On The Watch “It’s All About Abdullah Mason vs Sam Noakes”

Vacant WBO World Lightweight Challenge

First up in last night’s “The Ring IV: Night of the Champions” were two undefeated warriors in Abdullah Mason (20-0, 17 Kos) and Sam Noakes (17-1, 15 Kos) vying for the Vacant WBO World Lightweight Title at the ANB Arena in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia, and boy did these two combatants put on a hell of a show. Real Talk!

Mason, who was the favourite on the night, walked in this bout full of confidence thinking this was going to be easy work but soon found out from the jump that Noakes wasn’t going to be a walk in the park.

Noakes proved to be a tougher combatant than his previous challengers because on this night Noakes brought the “HEAT” and forced Mason into a toe-to-toe type fight that his father/coach did not want for his son. Mason literally threw away the “game plan” and slugged it out with Noakes and brought the house up to their feet with the way these two tough warriors exchanged gloves from round to round.

A determined Mason dug deep and withstood all that was coming at him but gave out more of his own by pressing the action further in the championship rounds with some serious body and head shots clearly breaking the resilient Noakes down who refused to quit.

After 12 full rounds of nonstop action, the Judges at hand scored it 117-111, 115-111 and 115-111 unanimously for Abdullah Mason.

With this convincing win Mason picked up the Vacant WBO World Lightweight Title crowning him the youngest current male World Champion at 21 years old.

Congratulations Champ. Well done!

Blaze

On The Watch “It’s All About Canelo Alvarez vs Terence Crawford”

Undisputed Super Middleweight Champion

Last night’s Riyadh Season/Netflix Main Event between Undisputed Super Middleweight IBF/WBA/WBC/WBO/Ring Magazine Champion Canelo Alvarez (63-3-2, 30 Kos) and Former two- Division Undisputed Champion and four-time Division Champion Terence “Bud” Crawford (42-0, 31 Kos), surpassed all my expectations by the way things unravelled at the Allegiant Stadium, Las Vegas.

  This wasn’t a passing of the torch but rather a forceful “Takeover” at the hands of Crawford who systematically disarmed the “Kingpin” on Mexican Independence weekend, in front of

70, 000 fans, possibly the biggest stage he could have performed on in Las Vegas.

I personally anticipated a competitive bout from start to finish but what ‘Bud” brought inside that squared circle was very impressive. Real Talk! If Crawford was a Rubik’s Cube, Canelo had no clue or the proper “game plan” to solve the puzzle.

‘Bud” the smaller man who was moving up in weight, asserted himself quite well and stood his ground and fought the bully toe-to-toe while showing absolutely no fear as the rounds progressed. Crawford boxed and moved and kept his hands busy enough to stop Canelo from ever finding a good enough rhythm to mount a suitable attack.  

Crawford’s respectable power and punch output was key to carrying out their bullet proof “game plan” that had Canelo bewildered and confused round by round. Crawford had the look of a man on a mission and never folded at any time during the bout.  He stayed cool and under control at all times.

At the completion of the bout the Judges at hand scored it 116-112, 115-113, 115-113 unanimously for Terence “Bud” Crawford.

This was a career-defining historical moment where Terence Crawford became the first male combatant to be Undisputed Champion across three weight Divisions in the four-belt era. He slayed the reigning “Kingpin” and snatched away all the jewels of the IBF/WBA/WBC/WBO/Ring Magazine Championships to now become the Undisputed King of the Super Middleweight Division.

Congratulations Terence, you have definitely placed your name and accomplishments in the GOAT debate, hands down!

Blaze

On The Watch “It’s All About Canelo Alvarez vs Terence Crawford”

Undisputed Super Middleweight Showdown

The first of three press conferences to kick off one of boxing’s most intriguing super fights has officially taken off last Friday in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia, with the announcement of the “Kingpin” Canelo Alvarez (63-2-2, 30 Kos) defending his Undisputed Super Middleweight IBF/WBA/WBC/WBO/Ring Magazine Championship Crown against former two Division Undisputed Champion and four Division Champion Terence “Bud” Crawford (41-0, 31 Kos) on September 13, 2025, at the Allegiant Stadium, Las Vegas, Live on Netflix.

No one ever anticipated this matchup ever coming to fruition but with the boxing community talking and Terence starting to believe the “HYPE”, it took his Excellency Turki Alalshikh to bring it to reality.

