On The Watch “It’s All About Devin Haney vs George Kambosos Jr. II”

Undisputed Lightweight Championship Showdown

Last night’s Undisputed Lightweight Championship Top Rank/ESPN Main Event, was a continuation of sheer dominance by the King of the Lightweight Division Undisputed IBF/WBA/WBC/WBO/ Ring Magazine Champion Devin Haney (29-0, 15 Kos) when he successfully defended his belts against George Kambosos Jr. (20-2, 10 Kos) in a rematch at Rod Laver Arena in Melbourne, Australia.

This was a necessary evil that needed to be put to bed due to a contractual obligation that bided Devin to revisit this unwarranted bout. That said, Devin proceeded to silence the Australian fans once again by outshining the once upon a time self-proclaimed Emperor, and causing him to bow down to the superior opponent inside that squared circle on that night.

This time around George came out with a different “game plan” geared at first sight to confuse the Champ. It didn’t take long for Devin to crack that code. There are levels to this boxing sh*t and Devin showed us that night that he is levels above Kambosos by easily dismantling his opponent from head to body.

There was absolutely nothing Kambosos could do to deter Devin from having his way inside that squared circle. Devin was sitting on his punches and walking through George like a punching bag. Devin’s work rate was efficient and dominant round by round.

It was too painfully obvious that Devin’s boxing IQ, speed and distance inside that squared circle were too much for George to overcome as the rounds progressed.

After 12 full rounds of nonstop one-sided punishment, the Judges at hand scored it 116-112, 116-112 and 118-110 unanimously for Devin Haney the Undisputed IBF/WBA/WBC/WBO/ Ring Magazine Champion of the World.

The “Dream” will once again continue to take on all comers waiting in line to dethrone Devin Haney, the Undisputed King of the Lightweight Division.

Who’s next?

Blaze

On The Watch “It’s All About Shakur Stevenson vs Robsen Conceicao”


WBC/WBO/Ring Magazine Junior Lightweight Championship

Last night’s Top Rank/ESPN Main Event between former WBC/WBO/Ring Magazine Junior Lightweight Champion Shakur Stevenson (19-0, 9 Kos) and Robsen Conceicao (17-2, 8 Kos) was simply a showcase type of an event for the homegrown combatant Shakur at the Prudential Center in Newark, NJ.

Due to Shakur missing weight for the contested bout of 130 pounds, Shakur was stripped of his WBC/WBO/Ring Magazine Junior Lightweight Championship belts and was unable to defend them as Champion.

That being said, the bout continued as planned and Shakur proceeded to put on a hell of a performance in front of his hometown fans by easily dismantling his opponent like it was a sparring session.

No disrespect to Robson, who is a highly decorated Olympian and a very worthy opponent for Shakur, fell miserably short in his second attempt at a potential title opportunity.

What looked good on paper turned out to be a mismatch from start to finish. Robson simply did not have the right “game plan” to take such a skillful combatant like Shakur.

Shakur’s surprising approach was to walk down and go through Robson’s offense with ease. Shakur hardly moved around the ring as he usually does and instead stood his ground going toe to toe administering non- contested punches to his opponent at will. That approach took Conceicao by surprise and left him bewildered and confused throughout the entire bout.

Whatever Conceicao did manage to land on Shakur had absolutely no effect whatsoever in deterring the Champ from having his way inside that squared circle. Shakur’s dominance from start to finish was impressive. Although Shakur was unable to stop Conceicao within the 12-round bout, his total dominance of his opponent could not be denied. Shakur was simply too big, too strong, too savvy inside that squared circle.

The Judges for the night had absolutely no trouble in scoring this bout 119-108, 118-108 and 117-109 unanimously for Shakur Stevenson.

Another easy night for the Kid – now on to new challenges at the 135-Pound Division.

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 Shakur Stevenson vs Oscar Valdez”

WBC/WBO Super Featherweight Unification Championship

Last night’s Top Rank’s Main Event Unification bout between WBO Super Featherweight Champion Shakur Stevenson (18-0, 9 Kos) and WBC Super Featherweight Champion Oscar Valdez (30-2, 23 Kos) at the MGM Grand Garden Arena, Las Vegas, was a clinical beatdown bestowed by Shakur on the biggest night of his career to date. Real Talk!

