On The Watch “It’s All About Zhilei Zhang vs Joe Joyce 2″

WBO Interim Heavyweight Challenge

Tonight’s Queensberry Promotions/ESPN+ Main Event between WBO Interim Heavyweight Champion Zhilei Zhang (26-1-1 21 Kos) and challenger Joe Joyce (15-2, 14 Kos) at the Wembley Arena, Wembley, London, UK, exceeded all expectation in my eyes.

This rematch between these two Heavyweight mammoths had a lot on it riding tonight. The winner gets to move one step closer to a chance at a full-fledged Championship opportunity while the loser would have to fall back deep at the end of the line in the hopes of working their way back into the Heavyweight rankings, a destination that would look quite bleak considering their age at this point in their career.

That being said, the elder and WBO Interim Heavyweight Champion Zhilei wasted no time in executing the proper “game plan” and proceeded to continue his assault and sheer domination from their previous encounter by completely destroying the “Juggernaut” Joe Joyce in a quicker fashion this time around. Real Talk!

Joe, who weighed in this time about 25 pounds heavier at 281 pounds, had the right idea but not the right “game plan” to even bother the even heavier Zhang at 287 pounds. Zhang’s last win over Joe was a beautiful display of boxing at its best for a Heavyweight but this time around, Zhang wasted very little time inside that squared circle and made quick work of Joe by stopping him once again but in a much more dramatic fashion. Only three rounds were needed and a perfectly placed right hook to the chin closed the show for good. Unbelievable!

Joe, who had never been dropped in his career to date could not answer the count in time enough to prove to the Judge at hand that he was fit and ready to go. Joe’s unsteady legs were clear enough for the referee to wave the bout off.

As a strong 40-year-old, Zhang has once again proven to the boxing world and the Heavyweight Division, that as long as he’s got them hands and that power behind that punch, he will be a problem for anyone who steps foot inside that squared circle against him.

With this devastating win now secured under his belt for the second time, Zhang now retains his
WBO Interim Heavyweight Championship and hopes one day to be able to challenge Unified IBF/IBO/WBA/WBO Heavyweight Champion Oleksandr Usyk or WBC Heavyweight Champion Tyson Fury inside that squared circle.

Until then, enjoy this victory Zhilei, your time is now!

Blaze

On The Watch “It’s All About Anthony Joshua vs Jermaine Franklin”

Heavyweight Showdown

Tonight’s Matchroom/DAZN Main Event between former Heavyweight Champion Anthony Joshua (25-3, 22 Kos) and Jermaine Franklin (21-2, 14 Kos) was a much-needed reception that AJ required to have in his own backyard at the 02 Arena, Greenwich, London, UK to uplift his spirit. Real Talk!

Everyone in attendance and me included expected to see AJ dispatch of his opponent in a very quick and destructive fashion but instead we got to see Anthony display a little of what he’s been working with alongside his new trainer Derrick James.

The detractors are going to be going for AJ’s head for not taking Jermaine out before the last bell but let’s keep it real AJ is on his third head trainer change and needed to execute the “game plan” at hand and build from there.

I personally would have appreciated seeing AJ being a little more aggressive in this bout but Franklin was not some chump who was inside that squared circle to lay down without a fight. Franklin did his best and stood up going toe to toe with the hulking AJ for 12 full rounds.

Franklin showed AJ no respect inside that squared circle but lacked the power to deter Anthony from having his way with his own stiff and heavy jab alongside some serious power combination shots as the rounds progressed. Had AJ sat on his punches with a little more aggression I believe he could have collected his 23rd knockout. Real talk!

At the completion of this bout, the Judges at hand scored it 118-111, 117-111 and 117-111 unanimously for Anthony Joshua. Although we didn’t get to see a destructive performance by Anthony, he did what was necessary to secure a much-needed win under his belt.

My personal opinion after watching this bout is that with Derrick James having more time with Joshua, I expect to see a much more improved and imposing Anthony in his next bout.