Terence, fresh off winning another title, the WBA Super at the Junior Middleweight Division, will be moving up another two Divisions in pursuit of another challenge and the opportunity to dethrone the “Kingpin” Canelo Alvarez and release him of his Undisputed status, becoming the new Undisputed Super Middleweight IBF/WBA/WBC/WBO/Ring Magazine Champion of the World.

This is a tough task for “Bud” but truth be told, this man does not lack confidence and clearly believes that he is the one to get it done. Skill for skill them two warrior’s match up very well on paper but with Canelo being the true Super Middleweight who has been dominating the Division for quite some time as a Champion, it is very unlikely that he will lay down quietly without a tough fight.

Both Champions have a mutual respect (for now) for one another but on fight night, all will be out the window when these two combatants bump gloves inside that squared circle come Saturday night, September 13, 2025, at the Allegiant Stadium, Las Vegas, Live on Netflix.

Tune in and witness the unthinkable unfold. Who will be the last man standing?

Blaze

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

Undisputed Light Heavyweight Showdown

In tonight’s Main Event at the Kingdom Arena in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia Dmitry Bivol (24-1, 12 Kos) avenged his previous defeat by dethroning our own Russian/Canadian representative Undisputed IBF/IBO/WBA/WBC/WBO/Ring Magazine Light Heavyweight Champion Artur Beterbiev (21-1, 20 Kos).

It was a continuation of their previous encounter where both combatants picked up where they left off but this time around Bivol made sure to be as active with his hands and feet more than before.

Beterbiev pressed the action as expected, stalking Bivol at every corner and landing the more telling punches but Bivol’s punch output and random combinations may have played a factor as the rounds progressed. Although Bivol’s punches weren’t visibly hurting Beterbiev the fact that he was more active did play a pivotal part.

Bivol used calculated movement to offset Beterbiev from landing his usual damaging blows but that did not deter Beterbiev from applying pressure. It was a close bout very much like their previous encounter where both combatants had their moments round by round.

After 12 full competitive rounds of action the Judges at hand scored it 114-114, 116-112 and 115-113, giving the majority decision to Dmitry Bivol the new Undisputed IBF/IBO/WBA/WBC/WBO/Ring Magazine Light Heavyweight Champion of the World.

Personally, I think Beterbiev did enough to retain his Undisputed status but fair play to Bivol, this time around the Judges felt he had done enough and for that congratulations are in order. Well done!

A rubber match is definitely warranted.

Blaze

On The Watch “It’s All About Joseph Parker vs Martin Bakole”

WBO Interim Heavyweight Challenge

Tonight’s Co-Main Event at the Kingdom Arena in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia between WBO Interim Heavyweight Champion Joseph Parker (36-3, 24 Kos) and late replacement “Boogeyman” Martin Bakole (21-2, 16 Kos), surpassed my expectations. Real talk!

I expected this bout to be highly competitive but what transpired shook the Heavyweight Division hands down. Parker faced the so called “Boogeyman” headstrong with absolutely no fear and handed Bakole his second defeat by dropping him with a heavy right hand in the second round that rattled him so hard that when he got to his feet his legs were out of it prompting his corner to waive the fight off.

Truth be told, Bakole took a risk by accepting this bout within 48 hours’ notice, but the reward would have all been worth it if things had gone his way. However, Parker was riding a five fight win streak and did not lose focus at the task at hand, handled business in a professional manner and dispatched of his opponent in a very convincing fashion.

With this devastating win now under his belt, Parker has put the Heavyweight Division on notice and maintained his status as a sure shot challenger to either IBF Heavyweight Champion Daniel Dubois or Unified Heavyweight Champion Oleksandr Usyk. One of them must answer that call.

Until then, congratulations Joseph on another very resounding win.

Blaze

On The Watch “It’s All About Zhilei Zhang vs Agit Kabayel”

Heavyweight Showdown

Agit Kabayel (26-0, 18 Kos) has been defying the odds and silencing the naysayers with another great performance at the Kingdom Arena in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia, as he once again put a stop to
Zhilei ”Big Bang” Zhang (27-3-1, 22 Kos).

Zhang, standing like a giant at 6ft 6in tall and at 287 lbs, tried to bully his way inside that squared circle and had some success and even managed to drop Kabayel in the fifth round to a standing 8 count but lacked the punch output and the stamina to finish Kabayel off.

