On The Watch “It’s All About 2021 NBA EASTERN CONFERENCE FINALS”

2021 NBA Eastern Conference Finals

Not too many people predicted this outcome for the Eastern Conference Finals. Real Talk! The No. 3 Seeded Milwaukee Bucks and the No. 5 Seeded Atlanta Hawks both survived a tight game 7 to secure a spot to compete for the right to represent the Eastside in the NBA Finals. I gotta tip my “B” hat to the Atlanta Hawks for the way they’ve been balling as of late. I knew them Boys could shake up the Playoffs run but the Conference Finals I didn’t see that coming. They have beaten some very good teams and upset the No. 1 Seeded Philadelphia 76ers on their way up. Atlanta is not playing and them Boys mean business.

Standing in their way are the Milwaukee Bucks who grinded their way to the Conference Finals with their heads up high. They didn’t have an easy route and struggled at times but definitely showed a much better battle-tested Playoff squad, ready to rumble with the best of them. The Bucks have failed to advance to the Finals the last two seasons, so the pressure to succeed will be heavily weighing on their minds. That being said, the challenge awaiting them is here now and their time is now.

Who will emerge victorious in the Eastern Conference Finals and earn the right of passage to the NBA Finals? Tune in for Game 1 this Wednesday, June 23, 2021. This is going to be an intriguing series. Check Ball!

Blaze

On The Watch “It’s All About Jermall Charlo vs Juan Macias Montiel”

WBC Middleweight Title Defense

Last night’s PBC/Showtime Main Event between WBC Middleweight Champion Jermall Charlo (32-0, 22 Kos) and Juan Macias Montiel (22-5-2, 22 Kos) turned out to be a better show than expected at the Toyota Center in Houston, Texas.

The “Hit Man” was definitely in a fight last night and although he clearly won the bout, I gotta tip my “B” hat to Montiel for making it exciting. Montiel came to fight and made it quite interesting. If Charlo was looking for an easy fight last night Montiel made sure to make it tough for him at least as best he could. Montiel showed some serious durability in this bout. Dude refused to bow down to the “Hit Man”. Charlo hit this Dude with everything from head to body with some serious sting behind it and Montiel, although clearly buzzed out at times looking punch drunk, still fought back and held his own. Montiel definitely earned my respect with this one.

Montiel never stopped coming forward throughout the bout. After 12 rounds of non-stop action, the Judges scored it 120-108, 119-109, 118-109 unanimously in favor of Jermall Charlo. With this win Charlo retained his WBC Middleweight Title. Well done.

Montiel proved to be a hell of a tough competitor but Charlo demonstrated to be levels above inside that squared circle.

Congratulations Champ, can’t wait to see who’s next for the “Hit Man”.

Blaze

On The Watch “It’s All About Jaime Munguia vs Kamil Szeremeta”

WBO Inter-Continental Middleweight Title Defense

Last night’s Golden Boy/DAZN Main Event between WBO Inter-Continental Middleweight Champion Jaime Munguia (37-0, 29 Kos) and Kamil Szeremeta (21-2, 5 Kos) at the Haskins Center, El Paso, Texas, was another showcase type of event for the Champion.

No disrespect to Szeremeta but he did not belong inside that squared circle with this young Lion Munguia. I personally think this bout was a step down from his previous outing. This bout was simply an open night to some light sparing session for Munguia.

Munguia may not be quite ready for the belt holders in the Division but the kid needs to be fed with better competition. You can clearly see he’s eager to test his skills with the best of them.

Szeremeta had absolutely nothing to offer him. Munguia was having his way with him with little to no resistance coming back Munguia’s body and head attacks were simply too strong for Szeremeta to withstand. It was like watching Munguia hit the heavy bag at will. It didn’t take long for Szeremeta’s corner to pull the plug at the end of the 6th round. The onslaught was just too painful to watch. Real Talk!

The kid needs to be unleashed and properly tested. Hopefully his next bout will do just that.

Just my thoughts.

Blaze

On The Watch “It’s All About Bektemir Melikuziev vs Gabe Rosado”

Vacant WBO International Super Middleweight Title

Veteran Gabe Rosado (26-13-1, 15 Kos) proved to still be a formidable opponent on any given night when he dropped and stopped the young and previously undefeated Bektemir Melikuziev (7-1, 6 Kos) in dramatic fashion at the Don Haskins Center, EL Paso, Texas, last night.

The matchmakers for Melikuziev saw Rosado as a name they could use to keep busy and by the way, Melikuziev started the first round with some heavy punches going from head to the body and eventually dropping Rosado for a quick 8 count. Many thought it would be another quick night of action for Melikuziev.

