On The Watch ”It’s All About The Ring Magazine Fatal Fury in Times Square”

Ring’s Fatal Fury “City of the Wolves”

Last night’s three-card Fatal Fury in Times Square Main Event brought to us by his Excellency Turki Alashikh, Chairman of the Board of Directors of the General Entertainment, sadly, did not live up to the “HYPE” created by the unknown and the expected excitement.

The closed-out location at Times Square, the production and the Ring, created a different scene and atmosphere that will forever be remembered but where things went left is with the performances that some of the chosen talent for the night who neglected to perform at their peak form on this historical night. Real talk!

First up on the Main Event night was WBO/Ring Magazine Junior Welterweight Champion Teofimo Lopez (22-1, 13 Kos) defending his Championship Belts against undefeated mandatory challenger Arnold Barboza Jr. (32-1, 11 Kos). Although Barboza earned his way to the mandatory position and talked a good game throughout the build-up, he quickly found out that there are levels to this boxing sh*t and on this night, Lopez produced a dominant performance that will forever haunt Barboza. Lopez outworked, outhustled, outboxed and outgunned Barboza who is a very good boxer but lacked the proper skill set and “game plan” to dethrone the Champ on the night. After 12 one-sided rounds of action, the Judges at hand scored it 118-110, 116-112 and 116-112 unanimously for Teofimo Lopez. Well done!

Next up was Devin Haney (32-0, 15 Kos) and Jose Ramirez (29-3, 18 Kos) who met up at a catch weight of 144 Lbs. Haney, who talked a good game during the build-up of the bout failed miserably to capture the hearts of viewers at home and in attendance. Neither combatant pressed the action or threw enough leather to land anything significant. I expected Devin, who hadn’t fought in a year, to come out the gate pumped up and ready for some action but what we got was a shell-shocked safety-first reluctant fighter, who put the viewers and fans in attendance to sleep. Ramirez did himself no favours as well with his own lack of activity. It was a very disappointing performance by both combatants on such a big stage like this. Nevertheless, the Judges at hand called it 119-109, 119-109 and 118-110 unanimously for Devin Haney.

The final bout of the night belonged to Ryan Garcia (24-2, 20 Kos) and Rolando “Rolly” Romero (17-2, 13 Kos) who met up at the Welterweight Division. With “Rolly” being counted out and labeled the underdog, he wasted no time asserting himself and pressed the action to score an impressive second-round knockdown over Garcia that changed the flow of the bout as it progressed. Garcia looked flat and disengaged, unable to pull the trigger on “Rolly” who was calm and disciplined out-boxing Garcia round by round. “Rolly” stuck with the “game plan” and executed it to a “T” and gained mad confidence round by round while Garcia neglected his corner’s instructions and urgency to let his hands go. Although neither combatant threw an abundance of leather, “Rolly” made his presence felt more than none by landing the more telling punches.

After 12 rounds of action, the Judges at hand scored it 118-109, 115-112 and 115-112 unanimously for Rolando “Rolly” Romero. You were counted out and you prevailed and silenced all the naysayers. With this impressive win under your belt, you are now the proud owner of the vacant WBA “Regular” Welterweight Championship Title. Well done Champ and enjoy this well-earned victory

Blaze

On The Watch “It’s All About Teofimo Lopez vs Jamaine Ortiz”

WBO Junior Welterweight Challenge

Last night’s Top Rank/ESPN + Main Event between WBO/Ring Magazine Junior Welterweight Champion Teofimo Lopez (20-1, 13 Kos) and challenger Jamaine Ortiz (17-2-1, 8 Kos) did not live up to the hype brought in by the Champion at the Michelob Ultra Arena in Las Vegas.

Throughout the buildup of this match up Teofimo and Jamaine both talked a good game and promised excitement and pure domination from both sides however, what transpired on the night was a pretty doleful outing for a Main Event that had the crowd booing and showing their disappointment.

No disrespect to both combatants but this was not what we the fans expected on the night.
Jamaine had a very good “game plan” working for him where he boxed and moved well, frustrating Lopez constantly throughout the night and picking up rounds in my eyes but failed to sit down on his punches to assert himself at times.

Lopez on the other hand, had the wrong “game plan” on the night. He did not expect Jamaine to come out the gate fighting southpaw all night causing him confusion. He lacked the proper knowhow to cut off the ring on Jamaine who was using a lot of movement enabling him to set his own offence up.

Although Teofimo did have his moments inside that squared circle he looked lost and discouraged on how the bout was unfolding. Teofimo was the aggressor inside that ring but lacked the right tactics to show dominance over his opponent.

After 12 completed rounds the Judges on hand called it 115-113, 115-113 and 117-111 all in favor of Teofimo Lopez. Personally, I think neither combatant deserved a win here and that score of 117-111 was way out of pocket.

