On The Watch “It’s All About Terence Crawford vs Shawn Porter”

WBO Welterweight Challenge

Last night’s Top Rank Main Event between WBO Champion Terence Crawford (38-0, 29 Kos) and Shawn Porter (31-4-1, 17 Kos) at the Mandalay Bay Resort and Casino’s Michelob ULTRA Arena, was a statement-type performance by the Champion that definitely lived up to the hype. Real Talk!

Everybody in the building knew what Porter was going to bring inside that squared circle but nobody knew how Crawford was going to deal with it. Porter brought the heat straight from round one and on and didn’t stop applying pressure making it a real fight. The “game plan” looked simple on Porter’s side but he wasn’t dealing with an average-type of fighter in Crawford.

The key for Crawford was to not get caught up in Porter’s “game plan” but to settle down and execute his own by being patient and sticking to his exceptional boxing skills. He could not get caught stuck exchanging leather for leather letting himself open at times giving unnecessary opportunities which he did, giving Porter successful rounds.

The back and forth both combatants were dishing out was exciting and definitely crowd pleasing to the fans in attendance.

That said, as the rounds were piling up, I could sense Crawford needed to do something spectacular to slow down the momentum Porter had going for himself at that point. Crawford needed to remind the Boxing World why he was on the Pound-for-Pound list.

In the 10th round, Crawford caught Porter with a well-placed short left to the dome that sat him down for a quick 8 count. Porter, who looked surprised, bounced right back up on his feet but the inevitable was looming over Porter’s head. Porter proceeded to go at Crawford with aggression only to be met with a heavy two-piece combo that severely rocked a still concussed and frustrated Porter to the floor for second time. Although Porter managed to beat the 10 count, Shawn’s Dad, Kenny Porter had seen enough and waved the referee to stop the bout. Just like that Crawford put an end to “Showtime” Shawn Porter by TKO in the 10th round.

This was the type of a performance that Terence needed to silence all the naysayers that doubted his greatness inside that squared circle. Porter brought the “heat” and asserted himself quite well but Terence showed to have the equalizer to shut the show down.

This was by far the most noteworthy and hardest combatant to date in Terence’s career and he prevailed in an impressive fashion.

Congratulations Terence on retaining your WBO Welterweight Championship. You truly are one of the Pound-for-Pound greats in the game today.

Blaze

On The Watch “It’s All About Conor Benn vs Adrian Granados”

Welterweight Showdown

Conor Benn (19-0, 12 Kos) had himself another step-up bout tonight when he took on the tough and durable Adrian Granados (21-9-3, 15 Kos) on the Matchroom/DAZN card at the Headingley Stadium in Leeds, England.

There was a lot of trash talking coming from both sides but the one combatant who backed up the tough talks was Conor, hands down! Conor was clearly on a seek and destroy mission from rounds one to ten.

Conor came inside that squared circle to please the fans in attendance and to show the boxing world that he’s world class ready. Conor’s aggression was quite visible and affective at times administering some heavy power punches from head to body with seemingly no resistance coming from Granados.

Adrian showed toughness as usual absorbing the onslaught coming his way but his lack of commitment to go toe to toe with Conor made things quite easy to judge round by round. Granados had absolutely no power to his punches tonight and his constant movement did not add up to the right “game plan” to disrupt Conor’s nonstop aggressive punch output.

Although Adrian completed the full ten rounds, his performance tonight was very lackluster. Granados looked more like a fighter who wanted to survive then the always gamed warrior we were accustomed to seeing.

That being said, after 10 rounds of somewhat action the Judges scored it 100-90, 90-91 and 97-93 unanimously in favor of Conor Ben.

Conor may have been unable to stop Adrian within the 10 rounds tonight but he did get some much-needed rounds in that showed us how improved of a boxer he has become in a such a short professional career to date.

Keep the momentum going Conor, your time is coming. Until then congratulations on your latest win.

