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

WBC Interim Heavyweight World Title Challenge

Dillian Whyte (27-1, 18 Kos) will be looking to put his WBC Interim Heavyweight Title on the line against tough and seasoned veteran Alexander Povetkin (35-2-1 24 Kos) at Manchester Arena Saturday May 2, 2020, live on Sky Sports Box Office.

This is a very good Heavyweight bout where the experienced veteran Povetkin will have to dig deep to show the naysayers that he’s still got what it takes to compete with the likes of a Dillian Whyte. A win here for Povetkin would automatically set him up for the WBC Mandatory position to Tyson Fury’s full WBC Heavyweight Championship Title. As a former World Champion, Povetkin is focussed and determined not to let this opportunity pass him by, so I’m anticipating a competitive bout come fight night.

That being said, this bout will be Dillian’s first defence of his WBC Interim Heavyweight Belt. Whyte can’t afford a slip up here. In order to maintain his Mandatory status, he must keep on winning and challenging the likes of Alexander will not be a walk in the park, but a win here would definitely enhance his resume.

This bout is not your typical stay busy fight for either combatant. This is a dangerous 50/50 fight that could go all wrong for Dillian if he’s overlooking Povetkin due to his age. Personally, I wouldn’t sleep on Povetkin, he is very well-schooled inside that squared circle and does carry a mean left hook of his own and when timely connected, can end the night quickly.

So, don’t miss this exciting Heavyweight bout live on Sky Sports Box Office Saturday May 2, 2020 at Manchester Arena.

Blaze

On The Watch “It’s All About Regis Prograis vs Maurice Hooker”

Back With A Vengeance

An interesting match-up between two highly-rated former Junior Welterweight Champions Regis Prograis (24-1 20 Kos) and Maurice Hooker (27-1-3 18 Kos) has been set to take place at the MGM National Harbor in Oxon Hill, Maryland on Friday April 17,2020.

This bout right here is gonna be fire! Real Talk! Both combatants are attempting to skip the traditional line back to a championship bout by challenging each other rather than taking on an easy mark to boost their ego.

Both have suffered a recent and acceptable loss but have maintained their respectable rankings within the different sectioning bodies due to still being the best at the 140-Pound Division.

Styles make fights and these two combatants have the right skills and attributes to cancel each other out at any time. They both want that heat and know what’s at stake for the winner down the line. Their crowd-pleasing styles are a shot recipe for a good night of boxing full of action whenever you can get two former Champions to share the same squared circle.

To keep things fair and interesting both warriors have agreed to a catchweight of 143 pounds, in order to keep their options open to move up or down a Division if need be to chase the next big challenge ahead.

This is a long-time coming type bout with some high-risk implications added to it so don’t miss the live action on DAZN Friday night April 17, 2020 at the MGM National Harbor in Oxon Hill, Maryland.

Blaze

On The Watch “It’s All About Deontay Wilder vs Tyson Fury”

WBC Heavyweight Title Challenge II

Tyson Fury (30-0-1, 21 Kos) delivered on his promise and bullied the WBC Heavyweight Champion Deontay Wilder (42-1-1, 41 Kos) on his own soil. Last night’s Main Event at the MGM Grand in Las Vegas, Nevada was nothing short of an exciting showdown between two of the biggest Heavyweight Boxers in the game today.

The “Gypsy King” came into this bout with a new trainer and a flawless “game plan” that Tyson executed to a “T”. I gotta tip my “B” hat to Fury for delivering such a one-sided beat down on one of the most heavy-fisted Boxers in the game today. Tyson’s approach this time around took Wilder by surprise. Tyson stood his ground early and physically asserted himself to the point of doing the impossible and actually dropping Wilder in the third round for a quick standing 8 count from which Wilder never fully recovered. Wilder looked tired and was on shaky legs from that point on. Definitely unusual territory for the Champ.