Shakur’s boxing IQ was on full display last night. I was expecting Shakur to box and move all night but instead Shakur stood his ground right from the jump and patiently dismantled his opponent round by round with a stiff powerful jab that couldn’t miss or be deterred by Valdez, who was stuck all night clueless behind an ineffective high guard that left his face visibly touched up at the end of the night.

Shakur walked it like he talked it and shut down Valdez who looked defeated as the rounds progressed. Valdez was unable to stop Shakur from having his way inside that squared circle. Valdez’s “game plan” or lack thereof was non-existent. Valdez looked lost inside that squared circle with absolutely no guidance from his corner. Unbelievable.


Shakur was always two steps ahead of Valdez all night. Stevenson stood his ground and beat the power puncher at his own game. After 12 full rounds of schooling, the Judges scored it 118-109, 118-109 and 117 110 all in favor of Shakur Stevenson.

With this convincing win by Shakur, he is now the new WBO/WBC and newly acquired Ring Magazine Unified Super Featherweight Champion of the World.

With the way Shakur made this bout look so effortless, I can’t see anybody beating this kid in the 130-Pound Division. Real Talk! The road to undisputed just got clearer for Shakur. Good luck to the competition.

Congratulations Shakur on your latest triumph.

Blaze

On The Watch “It’s All About Tyson Fury vs Dillian Whyte”

WBC Heavyweight Challenge

Tonight’s Queensberry Promotion/Top Rank Main Event between WBC/Ring Magazine Heavyweight Champion Tyson Fury (32-0-1, 23 Kos) and Mandatory challenger Dillian Whyte (28-3, 19 Kos) at the Wembley Stadium, Wembley, London, UK, with an attendance of 94,000 fans definitely lived up to the hype. Hands Down!

The “Gypsy King” defended his Championship belts for the second time and did it in style by boxing circles around “The Body Snatcher” Dillian who had absolutely no proper “game plan” in keeping Tyson from having his way inside that squared circle.

It was a boxing clinic by Tyson who kept Dillian at bay with a very effective jab, enabling Dillian from landing anything significant enough to deter Tyson from pressing the action from round one and on.

Tyson looked good from the jump boxing and moving at ease inside that squared circle. Dillian tried numerous times to land that heavy left hand but with no avail constantly missing and swinging at air whenever Tyson moved with grace avoiding every power shot coming from Dillian.

Tyson’s size, reach and boxing IQ inside the ring was simply too much of a puzzle for Dillian to overcome. Tyson always seemed to be two steps ahead of Dillian’s every move. Dillian was outmatched and outwitted inside that squared circle. To me this bout looked like a sparring session gone wrong for Dillian. It was only matter of time before the inevitable happened and by the 6th round, Tyson connected with a vicious right uppercut straight to the chin that dropped Dillian who then managed to get up before the count but was on shaky legs to continue. This prompted the referee to call the bout in fear for his safety. Game over!

This was a long overdue mandatory position that Dillian Whyte rightfully deserved from time but fell short on the biggest night of his career to the so-called pillow fisted “Gypsy King”. I tip my “B” hat to Fury for successfully defending his WBC/Ring Magazine Heavyweight Championship Titles and walking away from the game still undefeated and on his own terms in the presence of 94,000 fans at the Wembley Stadium in London.

Job well done Tyson, now enjoy your retirement.

Blaze

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

IBF/WBC/WBA/WBO Undisputed Junior Welterweight Challenge

Tonight’s Undisputed Junior Welterweight Title defense between IBF/WBC/WBA/WBO and Ring Magazine Champion Josh Taylor (19-0, 13 Kos) and mandatory challenger Jack Catterall (26-1, 13 Kos) at the SSE Hydro in Glasgow, Scotland was a straight up ROBBERY to the challenger hands down.

No disrespect to the Champion Josh Taylor who brought it tonight and fought a tough bout but truth be told, Jack came in and defeated the Champion convincingly after 12 full rounds of action but unfortunately got robbed by the Judges on his biggest night inside that squared circle.

Jack came out the gate with confidence and the right “game plan” which was executed perfectly. Standing his ground round after round boxing beautifully while asserting himself as the better man throughout the entire bout and dropping Josh in the 8th round clearly putting Josh in the deficit by then.