Blaze

On The Watch “It’s All About Manny Pacquiao vs Yordenis Ugas”

WBA “Super” welterweight Challenge

Last night’s PBC/FOX Sport Pay-Per-View Main Event at the T-Mobile Arena in Las Vegas between Manny Pacquiao (62-8-2, 39 Kos) and WBA “Super” Champion Yordenis Ugas (27-4, 12 Kos) was a shocking type of an event that saw the underdog Yordenis silence all the critics when he handily defeated the Legendary “Pacman” by unanimous decision.

It was a beautiful display of boxing by Ugas who stuck to the “game plan” from the jump and executed it perfectly. Ugas’ strong and steady jab was key all night in preventing Manny from rushing him with his flurry of punches. Ugas asserted himself and imposed and utilized his size and reach the right way.

Pacquiao looked surprisingly confused at times, not able to get into a proper offensive flow to offset Ugas, who kept it really simple but effective enough to trouble Pacquiao round by round.

I was very impressed by Ugas’ patience inside that squared circle, never letting the moment of fighting a legend deter him or distract him off his mission at hand.

Watching the way this bout unfolded it was evident to me that Pacquiao underestimated Ugas’ ability to box the way that he did. I tip my “B” hat to Ugas for showing us that he can still elevate his game as the competition steps up. Ugas came into this bout as the underdog but walked out earning Pacquiao’s respect the hard way, inside that squared circle.

After 12 full rounds of non-stop action, all three Judges scored it 116-112, 116-112, 115-113 in favor of Yordenis Ugas. By far the best win of his career to date.

With this convincing win, Yordenis retained his WBA “Super” Welterweight Title and reinforced his position in 147-Pound Division. With the momentum on his side, Ugas is now looking forward to a unification bout with WBO Welterweight Champion Terence Crawford (37-0, 28 Kos) or an encounter with Unified IBF/WBC Welterweight Champion Errol Spence Jr. (27-0, 21 Kos).

Regardless of the opponent, both combatants would have the making of an exciting bout.

Until then Yordenis congratulations on your latest triumph.

Blaze

On The Watch “It’s All About Virgil Ortiz Jr. vs Egidijus Kavaliauskas”

Welterweight Showdown

Last night’s Golden Boy/DAZN Main Event at The Ford Center at The Star, Frisco, Texas, was well worth the wait. Real Talk! Vergil Ortiz Jr. (18-0, 18 Kos) and Egidijus Kavaliauskas (22-2-1, 18 Kos) showed us fans what two hungry fighters can produce when matched up properly.

The warrior that Egidijus is came out early and asserted himself quite well by pressuring Vergil in the first few rounds even catching him with a barrage of punches and a right uppercut on the chin that clearly dropped Ortiz but the referee called it a slip. That said, Ortiz survived the round and returned the favor in the third round when he also chinned Egidijus and dropped him for a quick 8 count right before the bell.

As the rounds were piling up so was the action inside that squared circle. Both combatants brought the “Heat”. Egidijus proved to be the test Virgil needed at this point but it was only a matter of time before he’d figured Kavaliauskas out.

As great as the back-and-forth action was inside that squared circle, Virgil’s power and precision shined bright in the eighth round when a well-placed left shot to the body dropped Egidijus for a quick eight count then a left hook to the chin for the second knockdown, another eight count then chinned checked again for a third knockdown, another eight count but then came the “End Game” a barrage of unanswered heavy punches dropped “Mean Machine” for the fourth and final time which then prompted the referee to officially stop the bout.

It was a beautiful display of boxing by Virgil who encountered some solid resistance but prevailed big time when it was all said and done.

That being said, Virgil wants next with WBO Welterweight Champion Terence Crawford (37-0, 28 Kos) or any other Champions in the Division. Your Boy is out here looking for all that smoke.

Who really want it with the Kid Virgil Ortiz Jr. cause he got next!