Tyson was putting his hands all over Wilder and all over that squared circle with no real resistance from the Champ. The power puncher last night was Furry who literally manhandled and dominated Wilder to a second knock down in the 5th round. The pressure was looking like it was too much for Wilder who looked gassed as the rounds wore on and truth be told, to everybody’s surprise, Wilder’s corner threw in the towel to stop the unanswered onslaught in the 7th round. Unbelievable! Deontay got hella heart and clearly wanted to go out on his shield but pulling him out in that 7th round was the right move to do to save him from any further injuries.

I never expected to see the so-called “pillow-fisted” Fury stopping the Champ in such a convincing fashion. With this win, the “Gypsy King” dethroned the “Bronze Bomber” and picked up the WBC Heavyweight Championship Title along with the Ring Magazine Belt and now becomes a two-time Heavyweight Champion of the World.

Congratulations on your latest accomplishment Tyson. This rematch will unquestionably go down in Boxing History as one of the greatest battles. You walked in on a throne and left that squared circle the “Gypsy King” of the Ring.

Blaze

On The Watch “It’s All About Caleb Plant vs Vincent Feigenbutz”

IBF Super Middleweight Challenge

Last night’s homecoming bout at the Bridgestone Arena in Nashville, Tennessee between Caleb “Sweethands” Plant (20-0, 12 Kos) and Vincent Feigenbutz (31-3, 28 Kos) was a beautiful display of boxing skills by the homegrown fighter.

Caleb handed his mandatory challenger Vincent a one-on-one schooling session at its highest level. No disrespect to Vincent who was a tough and heavy fisted opponent who was simply short of being ready for an A+ fighter of Caleb’s caliber.

As big and strong as Vincent was inside that squared circle, it was clear from the jump that he did not possess the right attributes to hang with the Champ. Caleb systematically dismantled and abused Vincent from top to bottom with some well-placed combination punches that had Vincent confused and beaten at every corner of every round.

By the 10th round, it was clearly a no-win situation for Vincent who was a walking heavy bag for Caleb. The referee had seen enough and pulled the plug at 2:23 of the remaining round.

With this win Caleb successfully retained his IBF Super Middleweight Title and is now welcoming all other Super Middleweight Champions to the round table. Caleb is looking for that smoke and that unification bout.

That being said, Caleb is shaping up to be a real threat of a Champion in the Super Middleweight Division. He’s got that “it” factor with that determination and hunger to run the 168-pound Division as the No. 1 guy.

Caleb is looking like a complete fighter right now. It’s gonna take a special fighter to derail this confident Champion from his seat at the round table.

WBC Super Middleweight Champion David Benavidez is looking forward to oblige Caleb’s request of a future bout and I can’t wait to see what comes of it.

Until then, congratulations on your convincing win Caleb.

Blaze

On The Watch “It’s All About The 69th 2020 NBA All-Star Game”

This Year the 69th annual NBA All-Star Game will be hosted in the iconic city of Chicago at the United Center, on Sunday February 16, 2020.
In an effort to keep things fresh and exciting, the league is maintaining the Draft-Style format once again. As usual the starters were chosen by the fans and the media and the players also had a say to the votes. Returning Captains Giannis Antetokounpo and LeBron James were able to draft from the pool of players voted as Starters and Reserves.

Representing the Eastern Conference Starters this year are

-Giannis Antetokounpo (Milwaukee Bucks) Team Captain
-Joel Embiid (Philadelphia 76ers)
-Pascal Siakam (Toronto Raptors)
-Kemba Walker (Boston Celtics)
-Trae Young (Atlanta Hawks)

Reserves

-Khris Middleton (Milwaukee Bucks)
-Bam Adebayo (Miami Heat)
-Rudy Gobert (Utah Jazz)
-Jimmy Butler (Miami Heat)
-Kyle Lowry (Toronto Raptors)
-Brandon Ingram (New Orleans Pelicans)
-Donovan Mitchell (Utah Jazz)

Coach Nick Nurse (Toronto Raptors)

Representing the Western Conference Starters this year are

-LeBron James (Los Angeles Lakers) Team Captain
-Anthony Davis (Los Angeles Lakers)
-Kawhi Leonard (Los Angeles Clippers)
-Luka Doncic (Dallas Mavericks)
-James Harden (Houston Rockets)