That being said, Rosado stood his ground and weathered the early onslaught from the young warrior but in doing so also capitalized on the Bully’s mistakes and bad habits when he connected with a strong right hand to the dome in the third round that knocked out the bigger and stronger Bektemir for the count. Lights out!

This was by far Rosado’s most impressive win to date. They underestimated Gabe and treated him as a folder type opponent and found out it was simply too soon of a challenge for Melikuziev to take at this point in his early career.

With this emphatic win Gabe now picked up the Vacant WBO International Super Middleweight title. Well done.

Congratulations Gabe on your latest win. Keep working hard and proving your naysayers wrong.

Blaze

On The Watch “It’s All About 2021 NBA WESTERN CONFERENCE FINALS”

2021 NBA Western Conference Finals

The NBA’s version of the Final 4 is set to start this Sunday night June 20, 2021 in the Western Conference, with two new contenders in the No. 2 Seeded Phoenix Suns and the 4th Seeded Los Angeles Clippers. Both teams have dealt with adversaries on their way to the Conference Finals. Exceptional team play, good coaching and the rise of their star players stepping it up, have all contributed to them reaching this pivotal point on the road to the NBA Finals. That being said, injuries have played a big part in this year’s Playoff run and neither team were exempted.

With Phoenix having been well rested for a week, the Suns will have the edge come game time, unlike the Clippers who had to battle through a tight game 5 and 6 without one of their star players in Kawhi Leonard due to a sprained knee. With the uncertainty of Kawhi’s availability, the battle tested Clippers will have to enter their first Western Conference Finals with a tough challenge ahead of them. Like the saying goes, “the next man up” will have to hold it down and step up to the plate if they plan on defeating this hot and blazing Phoenix Suns team who may have just the right amount of fire power to cool the Clippers off, especially if they are coming in one all-star player short.

Tune in this Sunday night June 20, 2021 and witness the Western Conference shootout under the hot blazing lights!

Blaze

On The Watch “It’s All About Shakur Stevenson vs Jeremiah Nakathila”

WBO Interim Junior Lightweight Championship

Last night’s Main Event between Shakur Stevenson (16-0, 8 Kos) and Jeremiah Nakathila (21-2, 17 Kos) at the Virgin Hotels Las Vegas, Nevada was another example of how defensively minded Shakur can be when met with an opponent with serious power. Real Talk!

Jeremiah was supposed to be a real tough test for Shakur and was coming off a 10-fight knockout winning streak. Jeremiah had envisioned putting them paws all over Stevenson’s face but was met with a superior opponent for the first time inside that squared circle.

As good and strong as Jeremiah was, he was clearly outmatched by the younger Stevenson who was elusive and untouchable the entire bout. This bout definitely wasn’t fan friendly to watch but one has to admire the ring generalship Shakur possesses at such a young age.

Jeremiah had absolutely no proper “game plan” to disrupt Shakur’s steady attack. Jeremiah’s frustration was becoming more and more visible as the rounds progressed. His desperate actions made him exposed and susceptible in the fifth round and got caught with a right hook to the chin that dropped him for a quick eight count near the end of the round.

Stevenson showed he was levels above Jeremiah throughout the entire bout of so-called action. Shakur’s defence was impeccable. Had he would have pressed the action and closed the show, the fans in attendance would have been more appreciative of his talent.

That being said, after 12 full rounds of action, the Judges scored it 120-107 unanimously in favor of Shakur Stevenson. With this win, Shakur is now the WBO Interim Junior Lightweight Champion of the World and mandatory challenger to the full WBO Junior Lightweight Champion Jamel Herring (23-2, 11 Kos).

Being that Stevenson may have the option to confront WBC Junior Lightweight Champion Oscar Valdez (29-0, 20 Kos), I can surely anticipate a much better competitive and entertaining bout regardless of which Champion Shakur decides to challenge.

Until then, congratulations on your latest win Shakur.

Blaze

On The Watch “It’s All About Jarrett Hurd vs Luis Arias”

Middleweight Throwdown

Last night Luis Arias (19-2-1, 9 Kos) silenced a lot of naysayers when he entered that squared circle and upset Jarrett Hurd (24-2, 16 Kos) at the Hard Rock Stadium, in Miami Florida.

Arias, who was visibly the smaller fighter between the two surprisingly brought the fight to Hurd right from the jump. Exchanging leather for leather and going blow for blow making sure Hurd knew he was in for a hard long night of entertaining action.

Hurd, who usually likes to fight in the phone booth style, at times looked uncomfortable with the non-stop pressure that Arias was applying. Both were landing heavy shots on each other to the point that neither fighter could have easily been stopped during the bout. Real Talk!