Blaze

On the Watch ” It’s All About Jaron Ennis vs Sergey Lipinets”

Welterweight Showdown

Jaron Ennis (27-0, 25 Kos) walked it like he talked when he completely destroyed tough and durable adversary Sergey Lipinets (16-2-1, 12 Kos) at last night’s Showtime Main Event card from the Mohegan Sun in Uncasville, Connecticut.

It was business as usual for Jaron when he stepped inside that squared circle with absolutely no sign of fear. Once the bell rang in the first round Jaron established himself as the more physical combatant with his size and strength while boxing and moving effectively preventing Sergey from ever setting up his own offence.

Sergey usually gets around to imposing himself but last night he clearly lacked the proper “game plan” to counter Jaron’s steady calculated offence.

Jaron’s ring generalship and perfectly timed switch-hitting style was visibly confusing Sergey inside that squared circle.  The number of heavy shots that Sergey was absorbing was quite worrisome outside looking in. I personally expected Sergey to be more competitive with his work rate but the punishment that he was enduring by the sixth-round cost him heavily when he got caught cold with a right-left devastating combination that flatted him out to the canvas and prompted the referee to instantly call an end to the bout at 2:11 of the sixth-round.

This was a very impressive performance by Jaron considering Sergey had never been stopped before or punished in such a dominant fashion.

Jaron is making it be known that he’s coming for that Number 1 Spot in the Welterweight Division. My only question is who will volunteer to derail the young lion?

Congratulations Jaron on another great performance. Goodluck to the competition!

Blaze

On The Watch “It’s All About Errol Spence Jr. vs Danny Garcia”

IBF/WBC Welterweight Challenge

Last night’s Main Event between Errol Spence Jr. (27-0, 21 Kos) and Danny Garcia (36-3, 21 Kos) at Arlington Texas inside the AT&T Stadium, answered a lot of questions that we the fans had when it came to EJ. After 12 rounds of action all was revealed to the boxing world.

EJ dusted off his shoulders last night inside that squared circle and showed all the doubters and his supporters that your Boy was back 100%. Spence’s car accident in October 2019 left a lot of us fans wondering if Errol could ever get back to his championship form, he once held before the car crash and, with last night’s dominant performance against Danny, your Boy EJ defied all odds.

EJ is “The Truth” inside that squared circle hands down. Errol made Danny, who is one of the top strong Welterweights, in the Division, looked like a pedestrian inside that squared circle. Spence kept that pressure on Danny all night with a stiff effective jab that prevented Danny from applying any type of successful offence.

Whatever “game plan” Danny’s corner constructed for the night became obsolete the minute EJ’s jab started touching Danny at will. EJ’s jab was key last night and clearly marked Danny up from all angles. Danny showed some grit and a strong will to compete but just didn’t have the right output to keep up with EJ. Had Danny applied more pressure the outcome could have definitely been different.

That being said, EJ showed us once again that he’s levels above all competitors who dare to challenge him for that No. 1 Spot inside that squared circle. The Judges were all in agreeance tonight with the score of 116-112, 116-112 and 117-111 for Errol Spence Jr.

With this dominant performance by Spence, he now retains his IBF and WBC Titles while putting the 147-Pound Division back on notice that “The Truth” is back like he never left.

Congratulations Errol on another great performance.

Who’s next?

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 Sergey Lipinets & Custio Clayton”

Interim IBF Welterweight Challenge

Last night’s SHOWTIME Main Event presented by Premier Boxing Champions from Mohegan Sun Arena in Uncasville, Connecticut, between Sergey Lipinets (16-1-1, 12 Kos) and Custio Clayton (18-0-1, 12 Kos) was an entertaining chess match from start to finish. Real Talk!

Our own Canadian prospect Clayton, touched down on U.S. soil for the first time and asserted himself in a convincing manner in his first step up fight of his career. Clayton executed his “game plan” to a “T”, boxed and moved beautifully with a stiff jab that had Sergey’s attention all night. Clayton’s effective higher work rate kept the stalker, Sergey from ever getting into a comfortable flow but it did not stop him from working Clayton’s body attack.