That being said, that one moment was all Zhang had as Kabayel pretty much dominated every other round chopping the giant down with big heavy body shots clearly bothering Zhang whose punch output was going down.

The pressure that Kabayel was coming with was impressive. His relentless body attack paid dividends when he dropped Zhang in the sixth round and was unable to answer the count prompting the referee to halt the bout.

Peeps keep underestimating Agit Kabayel who’s been hovering under the radar but as of late his actions have been making all the noise in the Heavyweight Division. This real life “body snatcher” has been taking on all challengers with no hesitation and has cemented himself as a key player in the Heavyweight Division.

That being said, with this destructive win under his belt he has now captured the WBC Interim Heavyweight Title positioning himself in the queue at possibly challenging the Unified Heavyweight Champion Oleksandr Usyk.

Until then, congratulations Agit. Well done!

Blaze

On The Watch “It’s All About Joshua Buatsi vs Callum Smith”

WBO Interim Light Heavyweight Challenge

Today’s British domestic dust up between undefeated WBO Interim Light Heavyweight Champion Joshua Buatsi (19-1, 13 Kos) and challenger Callum Smith (31-2, 22 Kos), got the night started on the right foot when these two warriors stepped foot inside that squared circle at the Kingdom Arena in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia.

Both combatants wasted no time at getting busy right from the jump. Both combatants exchanged leather for leather letting their hands go from head to body round by round with a hefty pace that neither fighter could maintain throughout the progressing rounds.

Both combatants had their moments throwing and landing some serious shots at one another which made the bout that much more interesting to call but to me one of the defining factors was the body work being administered by both fighters.

Both combatants clearly hurt one another inside that squared circle but the more visible damage may have been administered by Callum who although looked very tired, he did land the noticeable stronger punches with further lasting effects on Joshua who himself looked quite tired as well.

After 12 full competitive rounds the Judges at hand scored it 119-110, 116-112 and 115-113 unanimously for Callum Smith.

The Judge scoring it 119-110 is a little too wide in my opinion considering this was a very tight bout but nevertheless, Callum handed Joshua his first lost and picked up the WBO Interim Light Heavyweight Championship belt in the process, now positioning him for a potential bout against the winner of the Undisputed Light Heavyweight Championship showdown between Undisputed Light Heavyweight Champion Artur Beterbiev and Dmitry Bivol.

Until then, congratulations Callum. Well done!

Blaze

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, 14 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!

Blaze

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.

Blaze

On The Watch “It’s All About Queensberry vs Matchroom 5 vs 5”

Queensberry vs Matchroom 5 vs 5

Thank you to his Excellency Turki Alashikh, Chairman of the Board of Directors of the General Entertainment Authority for hosting another great show at the Kingdom Arena in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia. By facilitating two of the biggest promoters in boxing in Frank Warren and Eddie Hearn to go head-to-head, Queensberry Promotions and Matchroom Boxing came up with an intriguing and competitive “5 vs 5” that definitely brought the “HEAT” inside that squared circle.Although the outcome of it all was surprisingly one-sided, the anticipation brought forward was well worth it.

First up on the night representing Queensberry was Light Heavyweight Willy Hutchinson (18-1, 13 Kos) who took on Matchroom representative Light Heavyweight Craig Richards (18-4-1, 11 Kos). Hutchinson, who was the underdog on paper talked the most sh*t on the build-up to the fight undermining the more proven fighter, Richards. This was a good domestic dust up to start the night where both combatants had their moments but Hutchinson, the younger warrior seemed to be one step ahead all night making it look easy outmanoeuvring his opponent at will inside that squared circle. Richards, although he tried, did not have the right “game plan” on the night to sway the Judges. After 12 rounds of one-sided action the Judges at hand called it 119-109, 117-111, 116-112 unanimously for Willy Hutchinson. With this win under his belt Willy is now the proud owner of the vacant WBC Silver Light Heavyweight Championship. Well done.

