On The Watch “It’s All About Artur Beterbiev vs Adam Deines”

IBF/WBC Light Heavyweight Title Defence

Tonight’s Top Rank Main Event was business as usual for the Defending IBF/WBC Light Heavyweight Champion Artur Beterbiev (16-0, 16 Kos) against Adam Deines (19-2-1, 10 Kos) at the Megasport Sports Palacein Moscow, Russia.

Beterbiev, who hadn’t graced the squared circle in over 17 months, did look a little rusty but definitely showed his power was still intact when he dropped Deines early in the first round for a quick 8 count.

Beterbiev looked like he wanted to get some rounds in the way he was going in round after round. I don’t blame him for that because he was coming off a serious layoff, a rib injury, and a case COVID. All of these factors would affect your performance.

That being said, Beterbiev handled himself in a professional manner and showed up in tip top shape as usual and asserted himself quite well under the circumstances. Beterbiev applied steady pressure round by round – cutting off the ring effectively but never getting out of first gear.

That said, as the rounds were piling up, Deines did do well at spots and tried to deter the heavy onslaught of  punches that was coming his way with some heavy hands from Beterbiev. It was clear from round one that Deines simply wasn’t strong enough to deal with Beterbiev’s power. Hands down!

The “End Game” was near and in the 10th round Beterbiev did just that when he dropped Deines with a heavy astonishing right hand perfectly placed that rocked his head down for the count that prompted Deines’ corner to stop the fight. Just like that, Beterbiev’s perfect knockout streak continues to 16-0, 16 Kos.

This win may not have been Beterbiev’s best work to date but he did retain his IBF/WBC Light Heavyweight Titles.

Congratulations Artur! Hopefully a unification bout is on the horizon.

Blaze

On The Watch “It’s All About Miguel Berchelt vs Oscar Valdez”

WBC Super Featherweight Challenge

Last night’s Top Rank Main Event bout between WBC Super Featherweight Champion Miguel Berchelt (37-2, 34 Kos) and Oscar Valdez (29-0, 23 Kos) at the MGM Grand Conference Center in Las Vegas, Nevada, did not disappoint.

Oscar, the underdog of the night executed their “game plan” to a “T” from start to finish. Oscar boxed and moved beautifully with a steady and accurate jab that prevented Miguel from effectively settling into his own offence.

Miguel who was visibly the bigger guy inside that squared circle, was unable to assert himself physically to use his well-known power. The “game plan” that Oscar was displaying all night was clearly keeping Miguel overthinking his options inside that squared circle which cost him dearly in the fourth round when Oscar connected with a vicious left hook that sent Miguel staggering off the ropes. This prompted the referee to give Miguel a standing 8 count since the ropes saved him from falling out of the ring.

It was a technical matchup where the more elusive fighter in Valdez, was gaining more confidence as the rounds wore on. Although Miguel did have some moments inside that squared circle, it was clear that Oscar’s power shots were breaking Miguel down round by round.

In the 9th round Oscar connected with a nasty three-punch combination that sent Miguel straight down for his second knockdown of the night but Miguel’s resilience beat the 8 count to see the next round.

Miguel was clearly taking too much punishment and his corner contemplated stopping the bout but still sent him out there in the 10th round. Oscar saw a wounded combatant ready to be dispatched and Oscar did just that when he landed a devastating left hook that closed the show indefinitely. Miguel dropped flat on his face knocked out cold as the referee waved it off.

With this emphatic win, Oscar now becomes the new WBC Super Featherweight Champion of the world.

Job well done Oscar. You defied all odds and proved the naysayers wrong while putting the 130-pound Division on notice. There’s a New Champion on deck and he goes by the name of
Oscar Valdez.

Blaze

On The Watch “It’s All About Terence Crawford vs Kell Brook”

WBO Welterweight Title Defense

Terence Crawford (37-0, 28 Kos) silenced all the naysayers once again at last nights Main Event inside the MGM Grand Conference Center in Las Vegas when he annihilated the tough and worthy former IBF titleholder Kell Brook (39-3, 27 Kos).

It took Crawford a few rounds to get going while Kell was looking good in the early rounds with a stiff jab causing Crawford to rethink his approach. By round three Crawford had switched stance to southpaw and started moving in on Kell like he had figured out the right angles to press the action. The bout started to heat up and was looking really competitive. Kell was holding his own, moving and boxing well until the fourth round started when Crawford caught Brook slippin and connected with a powerful right hand that staggered Kell all the way to the ropes. Crawford continued administering further unanswered assault before the referee intervened to rule a knockdown on Brook and separated them for the standing 8 count.

Seeing that Brook was clearly hurt, Bud wasted no time in finishing his wounded opponent with a flurry of heavy punches that forced the referee to halt the bout at 1:14 in the round.

As good and strong as Brook was last night, Crawford made sure his own power was felt when he stopped Brook dead on his feet. With this destructive win, Terence retained his WBO Welterweight Title that he effectively defended for the fourth time.

Since entering the 147-Pound Division, Crawford has knocked out or stopped all of his opponents in convincing fashion. That being said your Boy Bud is the silent killer in the Welterweight Division. Your Boy got pop in them hands and is nothing to play with. Real Talk!

Peeps can talk all they want about who Bud fought or hasn’t fought to date, but all I want to know is Who’s next?

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 Jose Ramirez vs Viktor Postol”

WBC/WBO Light Welterweight Challenge

Last night’s Top Rank main event at the MGM Grand conference room in Las Vegas, Nevada, between WBC/WBO Light Welterweight Champion Jose Ramirez (26-0, 17 Kos) and Viktor Postol (31-3, 12 Kos) was a solid outing by the two combatants.

