On the Watch “It’s All About Jessica McCaskill vs Lauren Price”

IBO/WBA Welterweight Challenge

A new Champion was crowned tonight when previously Undisputed Welterweight Champion Jessica McCaskill (12-4-1, 5 Kos) put up what was left of her titles, the IBO/WBA/Ring Magazine belts on the line to challenge undefeated Lauren Price (7-0, 1 Ko) at the Cardiff International Arena, Cardiff, Wales.

Lauren put her best foot forward on the night and never looked back when she entered that squared circle and executed a flawless game plan. Lauren was aggressive, patient, stronger and faster than the champion who looked like an armateur on the night.

Truth be told, Jessica hasn’t looked like herself or the champion who dethroned the previous Undisputed Champion Cecillia Btacekhus. This version of Jessica had absolutely nothing going for herself or the right “game plan” to stand a chance against Lauren.

Jessica looked lost and lacked the activity to keep up with the younger combatant who possessed the quicker footwork, the quicker hand speed and the right punch selection to deter the Champion from ever getting any type of momentum. Real Talk!

Skill for skill, Jessica was simply outgunned and outmatched on the night. To make things worse both combatants had a clash of heads giving the Champion Jessica the worst of it handing her a severe swollen eye visibly affecting her eye sight and her productivity while she desperately attempted to go toe-to-toe with the gritty challenger.

As the rounds proceeded, the referee kept a close watch on Jessica’s eye which was looking worse round by round. Jessica eye was shutting out and she was taking some serious punishment.

By the start of the ninth round, the referee called up the Doctor on hand to have a look at the swelling of Jessica’s eye and instructed the referee that the bout could no longer continue.

Due to Jessica’s sickening swollen eye being completely shut by an earlier clash of heads, the Judges ruling went to the cards 90-82, 90-82,90-82 scoring it unanimously for Lauren Price.

With this dominant performance now under her belt Lauren is now the New IBO/WBA and Ring Magazine Welterweight Champion of the World.

Well done, Lauren, you did your home fans and country proud. With only seven bouts under your belt your future is looking brighter by the day. Congratulations.

Blaze

On the Watch “It’s All About Joshua Buatsi vs Dan Azeez”

Light Heavyweight Showdown

Tonight’s British domestic Boxxer/Sky Sports Main Event between Joshua Buatsi (18-0, 13 Kos) and British & Commonwealth Light Heavyweight Champion Dan Azeez (20-1, 13 Kos) was an interesting bout that had the attention of all the fans in attendance at the OVO Arena in London, England.

Both combatants came out with a very good “game plan” that had both opponents exchanging blows back and forth round-by-round while holding their respective ground inside that squared circle.

Although both combatants each had their moments inside that squared circle, Buatsi, to me had the more telling type punches with the speed and accuracy giving him the edge as the rounds were piling up.

Buatsi’s level of experience was quite evident between the two combatants. Buatsi stayed level-headed and continued with the “game plan” as instructed by his cornerman unlike Azeez who was unable to deliver the bodywork his corner was requesting of him.

Both combatants did throw nuff hard leather shots at each other in the later rounds but it was Buatsi’s power punch that eventually got through and dropped Azeez twice in the eleventh round for two quick 8 counts. Water on the floor may have played a part in the knockdowns but nevertheless both were counted in Buatsi’s favor.

That being said, both combatants finished the last round strongly going toe-to-toe and bringing the crowd in attendance to their feet. After 12 full rounds of action the Judges at hand called it 117-109, 117-109 and 116-110 unanimously for Joshua Buatsi.

It was a very good domestic bout, one that the winner can definitely build onto bigger and better things. With this win Buatsi picked up the British & Commonwealth Light Heavyweight Championship belts and secured himself a mandatory position to challenge undefeated WBA Light Heavyweight Champion Dmitry Bivol (22-0, 11 Kos) for his title.

Only time will tell if this opportunity will be granted sooner rather than later.

Blaze

On the Watch “It’s All About Natasha Jonas vs Mikaela Mayer”

IBF Welterweight Challenge

Tonight’s Boxxer/Sky Sports/ESPN + Main Event between IBF Welterweight Champion Natasha Jonas (15-2-1, 9 Kos) and challenger Mikaela Mayer (19-2, 5 Kos) definitely lived up to the hype at the Echo Arena in Liverpool, England.