Nevertheless, with this win Teofimo made his first defense of his WBO/Ring Magazine Junior Welterweight Titles and retained the hardware to see another day as Champion.

That being said, Teofimo’s call out of Unified Welterweight Champion Terence Crawford (40-0, 31 Kos) at a catchweight after a lacklustre performance like that is troublesome if you ask me.

Blaze

On The Watch “It’s All About Josh Taylor vs Teofimo Lopez”

WBO Junior Welterweight Challenge

Last night’s Top Rank/ESPN Main Event showdown between WBO/Ring Magazine Junior Welterweight Champion Josh Taylor (19-1, 13 Kos) and Challenger Teofimo Lopez (19-1, 13 Kos) at the Theater at Madison Square Garden in New York City, was a “Takeover” well executed by Teofimo.

There was a lot of trash talking from both combatants throughout the build-up but when the time came, it was Lopez who surprisingly backed up his words inside that squared circle.

Taylor came out the gate real aggressive with bad intentions on his mind but it was Lopez’s well executed “game plan” and ring generalship that controlled the rounds from that point on.

Lopez impressed me last night and came into this bout laser focussed and stayed on track. Josh had absolutely nothing to deter Teofimo from having his way inside that squared circle. As the rounds progressed, Teofimo’s confidence grew round by round.

Lopez showed completely no fear to the man across from him. Taylor, who was naturally the bigger, longer and stronger man inside that squared circle, in my eyes, could not land anything significant enough to win rounds. Taylor’s usual dominance was non-existent and was easily outworked by the younger and driven warrior in Teofimo.

There are levels to this boxing sh*t and after 12 fully completed rounds of action the Judges at hand called it 117-111, 115-113 and 115-113 unanimously for Teofimo Lopez, the New WBO and Ring Magazine Junior Welterweight Champion of the World and now a two-weight Division Champion.

Well done, Teofimo. You defied the odds and silenced the critics who doubted you. You dominated the night and clearly defeated the former Undisputed Junior Welterweight Champion to now becoming the “Top Dogg” of 140-Pound Division.

Who’s next?

Blaze

On The Watch “It’s All About Teofimo Lopez vs Sandor Martin”

WBC Junior Lightweight Eliminator

Last night’s Top Rank/ESPN Main Event between Teofimo Lopez (18-1, 13 Kos) and Sandor Martin (40-3, 13 Kos) at Madison Square Garden, New York wasn’t quite the “TAKEOVER” by Teofimo that the fans in attendance expected.

Teofimo was inside that squared circle with a slick defensive southpaw in Sandor who was able to defuse and frustrate Lopez all night long. What Teofimo had in mind did not unfold as planned. The “game plan” constructed by Teofimo’s corner never really got a chance to see the light of day.

Sandor hadn’t come to New York just to lay down for Teofimo, as a matter of fact it was Sandor who actually dropped Teofimo for a quick 8 count in the second round forcing Lopez to step his game up from that point on.

Lopez tried round by round but it was painfully obvious that frustration was getting the best of him as Sandor boxed and moved disabling Lopez from ever catching a proper flow throughout the bout.

Although Teofimo was the aggressor of the two combatants inside that squared circle, Lopez’s body language showed me he was the defeated fighter, irritated that he wasn’t able to get Sandor out of there.

After 10 fully completed rounds, the Judges at hand scored it 97-92 and 96-93 for Lopez and the third Judge 95-94 for Martin, giving the split decision to Teofimo Lopez.

Although Teofimo won the bout, the lack of focus and confidence displayed by Lopez last night lets me know that he’s going to have to step his game up in a major way if he still has aspirations of ever being a full fledged Champion in the Junior Lightweight Division because them “Boys” at the top of the food chain do not play with their food and this version of Teofimo is looking like food ready to be taken.

Just my thoughts.

Blaze

On The Watch “It’s All About Teofimo Lopez vs Pedro Campa”

Junior Welterweight Showdown

Last night’s Top Rank/ESPN Main Event between former Unified Lightweight Champion Teofimo Lopez (17-1, 13 Kos) and Pedro Campa (34-2-1, 23 Kos) at the Resorts World Las Vegas, was the perfect bounce-back bout needed to introduce Teofimo into the Junior Welterweight Division.

Campa thought he could bully his opponent by standing his ground and going toe to toe in the pocket with Lopez and it looked good in the first few rounds but soon found out that Teofimo just needed a few feeling out rounds of his own to get his action going.

Teofimo fought at a slower pace than usual but was very effective with his output and punch selection while visibly administering damages to his opponent. Campa fought a good fight and kept it competitive but was clearly showing effect from the power shots Lopez was hitting him with.