Although this bout was quite entertaining to watch, I personally don’t think it’s the most effective way to preserve ones’ career. This type of fighting style is what cost Hurd his first loss to J-Rock. I’m not sure if this is due to the trainer change but your Boy Hurd looked like he’d regressed since his last ring appearance. Hurd’s defence was non-existent and if he plans on mixing it up with any of the top Dudes in the Junior Middleweight Division or the Middleweight Division with that style, the end result could be worse than this one. Real Talk!

That being said, I gotta tip my “B” hat to Arias for sticking to his “game plan” and never giving up or backing down from a tough challenge. You fought a good one with your head up high. You stood your ground and dished out more then you received.

After 10 hard rounds of action one Judge scored it 95-94 for Hurd while the other two Judges scored it 97-93 and 96-94 for Arias giving him the split decision.

Congratulations Luis, this was by far your best win to date, now keep this positive momentum going strong.

Blaze

On The Watch “It’s All About Devin Haney vs Jorge Linares”

WBC Lightweight Title Defense

Last night’s Matchroom/DAZN Main Event at the Michelob ULTRA Arena at Mandalay Bay Resort and Casino in Las Vegas, Nevada, between WBC Lightweight Champion Devin Haney (26-0, 15 Kos) and Jorge Linares (47-6, 29 Kos) was an intriguing bout that definitely lived up to the hype. Real Talk!

Straight from the jump Devin knew he had himself a real test inside that squared circle and did not wait for his opponent to warm up. Devin applied some serious pressure with a stiff jab that had Linares puzzled at first unable to counter Devin’s steady offence.

Devin surprisingly went blow for blow with the savvy veteran which was quite entertaining. As the rounds progressed Linares started to loosen up and performed exceptionally well, turning this bout into a serious scrap withstanding and administering heavy shots of his own. Linares looked good last night and showed that he still got the goods to go rounds with the best of them in the Division.

That being said, Devin got a little careless exchanging blows with the veteran and got caught with a heavy clean shot in the 10th round that had him on shaky legs near the end of the round.
Although Devin survived the round, Linares was picking up momentum in the 11th round but was unable to finish off Devin who was holding on for the most part of the round clearly still on shaky legs.

In the 12th and final round, Devin still looked a little shook from the two previous rounds but proceeded to box and move for the remainder of the round instead of staying in the pocket with the still fresh and aggressive looking Linares.

Devin needed a bout like this where he had to dig deep when adversity presented itself inside that squared circle. After 12 full rounds of action the Judges scored it unanimously 116-112, 116-112, 115-113 for Devin Haney who successfully retained his WBC Lightweight Title.

Great performance Champ now on to the next.

Blaze

On The Watch “It’s All About Josh Taylor vs Jose Ramirez”

Junior Welterweight Unification Championship

Last night’s Main Event at the Virgin Hotel, Las Vegas, Nevada between Junior Welterweight IBF/WBA/Ring Magazine Champion Josh Taylor (18-0, 13 Kos) and Junior Welterweight WBC/WBO Champion Jose Ramirez (26-1, 17 Kos), lived up to the hype.

I gotta tip my “B” hat to Josh for walking it like he talked it. Dude is a bad man inside that squared circle. His confidence never waivers inside or outside the ring. He’s an exceptional boxer with a high boxing IQ that benefited him well in last night’s Unification clash with Jose.

Jose fought well and stood his ground and asserted himself when it got rough, aside from a few lapses that eventually cost him dearly. Both combatants went blow for blow dropping heavy bombs, at times making the rounds entertaining and hard to score.

As close as the rounds were, Josh separated himself when he scored a knockdown in the sixth round and the seventh round. Both knockdowns were sharp and right on the money and clearly hurt Jose, but Ramirez’s strong will to compete carried him to stay competitive throughout the later rounds.

After 12 full rounds of action all three Judges scored it unanimously 114-112 in Josh Taylor’s favor. Jose definitely had his moments but those two knockdowns had sealed his fate.

With this convincing win, Josh collected the WBC/WBO Belts and retained his IBF/WBA/Ring Magazine Championship Belts to now becoming the Undisputed Junior Welterweight Champion of the World. Josh has officially cemented his name in the record books by joining such a prestigious man club that houses the names of Terence Crawford, Oeksandr Usyk, Bernard Hopkins, Jermain Taylor and now Josh Taylor as the only five fully unified Champions in any Division during boxing’s four-belt era. Not bad company for the New Champ.

Further congratulations to Josh on also becoming the first Scottish fighter to don all 4 Major Sanctioning Belts in any Division. You deserve all accolades earned Champ. Job well done.