Both combatants brought the “HEAT” straight from the first bell and never letting their feet of the gas pedal. Heavy bombs coming at each other from both sides round by round with neither combatant giving an inch of breathing room.

Natasha, the Champion and the natural welterweight, found herself in a serious shootout with Mikaela who moved up to the Welterweight Division ready and willing to dethrone the Champion with a steady pace of aggressive offence proving to be effective as the rounds progressed.

Both combatants stood their ground hammering some serious shots from body to head making this bout that much more exciting for the fans and for the judges to call.

Although both combatants were going toe to toe inside that squared circle, I personally feel that Mikaela was the one edging out the better imposing work rate and administering the most visible damage.

That being said, after 10 exciting action-packed rounds, the Judges at hand called it 96-95, 96-94 for Jonas and 97-93 for Mayer, giving Natasha Jonas the spilt decision.

It was a very close fight to call where I could definitely see Mikaela walking away with the win but nevertheless Natasha retained her IBF Welterweight Belt and recorded a great victory over an elite warrior.

Well done!

Blaze

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 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 Alycia Baumgardner vs Mikaela Mayer”


IBF/IBO/WBC/WBO Super Featherweight Unification Championship Showdown

Tonight’s Sky Sports/Boxxer Unification championship bout between Super Featherweight Champion IBF/WBO/Ring Magazine Mikaela Mayer (17-1, 5 Kos) and WBC/IBO Champion Alycia Baumgardner (13-1, 7 Kos) put it all on the line as co Main Event at the 02 Arena in London and did not disappoint.

This highly anticipated grudge match unraveled as a highly played out chess match with both girls executing their respected “game plan” round by round to a “T”. However, Alycia asserted herself as the aggressor right from the jump pressuring Mikaela with some very good combinations making it real uncomfortable for Mikaela to assess.

That being said, Mikaela did eventually figure out her range and jab her way out to make this fight quite interesting as the rounds progressed.

Both girls were letting their hands go from the phone booth to the outside administering some heavy blows coming from both sides. It was a calculative bout from the jump and both girls had their moments.

At times, both girls fought with caution making it real hard to call a clear winner of some rounds but after 10 full rounds of action the Judges at hand had a tough decision to make but called it 97-93 for Mikaela and 96-95 twice for Alycia making her the winner by split decision and New Unified IBF/IBO/WBC/WBO and Ring Magazine Super Featherweight Champion of the World.

Both combatants talked enough trash before this big night but it was Alycia Baumgardner who managed to pull off the narrow close win to walk away the Unified Super Featherweight Champion.

Well done, Alycia, you have clearly established yourself as the No. 1
Featherweight Champion of the Division. Undisputed is definitely in your near future.

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 Anthony Joshua vs Oleksandr Usyk”

IBO/IBF/WBA/WBO Heavyweight Challenge

Tonight’s Matchroom Main Event at the Tottenham Hotspur Stadium in London, England was a disappointing outcome in my eyes when Heavyweight Champion Anthony Joshua (24-2, 22 Kos) succumbed to the former Cruiserweight Unified Champion turned Heavyweight Oleksandr Usyk (19-0, 13 Kos) by a unanimous decision on home turf. Unbelievable!!

Usyk, the former Unified Cruiserweight Champion walked it like he talked it and moved up to the Heavyweight Division and after only two Heavyweight bouts under his belt dethroned the No. 1 Unified Heavyweight Champion Anthony Joshua by handing him a schooling display of Boxing 101.

AJ the hulking Heavyweight had his moments throughout the bout but severely neglected to impose his own physical attributes when needed. AJ let the smaller man in Usyk have his own way with him inside that squared circle and it cost him dearly round after round.

Usyk’s “game plan” was simple but effective. He boxed and moved for 12 rounds and accumulated enough points to outduel the gun-shy Heavyweight Champion Anthony Joshua. Usyk the visible smaller man inside that squared circle had absolutely no fear in his eyes and proceeded to put hands on AJ all night handing him the most embarrassing loss that could have easily been avoided had AJ presented a better effort inside that squared circle.

