On The Watch ”It’s All About Arslanbek Makhmudov vs Guido Vianello”

Heavyweight Showdown

Last night’s Top Rank/ESPN Co Main Event between our own Canadian/Russian representative Arslanbek Makhmudov (19-2, 18 Kos) and Guido Vianello (13-2, 11 Kos) was another unexpected shocker when we witnessed Makhmudov yield to his second defeat of his career at the Videotron Centre in Quebec City, Canada.

Although Makhmudov rebounded from his fist defeat at the hands of Agit Kabayel this past May when he defeated Miljian Rocvcanin by stoppage, this version of Makhmudov who entered the squared circle last night seemed to have regressed dramatically from the usual destructive “Lion” we are accustomed to seeing.

Vianello entered that squared circle with the utmost confidence and proceeded to box and move in a tactical way that kept Makhmudov bewildered and off balance all night. Vianello put a beating on our “Big Guy” from the jump, controlling every round while administering some heavy damage to the more imposing opponent. It was a very impressive display of one-sided action.

By the third round, Makhmudov’s left eye was swelling up and clearly affecting his eyesight when he couldn’t get out the way of all the heavy punches he was absorbing from left to right. Makhmudov looked slow and unsteady at times and unable to impose himself or mount any type of consistent offense to win a round.

Vianello’s jab and movement was key and by aiming that steady jab at Makhmudov’s left eye and eventually closing it completely, this prompting the referee to call in the ringside doctor at the start of the eighth round who then had a closer look at it and signalled the referee to halt the bout due to medical advice.

It was a dominant performance by Vianello where the ‘The Gladiator” was able to tame “The Lion’ in a very convincing fashion.

Well done Guido Vianello.

Blaze

On The Watch “It’s All About Josh Taylor vs Jack Catterall 2”

Junior Welterweight Showdown

The highly awaited rematch between Former Undisputed Junior Welterweight Champion Josh Taylor (19-2, 13 Kos) and Jack Catterall (29-1, 13 Kos) took a couple of years to get here but with tonight’s final result at the First Direct Arena in Leeds, it was well worth it.

Although no titles were on the line this time around, Jack treated this revenge match like his life depended on it. This bout was personal for both warriors considering their previous encounter was highly controversial.

The built-up anger that Jack retained from their previous showdown was quite evident by the way he pressed the action from round to round. Jack basically picked up the action from their last meeting and kept that intolerable feeling at Josh’s neck keeping him from getting into any type of a flow inside that squared circle.

Throughout the many struggles that Josh was dealing with inside that squared circle he still managed to stand his ground and bang toe-to-toe with Catterall. Both combatants had their moments exchanging heavy leather with serious battle wounds to show for it but this time around, Jack made sure he was the one with the eye-catching shots to help sway the Judges.

After 12 full completed rounds of action, the Judges at hand called it 117-111, 117-111, 116-113 unanimously for Jack Catterall. Although this bout was a lot closer than the score card suggest, I personally agree with the overall outcome.

With this credible win now under his belt, Jack believes that a title opportunity against the WBO Junior Welterweight Champion Teofimo Lopez (20-1, 13 Kos) is warranted but after Josh Taylor’s promoter Bob Arum’s outburst of disappointment after the scorecards were revealed, I can’t see Bob gifting Jack that much meriting opportunity any time soon.

I’m not sure what is to come next for Jack but until then, congratulations on a very good win.

Blaze

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 Vasiliy Lomachenko vs George Kambosos Jr.”

Vacant IBF Lightweight Challenge

Last night’s Top Rank/ESPN + Main Event was a personal one for former three-division World Champion Vasiliy Lomachenko (18-3, 10 Kos) who turned back the clock and gave us fans a flawless and dominant performance over the IBO Lightweight Champion, former self-proclaimed “Emperor” George Kambosos Jr. (21-3, 10 Kos) at the RAC Arena in Perth, Australia.

There are levels to this boxing sh*t and last night Lomachenko made sure his “A” game was on point by the way he took Kambosos to school right from the jump. Kambosos got caught sleeping in the “Matrix” with no way out, no answers, no proper “game plan” to deter the season veteran from having his way with him inside that squared circle. Real Talk!

The only thing Kambosos had going for him was his home court advantage which resulted to nothing since the fans in attendance were dazzled and impressed by the way Lomachenko was completely breaking down and outclassing Kambosos round by round.

Lomachenko showed us speed, amazing footwork, precision punching with power clearly troubling Kambosos who could not find any answers to prevent this onslaught of punches coming his way.