Every punch thrown from Sergey was heavy with some serious bad intention when landed but due to Clayton’s tight defence and some very good movement, Sergey couldn’t connect with his usual output. Fatigue seemed to have settled down on him in the later rounds and may have cost him the outcome.

That being said, Clayton came in stronger in the later rounds and definitely stole the 12th round from Sergey in my eyes. One Judge scored it 115-113 for Clayton (as I did) but was overruled by the two Judges who scored the bout a 114-114 draw. Personally, I think that if Clayton would have pressed his offensive attack a little bit more, things could have been a lot clearer to the Judges.

Clayton showed Sergey and the 147-Pound Division that he is not to be taken lightly. Last night’s showing definitely earned him some respect to his name (Birdman voice).

This may not have been the outcome you were looking for Clayton, but one thing is for sure you did us Canadians proud last night.

Can’t wait to see what’s next for you, keep your head up Custio.

Blaze

On the Watch ” It’s All About Jaron Ennis vs Juan Carlos Abreu”

Welterweight Showdown

The coming of age of the Welterweight contender Jaron “Boots” Ennis (26-0, 24 Kos) was on full display on last night Premier Boxing Champions Showtime Boxing card at the Mohegan Sun Arena in Uncasville, Connecticut when he stopped Juan Carlos Abreu (23-6-1, 21 Kos) in the sixth round.

Jaron, who was up against a tough and sturdy veteran in Juan made it look really easy. To me it felt like I was watching a glorified sparring session. Jaron controlled every round from the jump. Jaron showed good patience throughout the rounds and displayed some impressive power along with a crisp jab from both hands.

Overall, Juan was simply out gunned and out classed by a superior boxer that had his number from the time the bell rung. It was only a matter of time before Jaron pulled the plug and ended the show in the sixth round by dropping Juan twice in the round with some heavy combination shots to call it a night. Real Talk!

Jaron has been putting the Welterweight Division on notice for a minute now and his time is here. Jaron is the full package. The kid got the goods and deserves a shot at any one of the Champions in the 147-Pound Division.

The Welterweight Division is blazing as of late with some serious talent and your boy “Boots” Ennis wants next.

Who will be the first Champion to oblige the young hungry lion?

Blaze

On The Watch “It’s All About Errol Spence Jr. vs Shawn Porter”

IBF/WBC Welterweight Title Unification

Last night’s Welterweight Title Unification bout at the Staples Center in Los Angeles between IBF Champion Errol Spence Jr. (26-0, 21 Kos) and WBC Champion Shawn Porter (30-3-1, 17 Kos), lived up to the hype from start to finish. Real Talk!

Porter, the underdog, laid it all inside that squared circle. “Showtime” lived up to his name last night and to me, outperformed himself by bringing it straight up to Spence from round to round. Porter’s “game plan” was clear from the jump to rough up Spence with constant pressure while keeping it awkward and standing strong by not letting Spence have his way with him inside that squared circle.

Spence was in a real dog fight last night and surprisingly was unable to command the bout in his usual aggressive fashion. However, the “Truth” stayed cool like his demeanour and weathered the storm by simply adapting to Porter’s rugged tactics by fighting blow for blow and making his punch selections count whenever the openings presented themselves.

These two Champions showed up last night administering some serious heavy leather to one another and kept it real tight all throughout the rounds. To me neither one of them really had a clear-cut lead until the 11th round when Spence scored a decisive left hook “money shot” knockdown that may have sealed the deal for him to win on a spit-decision.

By the end of the twelfth round, two of the Judges had it scored 116-111 for Spence and one Judge had it 115-112 for Porter.

I tip my “B” hat to “Showtime” Shawn Porter” for bringing his all last night. He stepped up to the plate while other competitors are choosing to side step to the “Truth”.

Congratulations Errol on becoming the New IBF/WBC Unified Welterweight Champion of the World. You walked it like you talked it and proved to be the “Man” to beat in the 147-pound Division.

Can’t wait to see who signs up next to face you.

Blaze