On The Watch “It’s All About Anthony Joshua vs Francis Ngannou”

Heavyweight Showdown

Last night’s Matchroom/DAZN/Queensberry Promotions Main Event between former Two-Time Heavyweight Champion Anthony Joshua (28-3, 25 Kos) and former UFC Heavyweight Champion Francis Ngannou (0-2) surpassed expectation by creating a type of crime scene scenario that brought the house down at Kingdom Arena, Riyadh, Saudi Arabia.

It was a very intriguing matchup that had every fight fan’s attention on edge but the highly motivated “Predator” in Francis, the immovable force had finally met a man superior than him inside that squared circle.

Ngannou and his team overplayed their hand and did not prepare for this type of force from AJ to be this strong on fight night. Ngannou’s overconfidence cost him dearly but the performance that Anthony brought inside that squared circle is exactly what was needed to be done to save boxing from any further embarrassment.

The former UFC Heavyweight Champion Francis Ngannou had envisioned himself knocking AJ out and to taking over the Heavyweight Division by storm from that point on but what transpired was the complete opposite. The laser focused AJ put the entire Heavyweight Division on his back and put the nonsense talk to bed by emphatically dropping “The Predator” three times on the night with the same vicious right hand that eventually put his lights out for good in the second round forcing the referee to officially wave the bout off.

Anthony walked it like he talked it and executed the “game plan” to a “T” and silenced all the naysayers out there who doubted the fact that he could pull this off in such a convincing fashion. Nobody in the MMA world has ever manhandled Ngannou this way prior to this beating but that being said, the respect was rightfully earned when Francis came back to his senses.

This version of Joshua under the leadership of Ben Davison is a dangerous man inside that squared circle and I can’t wait to see who his next target will be.

Until then, congratulations Anthony on another great performance.

Blaze

On The Watch “It’s All About Zhilei Zhang vs Joseph Parker”

WBO Interim Heavyweight Challenge

Last night’s Matchroom/DAZN/Queensberry Promotions Co-Main Event Between WBO Interim Heavyweight Champion Zhilei Zhang (26-2-1, 21 Kos) and challenger Joseph Parker (35-3, 23 Kos) once again shook the Heavyweight Division up with an unpredicted outcome of this bout at Kingdom Arena, Riyadh, Saudi Arabia.

Zhang, fresh off two back-to-back dominant knockout performances over the “Juggernaut” Joe Joyce, had been feeling himself too much and did not approach his latest challenge the right way. Zhang, who anticipated to dispatch of Parker with ease, found out that this combatant was as resilient as they come.

This version of “Big Bang” on the night heavily relied on his power to take over and proceeded to do the job by dropping Joseph for a quick standing 8 count in the second round and once again in the eighth round but the resistance Parker fought with made things a lot harder than expected. Parker stood his ground and picked himself off the floor to win rounds by simply being active with his hands – unlike Zhang who barely let his hands go as the rounds progressed.

It was uncharacteristic of Zhang to not go for the kill or to not be active with his hands. Parker took full advantage of the situation and boxed and pressed the action in a very convincing way by clearly out landing Zhang in the championship rounds.

After 12 completed rounds, the Judges at hand called it 113-113, 114-112 and 115-111 in favor of Joseph Parker.

Zhang dropped the ball on this one and only has himself to blame for the outcome while Joseph can continue his “Cinderella story” by becoming a full fledged Heavyweight Champion again after picking up the WBO Interim Heavyweight Title from the “Big Bang” Zhang.

A rematch is already in play for the two combatants to meet again but until then, well done Champ!

Blaze

On The Watch “It’s All About Devin Haney vs Ryan Garcia”

WBC Junior Welterweight Showdown

It has been officially announced! WBC Junior Welterweight Champion Devin Haney (31-0, 15 Kos) will be defending his newly acquired Championship belt against Ryan Garcia (24-1, 20 Kos) at the Barclays Center in Brooklyn, New York, Saturday night April 20, 2024, on DAZN PPV.

Both combatants came to the press conference talking real greasy about one another, but truth be told both Dudes are willing to back every word up. They’ve met in the amateur ranks 6 times in the past and duked it out, splitting the encounters to three apiece. The deciding factor will now be settled on the professional stage with a high pay day, the WBC Junior Welterweight Title and the bragging rights all at stake come fight night.