Personally, I thought Josh looked weight drained and struggled to assert himself throughout the bout and looked desperate as the rounds progressed. Although the referee deducted a point in round 10 from Catterall, Jack was still comfortably in the lead in my eyes with the higher work rate and punch connection going his way.

That being said, this bout was very entertaining and clearly surpassed the expectation that most people anticipated considering everybody thought this was going to be a cake walk for Taylor. After 12 full rounds of non-stop action the Judges scored it 113-112 for Catterall, 114-111 for Taylor, and 113-112 for Taylor giving him the spit decision win. Unbelievable!

I’m sorry, I’m a big fan of Josh Taylor but tonight homeboy clearly lost this bout hands down.
Jack put his paws all over him and fought a great fight and clearly deserved the win. This was another case of a straight up ROBBERY!! Real talk!

Jack did everything right and fought his heart out to secure the win but, in the end, got ROBBED by the Judges at hand. These three Judges should be barred from ever judging a sanction bout again. Real Talk!

Tonight, we should be celebrating the coronation of a new Undisputed Junior Welterweight Champion in Jack Catterall but instead the home grown Champion Josh Taylor reaped the benefits and retained his controversial Undisputed Crown.

These are the types of outcomes that gives Boxing a bad reputation.

Just my thoughts.

Blaze

On The Watch “It’s All About Artur Beterbiev vs Marcus Browne”

IBF/WBC Light Heavyweight Championship Challenge

Last night’s GYM Promotion/Top Rank Main Event between IBF/WBC Light Heavyweight Champion Artur Beterbiev (17-0, 17 Kos) and Marcus Browne (24-2, 16 Kos) at the Bell Centre, Montreal, Quebec, Canada was the only bout on a horrendous card that made any sense. Real Talk!

No disrespect but whoever put this card together did a horrible job. None of these matchups on the card were competitive, that is until the Main Event.

The tough and durable Artur Beterbiev suffered an early cut in the fourth round when an accidental clash of heads cut him and Marcus up but saw Artur suffer the worst of it. Blood was gushing nonstop from Artur’s forehead blinding him at times, but it did not deter him from proceeding with the task at hand.

Marcus, who had a very good “game plan” kept poking in and out with a good jab and constantly moving, frustrating Artur. It was the type of “game plan” that required 100 % of your concentration and stamina to maintain throughout the night.

That being said, Artur kept his composure and continued to administer enough pressure with his heavy punches coming from all angles to slowly wear Marcus down round after round. Once Marcus felt the thumping power of Artur’s punches the original “game plan” went out the window.

Artur’s head to body attack eventually dropped Marcus in the seventh round for a quick 8 count but judging from the body language Marcus was displaying, the inevitable was near and by the ninth round a series of unanswered body shots dropped Marcus again. This time Marcus did not respond to the count forcing the referee to stop the bout.

At first glance Marcus showed he could hang with Artur but as the rounds progressed and the action picked up, it became quite clear that Artur was simply too strong of a resilient opponent for Marcus to overcome inside that squared circle. Bloodied and all, nothing was going to dissuade this man from walking out the Champion.

With this convincing win, Artur retained his IBF/WBC Light Heavyweight Championship belts and the No. 1 Spot in the 175-Pound Division.

Dethroning this man from his position will not be easy but I am looking forward to see who will attempt to try.

Until then congratulations Artur on another conclusive win.

Blaze

On The Watch “It’s All About Vasiliy Lomachenko vs Richard Commey”

Vacant WBO Inter-Continental Lightweight Title

Vasiliy Lomachenko (16-2, 11 Kos) had himself another dominating performance last night on the Top Rank Main Event card at the Madison Square Garden in New York City, when he completely dismantled Richard Commey (30-4, 27 Kos) with ease.

Loma looked as sharp as ever and laser focussed from rounds one to twelve. His foot work from side to side with speed caused mad confusion to Richard who clearly had a hard time judging his distance, at times missing widely in the air.

Loma wasted absolutely no punches and his punch output was ridiculously troubling Commey who was getting lumped up from head to body at will.