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 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 Leigh Wood vs Michael Conlan”

WBA Featherweight Title Defence

Tonight’s Matchroom/DAZN Main Event between WBA Featherweight Champion Leigh Wood (26-2, 16 Kos) and Michael Conlan (16-1, 8 Kos) at the sold-out Nottingham Arena, Nottingham, Nottinghamshire, UK, surpassed all my expectations and definitely lived up to the hype. Real Talk!

This bout started out with a bang straight from the jump with Conlan catching Leigh with an overhand left straight to the chin dropping him for a quick 8 count in the first round that had him shook and on the recovery for quite a few rounds. Conlan looked fresh and very accurate in the early rounds boxing circles around Leigh but the Champion in Wood bravely stood his ground and fought through the rough patches one round at a time.

As the second half of the bout progressed Leigh started regaining some ground capitalizing on Conlan who was looking visibly fatigued as the later rounds developed.
Although Leigh himself looked to be on shaky legs at times, Wood never stopped pressing the action and continued to apply pressure that showed cause and effect whenever he kept his hands busy enough to trouble Conlan to retreat to the ropes looking for a way out.

By the championship rounds, Leigh continued his pressure on Conlan by simply outworking him at every corner and eventually evened the odds by dropping Conlan with a left hook to the dome for a quick 8 count near the end of the 11th round.

In the final 12th round, Leigh pressured Conlan once again to the ropes and proceeded to unleash a barrage of unanswered punches that eventually knocked out Conlan between the ropes and out of the ring which then prompted the referee to wave an end to the bout.

These types of bouts, when a combatant has to come from behind and worked their way back one round at a time to finish the bout in a convincing fashion, is what builds Champions in my eyes, and tonight Leigh Woods did just that to secure his Championship Title. Unbelievable performance! I tip my “B” hat to both combatants for giving us fans an incredible show.

Congratulations Leigh on retaining your WBA Featherweight Title. You had to dig deep for this one and came out on top. Job well done Champ.

Blaze

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

WBC Diamond and Interim Heavyweight Challenge

In a surprising turn of events, the Heavyweight Division standing took another hit in tonight’s Heavyweight main event in the Matchroom Boxing Camp in Brentwood, Essex, UK, between Interim WBC Champion Dillian Whyte (27-2, 18 Kos) and Alexander Povetkin (36-2-1, 25 Kos).

What started out has a sure shot win for the “Body Snatcher” Dillian ended up in a possible knockout of the year for Povetkin. Dillian came out of the gate controlling the rounds and even dropping Povetkin twice in the fourth round for a standing eight count. Dillian got a little too comfortable by the fifth round and got caught with a mean left uppercut from Povetkin that created a crime scene type knockout that left us fans watching with our mouths wide open when the referee stopped the fight after Dillian was unresponsive on the floor. Real Talk! (my girl Ang called it when she said in the previous rounds to watch out for that uppercut from Povetkin).

The way the fight was going Povetkin was looking tired and slow in the previous rounds and Dillian was looking like he was getting ready to stop the older warrior in Povetkin but truth be told Povetkin still had an ace up his sleeves in the form of a well-timed destructive well-placed uppercut that secured the win in the fifth round. Real Talk!

This bout was a perfect example of what can happen on any given night in the Heavyweight Division. Most of them Boys in the Division carry power and can never be counted out regardless of their age. Dillian talked a good game and performed well throughout the contested bout but clearly underestimated the power the older veteran Povetkin still possessed and paid dearly for it.

Povetkin’s resilience and pedigree showed up tonight and silenced all the naysayers who counted him out. What was supposed to be a walk-in park for Dillian turned out to be a nightmare of a night in the form of a devastating loss that will haunt him for quite some time.

That being said, congratulations are in order for the New WBC Diamond and Interim Heavyweight Champion Alexander Povetkin.

Job well done Alexander; you defied all odds and came out an Interim Champion. I’m not sure how much juice you got left in you but tonight you were the conqueror who dethroned the Interim Champ. Enjoy your winnings, you deserve it.

Blaze