Reserves

-Damian Lillard (Portland Trail Blazers)
-Ben Simmons (Philadelphia 76ers)
-Nikola Jokic (Denver Nuggets)
-Jayson Tatum (Boston Celtics)
-Chris Paul (Oklahoma City Thunder)
-Russell Westbrook (Houston Rockets)
-Domantas Sabonis (Indiana Pacers)

Coach Frank Vogel (Los Angeles Lakers)

“King of The Court” will be up for grabs come Sunday night February 16, 2020. Which team will talk that sh*t and claim “GAME” when it’s all said and done?

Tune In!

Blaze

On The Watch “It’s All About The NBA-Who’s On Top?”

The NBA-Who’s On Top?

We are well passed the midpoint mark for the season with 51 plus Games played to date and leading the entire league again this year is the Milwaukee Bucks (43-7). Them boys are on a redemption tour playing hard night in and night out from offence to defence. The Bucks are locked in and driven to get to the NBA Finals and the way they have been ballin all season it could very well be theirs for the taking. Our own Canadian team, the Defending Champions the Toronto Raptors (36-14) are surprisingly keeping it interesting considering the loss of their MVP Kawhi Lenard to the Clippers. The Raptors still have a solid squad that can definitely upset any team thinking that they are a walk over. The Boston Celtics (34-15) and the Miami Heat (34-15) are presently tied for third but either team could easily grab the No. 2 Seed with the way both teams have been playing as of late. They are both well- balanced teams who play hard ball from start to finish. The Indiana Pacers (31-19) and the Philadelphia 76ers (31-20) are both trying to hold down their respective spots for a Playoff seed but truth be told I personally expected Philly to be fighting for the 1 to 3 spot and not the lower seeds. That being said, there is still lots of ball to be played and the brackets could change come April.

With the Golden State Warriors forced to take a back seat this year, the Western Conference has a new face leading the pack with the Los Angeles Lakers (38-11). They started the season with the No. 1 spot and are still holding onto it thanks to the play of their two All Stars, LeBron James and Anthony Davis helping to lead the way. That being said, holding onto the No. 1 spot won’t be that easy with The Los Angeles Clippers (35-15) chasing that No. 1 Seed and gunning for “king of the Los Angeles Court” with their two All Star players, Kawhi Leonard and Paul George getting it going come crunch time. The Denver Nuggets (35-16) are right there as expected and ready to take the No. 1 or the No 2 Seed if either Los Angeles team falter. The Nuggets may be overlooked here but they are definitely ballin the right way this season. The Utah Jazz (32-17) are bubbling at the right time securing their Playoff spot in the competitive Western Conference but holding onto their spot is a challenge within itself considering how tough the conference is. I expect a musical chair type seeding to happen within the remaining teams vying for a potential Playoff spot. The Houston Rockets (32-18), the Dallas Mavericks (31-19), the Oklahoma City Thunder (30-20) and the Portland Trail Blazers (23-28) all have a chance at a final run.

Just my thoughts.

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 Julian Williams vs Jeison Rosario”

IBF/IBO/WBA Junior Middleweight Challenge

There is a musical chairs situation going down with the Champions in the Junior Middleweight Division and the latest one to lose the crown in his homecoming bout is defending IBF/IBO/WBA Junior Middleweight Champion Julian “J-Rock” Williams (27-2-1, 16 Kos). Real Talk!

Last night’s Main Event at Temple University’s Liacouras Center between Julian Williams and Jeison Rosario (20-1-1, 14 Kos) might be up there for an early upset of the year 2020. Underdog Rosario took his opportunity with both hands and asserted himself nice and early and bullied the Champ “J-Rock” by stopping him in only 5 rounds. Unbelievable!

Julian got caught sleeping and paid the price. Rosario stood his ground and pressured Williams at every corner with heavy combinations that visibly rocked Julian. Rosario’s power punches were key and clearly had “J-Rock” tuned out on shaky legs all over them ropes by the 5th round that eventually prompted the referee to pull the plug on the unanswered onslaught that Rosario was administering towards “J-Rock”.