As the rounds progressed Teofimo was clearly breaking Campa down. The inevitable occurred in round seven when Lopez connected with a strong right hand and left hook that dropped Campa for a quick 8 count that saw him bounce back up but clearly looked hurt by that time. Once action renewed Teofimo wasted no time and proceeded to administer a series of power punches from all angles with absolutely no resistance coming his way, forcing the referee to stop the bout.

Teofimo looked good last night inside that squared circle and fought a good fight by taking his opponent out. That being said I personally think he should still ease his way into the 140-Pound Division before calling out the “top dogs” in the Division. Them Dudes at the top will be a hell of a tougher obstacle then what you just conquered last night, no disrespect to Pedro Campa.

Until then congratulations Teofimo on your win. I can’t wait to see who’s next in line.

Blaze

On The Watch “It’s All about Teofimo Lopez vs George Kambosos Jr.”

Unified Lightweight Championship

Last night’s Matchroom/DAZN Main Event at Madison Square Garden’s Hulu Theater, in New York, NY, between Unified IBF/WBA/WBO/WBC “Franchise” Champion and Ring Magazine Lightweight Champion Teofimo Lopez (16-1, 12 Kos) and mandatory challenger George Kambosos Jr. (20-0, 10 Kos) was a surprising and shocking type of an event that was well worth the wait. Real Talk!

This bout was unexpectedly action packed from start to finish. Kambosos, the underdog, came in this bout with the mentality of a warrior with only one mission in mind: to succeed by any means necessary. There was evidence of that in the first round when Teofimo was in attack mode looking for a quick knockout landing heavy punches with Kambosos startlingly absorbing every shot quite well and dishing out his own and shockingly scoring the first knockdown of the night in doing so. Unbelievable!

The crowd in attendance went crazy. As the rounds progressed Teofimo was looking for that get back but was met with a hungry combatant who had a strict “game plan” and the right boxing tactics, keeping Teofimo at bay eating some very good shots round after round from Kambosos.

Kambosos showed Teofimo that he was way tougher than he expected absorbing and defending most if not all of what Teofimo was dishing out. Kambosos made this bout a war and as the rounds were piling up, Kambosos was the one winning the rounds in my eyes.

The visibly smaller man inside that squared circle was putting in that work on Teofimo bodying him up with some very good shots. Teofimo clearly misjudged his opponent’s skill and durability when pushed inside that squared circle. As the bout went on you could plainly see that although Teofimo was the bigger and stronger combatant, he was the one showing fatigue and taking the most punishment from Kambosos.

That being said, in the 10th round Teofimo finally got his get back by dropping Kambosos with a hard right hand for a quick 8 count. Even after being dropped, Kambosos showed some serious determination and survived the round and continued on in the championship rounds by going toe to toe and standing his ground in a convincing manner.

I gotta tip my “B” hat to Kambosos’ performance last night, Dude came inside that squared circle and fought his heart out and showed up B.I.G. on the biggest stage of his career to date.

After 12 full rounds of none stop action, the Judges scored it 115-111 for Kambosos, 114-113 for Teofimo and 115-112 for Kambosos who is now the New Unified IBF/WBA/WBO/WBC “Franchise” Champion and Ring Magazine Lightweight Champion of the World.

Teofimo seriously dropped the ball on this one and is now paying a hefty price. Maybe the inactivity over the year or the weight cut to 135 pounds was an issue. One thing is for sure: Teofimo did not prepare himself properly for this title defense.

Congratulations George! You walked it like you talked it and backed every word with the performance of your life on the biggest night of your career. You earned this one Hands Down!

Can’t no one take this victory away from you. You silenced all the naysayers who doubted you and now sit atop like an Emperor of the 135-Pound Division. Well done.

Blaze

On The Watch “It’s All about Vasiliy Lomachenko vs Teofimo Lopez”

Lightweight Title Unification Challenge

Last night’s highly anticipated Lightweight Division Main Event battle between WBA/WBO/WBC “Franchise” Champion Vasiliy Lomachenko (14-2, 10 Kos) and IBF Champion Teofimo Lopez (16-0, 12 Kos) inside “The Bubble” at the MGM Grand Conference Center in Las Vegas, was nothing short of entertaining.

Lopez showed up last night and showed up “BIG” inside that squared circle and corrupted the “Matrix” that is Lomachenko, real early with a flawless “game plan” from the jump. It was a chess match between two top tier combatants. However, the Master Chess player in Loma miscalculated his approach and fell behind in the first half of the bout and had to play catch up to make up for lost ground.

Loma’s slow start cost him dearly in this bout. His usual tactic of confusing his opponent wasn’t working on Lopez. Teofimo landed non-stop body punches that clearly limited Loma’s come forward approach. Loma obviously didn’t expect for Lopez to be this quick and accurate with heavy hands at the end of each punch.

