaller combatant, pressed the much bigger combatant Fury all night throwing punches in bunches creating havoc, attempting to disrupt Fury from having any type of comfortability inside that squared circle.

That said, Tyson came out the gate with a very good stiff jab that occasionally did tag Usyk but did not discourage him from sticking to the “game plan” of constantly applying pressure round after round.

Aside from the off and on showboating that Fury was attempting to distract the laser focussed Usyk, Tyson fought a very good fight for most of the night. Where I think Fury went wrong is thinking he was going to walk right through Usyk with ease and overwhelm him with his speed and size.

Tyson underestimated the skill set that Usyk possessed but quickly found out how levels above Usyk truly is inside that squared circle. As the rounds progressed, Usyk’s pressure and power punches were having a visible effect on the “Gypsy King” who was caught retreating from the smaller man whose pressure was becoming unavoidable at times.

Although Usyk did have to work extremely hard to crack a dent in the towering “Gypsy King”, Usyk systematically made the right adjustments needed to hurt Fury and had him physically out on his feet in the ninth round only being held up by the ropes prompting the referee to rule it a knockdown and handing him an 8-count saving Fury from having Usyk finish him off.

The proceeding rounds showed us once again that Usyk was the aggressor with a seek and destroy attitude clearly troubling the badly hurt Fury who looked puzzled by what was transpiring inside that squared circle. The “Gypsy King” was in a real fight this time around and was noticeably outgunned and outmatched by a determined warrior inside that squared circle.

After 12 exciting rounds of action, the Judges at hand called it 115-112, 114-113 for Usyk and 113-114 for Fury proclaiming the winner by split decision and the New Undisputed IBF/IBO/WBA/WBC/WBO/Ring Magazine Heavyweight Champion of the World Oleksandr Usyk!
This win now places Usyk as a former Undisputed Cruiserweight Champion and now an Undisputed Heavyweight Champion of the World. An incredible feat to place amongst the elite of the elite in boxing history.

Well done, Champ, you deserve every accolade earned. You traveled from country to country to vanquish the best of the best. You truly are “The Last Man Standing”.

Congratulations Champ. Enjoy this moment for yourself and your country!

Blaze

On The Watch “It’s All About Terence Crawford vs Israil Madrimov”

WBA Junior Middleweight Challenge

His Excellency Turki Alashikh, Chairman of the Board of Directors of the General Entertainment Authority, will be bringing his Riyadh Season to its first overseas event in the United States on Saturday August 3, 2024, at the BMO Stadium, Los Angeles.

The Main Event of the night will consist of Pound-for-Pound former Undisputed Welterweight Champion Terence Crawford (40-0, 31 Kos) who will be moving up in weight to the Junior Middleweight Division in pursuit of another title in a fourth Division by challenging newly crowned WBA Junior Middleweight Champion Israil Madrimov (10-0-1, 7 Kos).

That being said, Madrimov is a serious step up and a worthy challenger who will not be easily taken down. The hunger for greatness that Madrimov has been displaying as of late goes hand in hand with his physical strength and boxing IQ that this warrior will be walking in with come fight night. Madrimov is a well-schooled technically sound combatant who will definitely bring the “Heat” inside that squared circle.

Although Terence will have been out of the ring for a full year by the time these two combatants square up, the task at hand still remains the same, to conquer another Division by any means necessary and become Undisputed Champion in a third weight Division.

Crawford has been the underdog before and has proven the naysayers wrong as well. That’s why on August 3, 2024, he will show the world once again, why he’s one of the greatest Pound-for-Pound fighters to ever lace on a pair of gloves in this era.

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On The Watch “It’s All About Anthony Joshua vs Francis Ngannou”

Heavyweight Showdown

It has been officially announced! The former UFC Heavyweight Champion Francis Ngannou (0-1) will be getting another golden opportunity at derailing yet another highly ranked opponent in former Two-Time Heavyweight Champion Anthony Joshua (27-3, 24 Kos) from continuing his mission at regaining the Championship Titles he lost to current IBO/IBF/WBA/WBO/Ring Magazine Unified Champion Oleksandr Usyk in year 2021.

Ngannou shut out the naysayers out when he made his professional Boxing debut last year against the “Gypsy King” WBC Heavyweight Champion Tyson Fury (34-0-1, 24 Kos) and nearly pulled what would have been the biggest upset by giving the “Gypsy King” the toughest challenge in his last five fights. Ngannou stood his ground on the night and proved to the Boxing World that he could compete with the best of them in the Heavyweight Division, Hands Down!

This is why we are here today. After a stellar performance against Fury in a controversial loss, Turki Alalshik of Saudi Arabia’s General Entertainment Authority, has taken upon himself to bring the intrigue to life by pinning AJ vs Ngannou for “Riyadh Season”.

The trash talking has already begun from Ngannou. Much has been said about AJ’s chin and punch resistance being questionable and Francis has made it a point that he will be looking to test AJ’s chin come fight night. Although Ngannou is a novice in the Boxing World he does believe he has the right amount of power to keep AJ down for good.

That being said, Anthony is well aware of the capabilities of his opponent but does not seem threatened or bothered but rather focussed on the task at hand. Joshua reiterated that his sole purpose is to dominate the Heavyweight Division once again and regain the Championship Titles he lost regardless of who stands in his way of his quest.

Both combatants look the part and have the goods to end the night in a dramatic fashion but the question remains who will prevail victorious on the night? Tune in and be part of one of the most captivating Heavyweight Throwdown Showdown on March 8, 2024, in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia.

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