Blaze

On The Watch “It’s All About The NBA PLAYOFFS 2021”

NBA Playoffs 2021 (Sweet 16)

With the NBA shortened season now over and the NBA Play-In Tournament successfully completed, we are now officially ready to proceed with The NBA Playoffs.

This year’s surprising “King of The Court” and No. 1 Seed are the Utah Jazz (52-20). Them Boys were one of the most consistent teams to ball out this year. They were laser focussed and shook the league up with their dominant play from both ends of the floor. Securing home court advantage was a must, now let’s see if they can defy the odds and reach the NBA Finals.

One game behind them as the No. 2 Seed are the Phoenix Suns (51-21). Another team that came out on top from the tough Western Conference. The odd makers don’t have them as a favourite to win it all but damnnnnn we have to appreciate the way these Boys fought through the league to earn their spot the rightful way, by balling as a team on a mission. They will definitely cause havoc in the NBA Playoffs, bet on that.

Injuries have heavily plagued the Western Conference this year costing the usual suspects to take a hit in their respective standings. Coming in as the 3rd Seed are the Denver Nuggets (47-25), without their trusted sniper Jamal Murray (torn ACL) their Playoff run will be very challenging. The 4th Seeded Los Angeles Clippers (47-25) have everything it takes to be successful in the Playoffs but it’s time for them to show and prove that they are for real and have the squad to deliver the goods. The 5th Seeded Dallas Mavericks (42-30) and the 6th Seeded Portland Trail Blazers (42-30) have had their ups and downs throughout the season but still managed to maintain their respectful standings. As for the Defending Champions the Los Angeles Lakers (42-30), they are wobbling in fresh from the Play-in Tournament as the 7th Seed. Not where they thought they would be at this point but beside an injury plagued season the odds makers still have them as the favourite to pull it off. With a strong finish from the Play-In Tournament, the Memphis Grizzlies (38-34) locked in the 8th Seed. Them Boys can’t be taken lightly. The momentum is on their side. Young, hungry and full of energy. The Grizzlies haven’t seen the Playoffs since 2017, I can’t wait to see what these youngin’s do on the “Big Stage”.

Representing the Eastern Conference with the No. 1 Seed are the Philadelphia 76ers (49-23). The 76ers had to work hard to earn that No. 1 Seed hands down. They have an impressive squad that should have probably performed even better but the fact that they managed to hold on to get home court advantage throughout the Eastern Conference is a positive, now it’s time for them to silence the naysayers and perform above their expectations. Injuries played a big part with the play of the Brooklyn Nets (48-24) but they still managed to hold on to the 2nd Seed and with a close to heathy three-headed sniper connection of Kevin Durant, James Harden and Kyrie Irving, they might have the goods to take it all the way. Chemistry will be key amongst the Big Three considering they haven’t played much ball as a unit but they definitely have the fire power to disrupt any series ahead. The 3rd Seeded Milwaukee Bucks (46-26) haven’t looked as dominant as their previous years but still managed to stay within range of the top Seeded teams. You can’t sleep on the Bucks, even though they lacked a successful postseason record. I personally think the Bucks have a better suited squad to tackle this year’s NBA Playoffs. Only time will tell. An unexpected entry in the New York Knicks (41-31), held down the 4th Seed. With the guidance of new Head Coach Tom Thibodeau and the Allstar play of Julius Randle, the Knicks have forced the world watching to “put some respect back on the New York Knicks name” Real Talk! Them Boys have been competitive from start to finish. Old School playing hard grinding every win out. This is a good situation for the Knicks, now let’s see what becomes of this Playoff run. The 5th Seeded Atlanta Hawks (41-31) and the 6th Seeded Miami Heat (40-32) both dealt with some injuries and the Covid-19 protocol that prevented certain players from participating in games out of safety concerns, but still managed to stay ahead and competitive enough to land a spot to the dance. Interesting to see how they will do in the Playoffs. The 7th Seeded Boston Celtics (36-36) and the 8th Seeded Washington Wizards (34-38) both needed the Play-In Tournament to get in this year’s Playoff run. This year hasn’t been too kind to the Celtics who have fallen from the top dramatically due to injuries and recently the loss of key member Jalen Brown. I’m not going to count the Celtics out just yet but the loss of Jalen leaves them with a slim chance of being successful in the Playoffs. Although the Wizards didn’t come in the Playoffs with a winning record, they are the “Cinderella Team” that if not taken seriously, could undeniably disrupt any Eastern Conference team overlooking them.

Tune in this Saturday May 22, 2021 for this year’s NBA version of the “Sweet 16” Playoff run.

Blaze