Although Loma started to get things going his way in later rounds, Lopez’s steady jab with a sting attached to it, prevented Loma from ever clearly getting set up in his familiar riddim of fighting.

Teofimo’s youth, boxing IQ and sheer will to win carried him over to the finish line when Loma attempted to press him in trying to steal away the later rounds.

Last night’s bout wasn’t a passing of the torch but more of a “Takeover” by the young Lion Teofimo Lopez Jr. who seized the WBA/WBO/WBC “Franchise” Belts from Lomachenko’s grasp and retained his IBF Lightweight Title to now becoming the youngest four-belt champion in Boxing History. The Judges scored it 119-109, 117-111 and 116-112. I personably saw it a little closer than that but can’t complain at the outcome. Your Boy Teofimo had to dig deep for this one and definitely earned it the hard way.

The Lightweight Division has a new “King” and he goes by the name of Teofimo Lopez Jr. The “Takeover” has begun.

Congratulations Champ!

Blaze

On The Watch “It’s All about Vasiliy Lomachenko vs Teofimo Lopez”

Lightweight Title Unification Challenge

The highly anticipated battle in the Lightweight Division between WBA/WBO/WBC “Franchise” Champion Vasiliy Lomachenko (14-1, 10 Kos) and IBF Champion Teofimo Lopez (15-0, 12 Kos) has officially been signed and set to take place in “The Bubble”. It will be live on ESPN, Saturday October 17, 2020 from the MGM Grand Conference Center in Las Vegas.

This bout has been an intriguing one from the jump. Loma, one of the best Pound-for-Pound boxers in the game today will be looking to hand Teofimo, the young, strong and unbeaten lion in the game today, his first professional loss.

Teofimo has been talking that sh*t and backing it up from the time he stepped foot inside that squared circle. Lopez has absolutely no shortage of confidence that he will be the one to put a stop to the reign of the great Lomachenko.

That being said, Loma is a unique fighter who is not easy to figure out. The Dude has boxed the lights out of most of is opponents with relative ease. His Boxing IQ is next to none inside that squared circle.

Teofimo firmly believes that his youth, strength and his own Boxing IQ will be enough to dethrone the Lightweight Unified Champion Lomachenko.

Many have talked that talk but failed under the bright lights when the opportunity presented itself inside that squared circle. Loma “The Matrix” is the truth when he’s gloved up and his back is against the ropes but I do believe that Teofimo may be his toughest challenge to date. Real Talk!

However, for Lopez to pull off one of the biggest upsets of the year, he will have to box a flawless bout or take him out early cause your Boy Loma possesses the stamina to go 12 rounds unbothered.

Teofimo has been calling for this moment from day one – now the time has come for the “Takeover” to manifest itself.

Tune in Saturday night October 17, 2020 live on ESPN from the MGM Grand Conference Center in Las Vegas and witness who will be crowned Lightweight Undisputed Champion of the World.

Blaze

On The Watch “It’s All About Richard Commey vs Teofimo Lopez”

IBF Lightweight Championship Challenge

Last night at Madison Square Garden In New York City, Teofimo Lopez (15-0, 12 Kos) fulfilled his Dad’s premonition of becoming Champion by his 15th professional fight. Real Talk!

What was supposed to be Teofimo’s biggest challenge ended up being one of his easiest fight to date. No disrespect to IBF Lightweight Champion Richard Commey (29-3, 26 Kos) who is a tough Champion on his own right but from the moment the first round started it was clear that Teofimo’s power was going to be a problem the minute he connected on Commey.

The left hand was landing at will with some vicious strength behind it in the first round that visibly rattled Commey. Teofimo’s speed and accuracy were too much for Commey and by the second round Lopez connected with a clear-cut right hand that dropped Commey for an 8 count that visibly shook him hard. Once Commey got up, Teofimo pounced on him with a flurry of punches that went unanswered forcing the referee to stop the fight 1:13 in the second round.

This display by Teofimo is exactly what he needed to put the Lightweight Division on notice. The Kid Lopez is a problem. He’s got the goods and the charisma to do something real big here but the question remains: is he ready for what awaits him in his next bout?

With this convincing win, Teofimo becomes the New IBF Lightweight Champion of the World. The “takeover” is in effect. In the New Year 2020 a date will be set to face Unified WBA/WBO WBC Franchise and Ring Magazine Lightweight Champion Vasiliy Lomachenko (14-1-1, 10 Kos).

I’m intrigued by the potential outcome of this bout but only time will tell if Teofimo will be ready for what the “matrix” will have in store for him come fight night.

Until then Teofimo, congratulations on your astonishing victory.

Blaze