The inevitable was moments away and by the 11th round a swift but heavy body shot forced Kambosos to take a knee to regroup but he rose back up only to be sat down with another body shot prompting the referee to stop the bout as Kambosos’ corner instantly threw in the towel at 2:49 mark of the round.

With this dominant performance, Lomachenko picks up the vacant IBF Lightweight Title and Kambosos’ IBO Title positioning himself for a possible unification bout in the near future.

Well done, Champ.

Blaze

On The Watch “It’s All About Naoya Inoue vs Luis Nery”

Undisputed Junior Featherweight Showdown

Undisputed IBF/WBA/WBC/WBO/Ring Magazine Junior Featherweight Champion Naoya Inoue (27-0, 24 Kos) once again continued his dominant performance this morning but did take a stray bullet in the form of a knockdown when he took on heavy fisted challenger Luis Nery (35-2, 27 Kos) at the Tokyo Dome in Japan.

Both combatants came out the gate looking for their respect and aiming to land something big to set the tone and to everyone’s surprise, the first one to land that detonator was Nery with a mean left hook that chin checked Inoue and dropped him for a quick standing 8 count that had the crowd in attendance shocked and breathless for about 5 until Inoue bounced back up and survived the round.

Now that being said, Nery did not capitalize on his one opportunity to take out the Champ and on missing that short window, “the Monster” was released from that point on. In the second round, Inoue reasserted himself and pressed the action to getting his “get back” and dropping Nery with a powerful counter left hand that evened the score with a standing 8 count of his own.

With the playing field now even, Inoue showed us why he is levels above his competition inside that squared circle as he proceeded to raise his punch output and accuracy in a tactical fashion boxing and avoiding Nery’s bullish attempts.

By round five Nery was getting desperate and reckless and paid dearly for it by getting dropped by a left hook for another standing 8 count with 35 seconds left in the round. By round six the inevitable was around the corner and Inoue wasted no time and turned into the “Monster” that he is and unloaded a barrage of unanswered punches that eventually dropped Nery to the point where the referee waived the bout off, proving once again just how powerful Inoue is inside that squared circle.

Another convincing win by the Undisputed IBF/WBA/WBC/WBO/Ring Magazine Champion Naoya “The Monster” Inoue. I can’t see anybody beating this Dude at this Junior Featherweight Division.

Well done, Champ.

Blaze

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

Undisputed Light Heavyweight Supremacy

The most intriguing matchup in the Light Heavyweight Division has officially been announced thanks to his Excellency Turki Alashikh, Chairman of the General Entertainment Authority, who took it upon himself to bankroll one of the most anticipated fights in Boxing to be made today.

Undefeated IBF/WBC/WBO Light Heavyweight Champion Artur Beterbiev (20-0, 20 Kos) is out there belt chasing looking at Undisputed in the 175-Pound Division but standing in his way with the same objective is the undefeated Super WBA Light Heavyweight Champion Dmitry Bivol (21-0, 11 Kos).

Both undefeated combatants want and need each other’s hardware to lay claim as the sole Undisputed Champion in the Light Heavyweight Division and on June 1st 2024 in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia, this high-level chess match will be on full display for the Boxing World to see.

Our own Russian/Canadian representative Beterbiev is a man of few words but one who does 100% of his talking inside that squared circle. His unblemished record and 100% knockout ratio speak volumes but it’s his boxing IQ that most opponents underestimate whenever they go up against him inside that squared circle. The man is a “Beast” who’s broken down every opponent when all is said and done.

That said, Bivol has proven numerous times to have the skillset needed to disarm heavy punchers from ever using their strongest assets inside that squared circle. The man is a genius that knows how to follow a good “game plan” and on fight night he will attempt to box his way to the crown.

Styles makes fights and these two highly skilled warriors have individually dominated the 175-Pound Division for quite some time now. That being said, there can only be one true ruler of this Division and the time has finally arrived, on June 1st 2024 in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia and these two combatants will be putting it all on the line for a chance at Undisputed Light Heavyweight Supremacy. The crowning of a New King is inevitable.

Tune in live on DAZN/ESPN+ at the Kingdom Arena in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia.

Blaze

On The Watch “It’s All About Seniesa Estrada vs Yokasta Valle”

Minimumweight Unification Showdown

At Last night’s Top Rank/ESPN + Co Main Event between undefeated WBA/WBC/Ring Magazine Minimumweight Champion Seniesa Estrada (26-0, 9 Kos) and IBF/WBO Minimumweight Champion Yokasta Valle (30-3, 9 Kos), we witnessed the crowning of the first Undisputed Minimumweight Champion in women’s Boxing at the Desert Diamond Arena in Glendale, Arizona.