As the rounds progressed, it became painfully clear that Commey did not belong with Loma inside that squared circle. By round seven, Loma applied some serious aggressive pressure with power behind every shot that dropped Commey cold for a quick 8 count. The resilient Commey survived the troubling round and actually proceeded to stay somewhat competitive enough to make it through the full 12 rounds of action.

All three Judges scored it 119-108, 119-108 and 117-110 unanimously for Lomachenko.

This hungry version of Lomachenko will definitely be a problem to the 135-Pound Division. Loma is not holding back and is looking for all the smoke with the top Lightweights in the Division hands down.

With this convincing win Loma picked up the vacant WBO Inter-Continental Lightweight Title possibly giving him a clearer path at the new Unified IBF/WBA/WBO/WBC “Franchise” Champion and Ring Magazine Lightweight Champion George Kambosos Jr. (20-0, 10 Kos).

A very intriguing matchup if it ever comes to fruition in the near future.

Until then, congratulation Vasiliy on another overwhelming performance.

Blaze

On The Watch “It’s All About Mikaela Mayer vs Maiva Hamadouche”

Junior Lightweight IBF/WBO Unification Championship

Last night’s Top Rank Main Event between WBO Junior Lightweight Champion Mikaela Mayer (16-0, 5 Kos) and IBF Junior Lightweight Champion Maiva Hamadouche (22-2, 18 Kos) at the Theater at Virgin Hotels Las Vegas was a perfect display of what two of the best female boxers can produce when matched perfectly.

The undefeated Champion Mikaela showed us a different aspect of her boxing game when she elected to bang toe to toe with the always ready known banger Maiva, inside that squared circle. I was quite surprised and impressed to see that Mikaela stood her ground and asserted herself quite well in a tough battle with the shorter but ferocious Maiva.

Maiva came out the gate real aggressive and pressed the action from the jump. Maiva did her best to neutralize Mikaela’s reach but Mikaela’s patience and ring IQ played dividends when she opted to fight fire with fire disrupting Miava’s “game plan”.

This bout was nonstop action with heavy leather being thrown from round 1 to 10 with either combatant letting one another room to breathe. Although both combatants, threw an abundance of punches, it was Mikaela who seemed to land the more telling body to head punches as the rounds progressed.

That being said, after 10 full rounds of action, the Judges scored it 100-90, 99-91, 98-92 unanimously for Mikaela Mayer.

I personally felt that the score card was a lot closer than what they had but I have no dispute with the winner. This bout was by far one of the best fights for the year 2021.

Mikaela fought hard and dug deep for this one and overcame a worthy Champion in Maiva.

Congratulations Mikaela on becoming the New Junior Lightweight IBF/WBO Champion of the World.

Blaze

On The Watch “It’s All About Jamel Herring vs Shakur Stevenson”

WBO Junior Lightweight Challenge

Last night’s Top Rank Main Event at the State Farm Arena in Atlanta between WBO Junior Lightweight Champion Jamel Herring (23-3, 11 Kos) and Shakur Stevenson (17-0, 9 Kos) became a showcase type bout for the youngin dubbed the “Fearless”.

Shakur had seek and destroy written all over his face right from jump. Shakur showed Jamel absolutely no respect and continued to apply nonstop pressure with quick and strong punches from head to body.

Whatever “game plan” Jamel’s team came up with was none-existing for the simple fact that Shakur was just too strong and too fast for Jamel to content with. No disrespect to Jamel but the unusual stay in the pocket style that Shakur applied for this bout completely took Jamel by surprise and made him gun shy and unable to counterpunch when he needed to.

That being said, the “Fearless” did just that and showed absolutely no fear towards his opponent and proceeded to completely dismantle the older but more experienced Champion piece by piece.

By the 10th round the inevitable was seconds away. Jamel looked tired and beaten sitting there taking punishment without fighting back. The referee had seen enough and jumped in to stop the unanswered onslaught on Jamel.

This was the type of performance Shakur needed to bring inside that squared circle to silence the critics who doubted him. He fought toe to toe and banged on his opponent in a very dominant fashion.

With this impressive win over Jamel, Shakur now becomes a two weight Division Champion and the New WBO Junior Lightweight Champion of the World.

Congratulations Shakur on your latest achievement – now on to a unification bout.

Blaze