Real Talk, AJ got his ass handed to him tonight hands down. After 12 full rounds of action the Judges scored it 117-112, 116-112, 115-113 all in favor for the New Unified Heavyweight Champion Oleksandr Usyk.

With Usyk now being the New Unified Heavyweight Champion, the Heavyweight Division has once again taken a massive blow, leaving AJ contemplating his next move. There’s going to be a lot of soul searching on this one for AJ cause this loss right here is a game changer.

Congratulation to Usyk for conquering yet again another Division in an emphatic fashion.

Although a rematch clause is most likely to be executed by AJ, I personally think he needs to re-evaluate that option because another performance like this could well be detrimental to the rest of his career.

Just my thoughts.

Blaze

On the Watch “It’s All About Alexander Povetkin vs Dillian Whyte 2”

WBC Interim Heavyweight Title Defence

Tonight’s Matchroom/DAZN rematch Main event at the Rock of Gibraltar between WBC Interim Heavyweight Champion Alexander Povetkin (36-3-1, 25 Kos) and Dillian Whyte (28-2, 19 Kos) was short and sweet for the challenger who walked it like he talked it and got his revenge inside that squared circle.

Dillian looked like a man on a mission from round one who had maximum violence written all over his body language. Dillian was focused and patient stalking his prey and pressuring Povetkin from all angles.

The early body shots from “The Body Snatcher” bothering Povetkin was a sign to me that it was going to be an early night for the champion. Povetkin looked shaky to me and possibly still feeble from contracting the Covid-19 virus prior to this bout. His punch resistance was non-existent.

That being said, Povetkin did attempt to regain some composure and tried to hold his ground as the rounds progressed but Dillian’s calculated movements and strong jabs prevented Povetkin from landing with anything significant enough to deter Dillian’s heavy shots coming his way.

Povetkin has been known to recover quickly in the past but in tonight’s round four that was not the case. Dillian went into “beast mode” and landed a devastating right hand to the dome of Povetkin that stunned him and had him on shaky legs into the ropes. Dillian then continued to administer a barrage of heavy punches that sent Povetkin down for the count which he beat, but his wobbly legs and body language were enough for the referee and his corner to throw in the towel to stop the fight.

Having been knocked out in the first showdown between them, this redemption win was a must at all cost. Dillian now reclaimed his WBC Interim Heavyweight Title and presumably resumed his much-anticipated mandatory position to fight for the full WBC Heavyweight Championship against the winner of the Anthony Joshua vs Tyson Fury bout.

Congratulations Dillian on redeeming yourself in an emphatic fashion.

Blaze

On The Watch “It’s All About Anthony Joshua vs Kubrat Pulev”

IBF/IBO/WBA/WBO Heavyweight Challenge

Last night’s Heavyweight Bout inside the SSE Arena, Wembley in London, UK was a homecoming fight for Unified Heavyweight Champion Anthony Joshua (24-1, 22 Kos) and Kubrat Pulev (28-2, 14 Kos) that did not disappoint.

AJ looked good last night, focussed, assertive, poised and did not deviate from the “game plan“ at hand. His jab and uppercut were key last night and he handled his opponent the right way, dropping Pulev four times throughout the bout to a convincing stoppage in the 9th round.

Pulev, a worthy opponent, tried to keep up with AJ but was simply met with a better, complete and motivated fighter in AJ. Anthony worked the ring well and controlled every round while wearing Pulev down.

Kubrat couldn’t put any type of a convincing offence together long enough to deter Anthony who showed much improvement in his repertoire. Pulev showed some durability at times throughout the bout but Anthony’s size and power proved to be too much.

The “End Game” was inevitable and in the 9th round when AJ connected with a vicious strong and accurate right hand to Kubrat’s jaw that put him down indefinitely for the 10 count.

With this emphatic win by AJ, he now retains his IBF/IBO/WBA “Super” and WBO Heavyweight Titles. This was a much-needed win for Anthony last night. He needed to make a statement of Pulev and show the Heavyweight Division that he is nothing to play with inside that squared circle. The road to undisputed is still the mission at hand.

Congratulations AJ on finishing this turbulent year 2020 in a strong fashion.

Blaze