This bout delivered a perfect ending to their well-publicised grudge match that definitely needed to be put to bed once and for all. Both combatants came out the gate aggressively trying to determine who will dictate the tempo of the bout but as the rounds progressed it was Estrada’s switch-hitting style that was causing Valle an issue.

Both combatants worked their respective “game plan” and stood their ground inside that squared circle handing out some serious leather back and forth. But it was Estrada’s boxing and precision punches from long range that gave her the edge round by round.

Valle fought a good one and made it quite competitive in the later rounds but after 10 rounds of action, all three Judges at hand scored it unanimously 97-93 in favor of Seniesa Estrada, the New Undisputed IBF/WBA/WBC/WBO/Ring Magazine Minimumweight Champion of the World!

This is a well-deserved achievement to be added to your ever-growing career and proof that dreams do come true when you work hard with dedication at making them a reality.

Congratulations Seniesa. Well done! You truly are an inspiration.

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 Artur Beterbiev vs Callum Smith”

IBF/WBC/WBO Light Heavyweight Championship Showdown

Canada Stand Up! Last night’s Top Rank/ESPN + Main Event between IBF/WBC/WBO Light Heavyweight Champion Artur Beterbiev (20-0, 20 Kos) and Mandatory challenger Callum Smith (29-2, 21 Kos) at the Centre Videotron in Quebec City, Canada, definitely brought the “HEAT” to a cold front inside the stadium. Real Talk!

Much was said about our aging Champion prior to the bout but what the naysayers and Callum quickly found out from the jump is that Beterbiev was and still is a dangerous man inside that squared circle.

Beterbiev came out as the aggressor never letting Callum have any breathing room to operate. Callum talked a good game about how his power was going to be the defining factor but in all reality, Callum’s power punches had absolutely no effect on Artur.

Beterbiev physically walked through the towering Callum’s poor punch output and systematically broke the man down round by round. It was a one-sided beatdown where Callum was simply absorbing heavy punches after heavy punches.

The inevitable was nearing and by the seventh round the onslaught handed out towards Callum was simply too much to handle and he succumbed twice to the floor looking drained and beaten prompting Callum’s trainer Buddy McGirt, to stop the bout and save his fighter from further damage.

Callum, a very worthy opponent, stood his ground for as long as he could but the destructive skilled enforcer that Artur is was simply too strong and too much to handle inside that squared circle.

With this convincing win now under his belt, Beterbiev maintains his perfect undefeated record of (20-0, 20 Kos) and becomes the first one to knock out Callum Smith who had never been down as an amateur or a professional and proudly retained his IBF/WBC/WBO Light Heavyweight Championship Crown.

Congratulations Champ, now onto Undisputed with undefeated WBA Light Heavyweight champion Dmitry Bivol (22-0, 11 Kos).

Blaze

On The Watch “It’s All About Naoya Inoue vs Marlon Tapales”

Undisputed Junior Featherweight Champion

Unified WBC/WBO Junior Featherweight Champion Naoya Inoue (26-0, 23 Kos) continued his dominant performance when he took on Unified IBF/WBA Junior Featherweight Champion Marlon Tapales (37-4, 19 Kos) at Ariake Arena in Tokyo, Japan.

It was an exciting bout from start to finish where both combatants brought their “A” game inside that squared circle and performed for their respective fans by going toe to toe earning each other’s respect.

Marlon stood his ground and fought fire with fire at times but quickly found out that Naoya was an exceptional opponent that required a different type of approach considering how skilled and allusive he is inside that squared circle.

There are levels to this boxing sh*t and this morning Inoue outworked and out skilled a very worthy champion in Marlon. Naoya’s controlled aggression was key as he was able to chin check Marlon and dropped him for a quick 8 count late in the fourth round.

Although Marlon recovered and continued to have some sporadic moments inside the squared circle, the heavy pressure that Naoya was applying with his accurate punch selection was visibly getting to Marlon.

Naoya’s power is real and was on full display as he was able to drop Marlon for the second time with further impact that kept him down for the count in the 10th round. Marlon did good and fought well throughout the bout but was simply met with a superior combatant on the night.

With this convincing win Inoue has now in his possession the IBF/WBA/WBC/WBO and the vacant Ring Magazine Belt crowning him the New Undisputed Junior Featherweight Champion of the World.

This is an unbelievable achievement to be added to his ever-growing accolades of winning Titles in four different Divisions and back-to-back Undisputed recognition keeping a stronger hold on lock on everybody’s Pound for Pound list.

Well done, Naoya, Fighter of The Year is a must.

Blaze