Postol, the older mandatory challenger, came out and performed exceptionally well and kept it quite interesting with his stiff jab connecting all night but Ramirez’s controlled aggression and power shot kept things honest between the two.

Ramirez quickly found out that Postol was the real deal as the rounds wore on. Postol may be older in age but his Ring IQ is quite unique and can be quite puzzling if you don’t possess the right tools to offset his approach.

That being said, Ramirez did struggle at times but eventually worked his inside game to the body and landed the more damaging shots that may have swayed the Judges in his favor. After 12 rounds of action the Judges scored it 114-114, 115-113 and 116-112 for Jose Ramirez.

I tip my “B” hat to Postol who came out and gave the Champion a good run for his money and nearly pulled it off. Personally, with a performance like this one I wouldn’t mind seeing a rematch to clear the air.

Unfortunately for Postol, Ramirez has a Unification bout in mind with IBF/WBA Light Welterweight Champion Josh Taylor (16-0, 12 Kos), that is if Josh gets past his IBF mandatory Apinum Khongsong (16-0, 13 Kos) due next month on September 26, 2020.

Until then Jose, congratulations on retaining your WBC/WBO Light Welterweight Championship Belts! You could be one fight away from Undisputed.

Blaze

On The Watch “It’s All About Eleider Alvarez vs Joe Smith Jr.”

WBO Light Heavyweight Title Eliminator

Last night’s Top Rank main event between Eleider Alvarez (25-2, 13 Kos) and Joe Smith Jr. (26-3, 21 Kos) at the MGM Grand Conference Center in Las Vegas, was well worth the wait. Real Talk!

This bout was non-stop action straight from the jump. Joe Smith who’s well known for having heavy hands held no punches throughout the night and displayed some great boxing improvement to go along with a flawless “game plan” that highlighted his strengths round by round.

Alvarez who was the more polished boxer of the two, played right into Joe Smith’s “game plan” and fell victim to his traps. The last thing you want to do when facing Jo Smith is to sit there and go toe to toe “phone booth” style with him. That is just what Alvarez did and he paid the price for it.

Personally, I was confused by Alvarez’s approach from the jump. Alvarez being the superior boxer of the two looked to bang it out with the wrong Dude on that night when he should have been boxing in and out, disrupting Smith’s come forward aggressive style.

Alvarez, not being able to do the proper adjustments inside that squared circle, caused him to get caught up in Joe’s physical roughness tactics. It was evident that Smith’s power was just too much for Alvarez to handle.

Joe’s pressure eventually overwhelmed Alvarez in the ninth round when Eleider succumbed to a hard right-left combination that dropped him down through the ropes for the count that prompted the referee to wave off the bout.

It was a very competitive bout and an impressive performance by Smith, who clearly showed vast improvement in his skill. With this strong win Joe advances to fight the winner of another WBO Light Heavyweight Elimination bout between contenders Umar Salamov (25-1, 19 Kos) and Maksim Vlasov (45-3, 26 Kos) for the vacant WBO Light Heavyweight Title.

Until then, congratulations on your amazing win Joe- job well done.

Blaze

On The Watch “It’s All About Eleider Alvarez vs Michael Seals”

Light Heavyweight Challenge

Eleider Alvarez (25-1, 13 Kos) got himself back into the winners circle last night at the Turning Stone Resort Casino when he slept hard hitting Michael Seals (24-3, 18 Kos) in the 7th round.

For someone who hasn’t fought since February 2019, Alvarez showed absolutely no rust inside that squared circle. Alvarez asserted himself early and moved and jabbed inside out with no real resistance from Michael, which was very surprising. Considering all the trash talking Seals was doing, I expected fireworks.

That being said, Alvarez wasn’t inside that squared circle to play. When the opportunity presented itself in the 7th round, Alvarez caught Seals with a straight powerful right hand that dropped him for the count and just like that, the night was over.

With this win, Eleider picked up the Vacant WBC Continental Americas Light Heavyweight Title and the Vacant WBO Inter-Continental Light Heavyweight Title. If Alvarez can keep these wins coming, he will definitely be right back in line for a possible opportunity at a full title shot with the WBC/WBO, whichever one comes first.

Until then, congratulations Eleider, now on to the next one.

Blaze

On The Watch “It’s All About Terence Crawford vs Egidijus Kavaliauskas”

WBO Welterweight Challenge

Last night, WBO Welterweight Champion Terence Crawford (36-0, 26 Kos) successfully retained his WBO Welterweight Championship Belt by defeating Egidijus Kavaliauskas (21-1-1, 17 Kos) at Madison Square Garden In New York City.

The “Mean Machine” came out of the gate with some heavy hands that connected early on Crawford. The “game plan” that Kavaliauskas’ corner came up with looked really good up until the second half of the bout.

Round 7 is where Crawford started to show why there are levels to this boxing sh*t. Terence started pressuring Kavaliauskas with some heavy combinations that eventually put him down for an 8 count. The overwhelming pressure that Crawford was administering continued all the way to the 9th round. Without any resistance from Kavaliauskas, Crawford proceeded to drop him two more times in round 9. The overpowering assault coming at Kavaliauskas prompted the referee to stop the bout. He had seen enough.

I gotta tip my “B” hat to the “Mean Machine”. Dude came out to fight and did the best he could against one of the best Pound-for Pound fighters in the game today. He fought Crawford blow for blow but eventually crumbled when he couldn’t keep up with the pace. That being said Crawford is the real deal inside that squared circle, one that is definitely not to be taken lightly by anyone signing up for the task.

Good luck to the competition.

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