Next up was WBA Featherweight Champion Raymond Ford (15-1-1, 8 Kos) representing Matchroom defending his recently earned title against the always ready Nick Ball (20-0-1, 11 Kos) representing Queensberry who himself recently had to settle for a draw against WBC Featherweight Champion Rey Vargas in his prior attempt at obtaining a Championship Title. On this night, knowing you don’t always get a second chance that quick at a title opportunity, Nick wasted no time at pressing the action right from the jump. Nick’s style is simple but effective if you can’t deter him from coming forward. Nick throws punches in bunches with some pop behind every punch. Although Nick is short in stature, his presence inside that squared circle seems to always be too much for his opponents to handle. Although Raymond did do his best at standing his ground going toe-to-toe with Nick and having some moments, it was visibly Nick having the more telling effects as the rounds progressed. Nick made it very uncomfortable for Raymond to maintain any type of consistent momentum round after round. After 12 rounds of action one Judge called it 115-113 for Raymond while the other two Judges called it 115-113, 115-113 for Nick giving him the split decision win and the New WBA Featherweight Champion of the world. Well done, Champ!

Next up in a WBC Middleweight Title Eliminator we had Hamzah Sheeraz (20-0, 16 Kos) representing Queensberry taking on Austin Williams (16-1, 11 Kos) representing Matchroom in what was a very entertaining bout where both combatants had their moments. Austin pressed the action early with his aggressive style while Sheeraz remained patient throughout the bout and controlled his distance with a stiff but heavy jab. The action was nonstop round after round but nearing the end of the tenth round, Sheeraz caught Austin with a quick right hand that dropped him for a standing 8 count at the sound of the bell. At the beginning of the eleventh round the inevitable was around the corner. Seeing that Austin hadn’t clearly recovered from being dropped in the previous round Sheeraz wasted no time and went in for the kill and detonated heavy unanswered shots to the head of Austin who was about to get dropped prompting the referee at hand to step in and halt the bout at the 45 second mark of the opening round. This was a competitive bout from start to finish but Sheeraz clearly showed his superiority with his power to close the show. Well done.

Next up in an Interim IBF Heavyweight Championship we had Filip Hrgovic (17-1, 14 Kos) representing Matchroom going at it with Daniel Dubois (21-2, 20 Kos) representing Queensberry. Many thought that Dubois would be outclassed by the former 2016 Olympian Hrgovic but what transpired on the night was quite the opposite. Although both combatants did come out the gate throwing heavy leather at each other looking to do harm, it was Dubois who administered the most visible damage having Hrgovic bleeding from both eyes. Personally, I think Hrgovic didn’t look battle ready to handle Dubois. Hrgovic in the later rounds looked battered and exhausted unable to deter Dubois who was coming in stronger as the rounds progressed. Hrgovic was looking so weather-beaten by the eighth round that the referee had the ringside doctor examine his cuts who then recommended that the bout be halted. I expected Hrgovic to bring the “HEAT” on the night but this version of Hrgovic was not it. Dubois impressed me some more on the night and fought fearlessly against a very worthy opponent. Dubois kept his foot on Hrgovic’s neck and delivered a very good win which turned him into an Interim IBF Heavyweight Champion. Well done. Who’s next?

The Main Event and the final showdown of the “5 vs 5” came down to former Interim WBO Heavyweight Champion Zhilei Zhang (27-2-1, 22 Kos) representing Queensberry going up against former WBC Heavyweight Champion Deontay Wilder (43-4-1, 42 kos) representing Matchroom. Two very hard-hitting punchers looking to keep their careers alive. A lot was said about this matchup on whether retirement might be nearing considering their age but the outcome of this bout proved once again that “Big Bang” Zhang is still very relevant in today’s Heavyweight contention. The action was slow out the gate as both combatants were very aware of the power they both possess but it was only a matter of time before one of them connected with anything to garner the right attention. Wilder looked timid, disengaged and gun-shy every time he even attempted to throw anything solid, unlike Zhang who threw his punches with the purpose of doing bodily harm with every punch thrown. Wilder came to life in the fifth round attempting to let his hands go and getting the crowd involved only to be brought right back to reality by a heavy right hook by Zhang causing Deontay to contemplate life while spinning around lost in space defenseless and open for a detonating right hand that knocked him down flat on his back like a crime scene. Although a shaky looking Wilder made it back to his feet the referee pulled the plug preventing Deontay from absorbing any further damage. Wilder’s power has always been the key to his victories but last night Wilder was severely outsized and outgunned by Zhang who was determined to close the show the “Big Bang” way. Well done.

With this win now secured, Frank Warren and his Queensberry Promotions team had themselves a clean sweep of the first of many “5 vs 5” event with Matchroom Boxing.

Great night of Boxing!

Blaze