With this win Rosario shocked and silenced the Philly home crowd by becoming the New Unified Junior Middleweight IBF/IBO/WBA Champion of the World.

Styles makes fights but do expect the unexpected whenever you step foot inside that squared circle. Last night’s Main Event is a perfect example of that. You never know what a hungry Lion will do when the right opportunity presents itself.

Congratulations Jeison on your latest accomplishment, you earned that one.

Blaze

On The Watch “It’s All About Jaime Munguia vs Spike O’Sullivan”

Middleweight Challenge

Last night’s DAZN’s Main Event at the Alamodome in San Antonio Texas between Jaime Munguia (35-0, 28 Kos) and Spike O’Sullivan (30-4, 21 Kos) did not disappoint.

Munguia, in his first Middleweight debut, asserted himself quite well against the tough and seasoned veteran O’Sullivan. It wasn’t a walk-in park for Munguia but a stiff challenge type introduction to letting him know what is to come in the 160-Pound Division.

Spike did his best at keeping up with Munguia and making it quite interesting in the early rounds with his counter punches but as the rounds wore on Munguia started to feel more and more comfortable in there. Munguia showed improvement with his speed and movement but the main and obvious factor causing Spike all his problems was Munguia’s power. Munguia’s steady jab and overhand right was landing at will last night and Spike had no real answer for it.

Although Spike showed tough grit in there and the willingness to compete, the non-stop onslaught he was receiving by the 11th round had him out on his feet which then prompted O’Sullivan’s corner to throw in the towel.

With his first win at the Middleweight Division, Jaime Munguia has officially arrived. His youth, size, speed and strength appear to fit the 160-Pound Division just right. The Kid is nice with it and feeling himself rightfully so. But calling for all that smoke with all the Champions at the Middleweight Division (not called Demetrius Andrade) might be a step too early.

That said, congratulations on your victory Jaime, I can’t wait to see who will step up to the plate and accept that challenge.

Blaze

On The Watch “It’s All About Claressa Shields vs Ivana Habazin”

Vacant WBC/WBO Junior Middleweight Challenge

Last night’s SHOWTIME showdown Main Event from the Ocean Casino Resort in Atlantic City, between Claressa Shields (10-0, 2 Kos) and Ivana Habazin (20-4, 7 Kos) was a beautiful display of boxing.

Shields, the self-proclaimed “GWOAT” of boxing, walked it like she talked it by administering a clear one-sided beatdown to Ivana. Claressa systematically broke down Ivana from top to bottom with a series of body shots that eventually dropped Habazin in the 6th round for a quick 8 count that eventually demoralized Ivana for the remainder of scheduled 10 rounds.

In short, Claressa simply outboxed and outclassed her opponent in every possible category. Ivana had absolutely no proper “game plan” or the required skills to stunt or slow down the onslaught that Claressa was dispensing towards her.

Truth be told, Claressa made it look easy – so easy that Judges scored it after 10 rounds of action; 99-89, 100-90 and 100-89 for Shields by unanimous decision. Ivana was a very worthy opponent that talked a good game but couldn’t back up one word inside that squared circle. Real Talk!

With this win, Claressa picked up the vacant WBC/WBO Belts and became the fastest fighter male or female in boxing history to win World Titles in three separate weight division: 168, 160 and now the 154 pounds.

By accomplishing this astonishing coup in just her 10th professional bout, Claressa has also beaten the previous record recognized by Vasiliy Lomachenko (14-1, 10 Kos) and Kosei Tanaka (15-0, 9 Kos) who each became Three-Weight Division World Champions in their own 12th bouts in 2018.

The self-proclaimed “GWOAT” is the truth inside that squared circle. Taking the Queen off her Throne won’t be easy. Claressa is seriously creating that positive attention that’s been missing in woman’s boxing. That dedication and hard work that she’s been displaying night in and night out is paying off in every possible way.

Congratulations on your latest achievements Claressa – they are well-deserved.

Blaze