Devin is the proven Champion and warrior at this point in their respective careers to date. It will be up to Ryan to prove the naysayers wrong by bringing his best performance ever inside that squared circle to even have a chance at defeating the Champ on the big night.

Both combatants are out there promising knockouts on the night creating the intrigue of two young fighters willing to put it all on the line this early in their careers. A big statement will be made on the night. At first sight, Devin looks to be the better skilled and battle-tested combatant while Ryan will be looking at his speed and power along with the right “game plan” to prevail on the night. That being said, the pressure falls more heavily on Ryan’s shoulders than Devin’s to show up correct and focused on a career defining moment as this is a must win fight for “KingRy”.

Tune in Saturday night April 20, 2024, at the Barclays Center in Brooklyn, New York live on DAZN PPV and witness the outcome of this interesting Junior Welterweight Showdown.

Blaze

On The Watch “It’s All About Teofimo Lopez vs Jamaine Ortiz”

WBO Junior Welterweight Challenge

Last night’s Top Rank/ESPN + Main Event between WBO/Ring Magazine Junior Welterweight Champion Teofimo Lopez (20-1, 13 Kos) and challenger Jamaine Ortiz (17-2-1, 8 Kos) did not live up to the hype brought in by the Champion at the Michelob Ultra Arena in Las Vegas.

Throughout the buildup of this match up Teofimo and Jamaine both talked a good game and promised excitement and pure domination from both sides however, what transpired on the night was a pretty doleful outing for a Main Event that had the crowd booing and showing their disappointment.

No disrespect to both combatants but this was not what we the fans expected on the night.
Jamaine had a very good “game plan” working for him where he boxed and moved well, frustrating Lopez constantly throughout the night and picking up rounds in my eyes but failed to sit down on his punches to assert himself at times.

Lopez on the other hand, had the wrong “game plan” on the night. He did not expect Jamaine to come out the gate fighting southpaw all night causing him confusion. He lacked the proper knowhow to cut off the ring on Jamaine who was using a lot of movement enabling him to set his own offence up.

Although Teofimo did have his moments inside that squared circle he looked lost and discouraged on how the bout was unfolding. Teofimo was the aggressor inside that ring but lacked the right tactics to show dominance over his opponent.

After 12 completed rounds the Judges on hand called it 115-113, 115-113 and 117-111 all in favor of Teofimo Lopez. Personally, I think neither combatant deserved a win here and that score of 117-111 was way out of pocket.

Nevertheless, with this win Teofimo made his first defense of his WBO/Ring Magazine Junior Welterweight Titles and retained the hardware to see another day as Champion.

That being said, Teofimo’s call out of Unified Welterweight Champion Terence Crawford (40-0, 31 Kos) at a catchweight after a lacklustre performance like that is troublesome if you ask me.

Blaze

On The Watch “It’s All About The 73rd 2024 NBA All-Star Game”

The 2024 NBA All-Star Game

This year, the 73rd annual NBA All-Star Game will be hosted in Indiana at the Indiana Convention Center February 18, 2024, and will feature the return of the Eastern Conference and the Western Conference classic matchup and traditional scoring system with four 12-minute quarters. The starters were chosen by the fans (50%), the players (25%) and the media (25%). The 30 NBA coaches selected the 14 reserves. The Western and returning leading vote-getter from the fans is Los Angeles Lakers LeBron James and the Eastern returning leading vote-getter from the Milwaukee Bucks Giannis Antetokounmpo will once again serve as Captains of their respective Conferences.

Representing the Western Conference “Team LeBron” Starters this year are:

-LeBron James (Los Angeles Lakers) Team Captain
-Kevin Durant (Phoenix Suns)
-Nikola Jokic (Denver Nuggets)
-Luka Doncic (Dallas Mavericks)
-Shai Gilgeous-Alexander (Oklahoma City Thunder)

Reserves

-Devin Booker (Phoenix Suns)
-Stephen Curry (Golden State Warriors)
-Anthony Davis (Los Angeles Lakers)
-Anthony Edwards (Minnesota Timberwolves)
-Paul George (LA Clippers)
-Kawhi Leonard (LA Clippers)
-Karl-Anthony Towns (Minnesota Timberwolves)

Coach Chris Finch (Minnesota Timberwolves)

Representing the Eastern Conference “Team Giannis” Starters this year:

-Giannis Antetokounmpo (Milwaukee Bucks) Team Captain
-Joel Embiid (Philadelphia 76ers)(injury replacement player Bam Adebayo)
-Jayson Tatum (Boston Celtics)
-Tyrese Haliburton (Indiana Pacers)
-Damian Lillard (Milwaukee Bucks)

Reserves

-Bam Adebayo (Miami Heat)
-Paolo Banchero (Orlando Magic)
-Jaylen Brown (Boston Celtics)
-Jalen Brunson (New York Knicks)
-Tyrese Maxey (Philadelphia 76ers)
-Donovan Mitchell (Cleveland Cavaliers)
-Julius Randle (New York Knicks)(injury replacement player-Trae Young)

Coach Doc Rivers (Milwaukee Bucks)

With the return of the traditional format back into play, the old-school atmosphere
of the NBA All-Star game will be in full effect vibe wise in the building at the Indiana Convention Center Sunday night February 18, 2024. “King of the Court” will be up for grabs once again, which squad will claim “GAME” when it’s all said and done.

Tune in and enjoy the entire festivities of the weekend starting February 16 to February 18, 2024 on NBA TNT.

On the Watch “It’s All About Joshua Buatsi vs Dan Azeez”

Light Heavyweight Showdown

Tonight’s British domestic Boxxer/Sky Sports Main Event between Joshua Buatsi (18-0, 13 Kos) and British & Commonwealth Light Heavyweight Champion Dan Azeez (20-1, 13 Kos) was an interesting bout that had the attention of all the fans in attendance at the OVO Arena in London, England.

Both combatants came out with a very good “game plan” that had both opponents exchanging blows back and forth round-by-round while holding their respective ground inside that squared circle.

Although both combatants each had their moments inside that squared circle, Buatsi, to me had the more telling type punches with the speed and accuracy giving him the edge as the rounds were piling up.

Buatsi’s level of experience was quite evident between the two combatants. Buatsi stayed level-headed and continued with the “game plan” as instructed by his cornerman unlike Azeez who was unable to deliver the bodywork his corner was requesting of him.

Both combatants did throw nuff hard leather shots at each other in the later rounds but it was Buatsi’s power punch that eventually got through and dropped Azeez twice in the eleventh round for two quick 8 counts. Water on the floor may have played a part in the knockdowns but nevertheless both were counted in Buatsi’s favor.

That being said, both combatants finished the last round strongly going toe-to-toe and bringing the crowd in attendance to their feet. After 12 full rounds of action the Judges at hand called it 117-109, 117-109 and 116-110 unanimously for Joshua Buatsi.

It was a very good domestic bout, one that the winner can definitely build onto bigger and better things. With this win Buatsi picked up the British & Commonwealth Light Heavyweight Championship belts and secured himself a mandatory position to challenge undefeated WBA Light Heavyweight Champion Dmitry Bivol (22-0, 11 Kos) for his title.

Only time will tell if this opportunity will be granted sooner rather than later.

Blaze

On The Watch “It’s All About Jaime Munguia vs John Ryder”

Super Middleweight Showdown

Last night’s Golden Boy/DAZN Main Event between Jaime Munguia (43-0, 34 Kos) and John Ryder (32-7, 18 Kos) was an impressive showing by Munguia who brought the house to its feet the way he handled Ryder inside that squared circle at the Footprint Center in Phoenix, Arizona.

It was quite evident that pairing up with new head trainer Freddie Roach was the right move to make at this point in Munguia’s career. Jaime showed much improvement with his patience and punch accuracy under the tutelage of Freddie Roach.

Munguia looked comfortable and in control inside that squared circle. With his pressure style and sharp timing on point he was able to catch Ryder with a right hand and dropped him for a quick standing 8 count in the second round. Ryder showed his usual resilience and fought back going toe to toe but succumbed once again by being dropped in the fourth round by a short well placed left hand to the dome for another standing 8 count.

John continued to put his best foot forward as the rounds progressed by showing his heart and willingness to throwdown but with very minimal success, this version of Munguia was mounting to be too much to handle inside that squared circle.

Munguia was surprisingly more defensively minded then usual and very sharp, strong and accurate causing havoc to his opponent all night. The inevitable was near and by the ninth round the heavy onslaught that Jaime came with was simply too demolishing to withstand causing Ryder to breakdown and meet the canvas twice in the round looking beaten on all angles prompting his corner to halt the bout. Ryder got up every time but the right call was made to save this “Gorilla” from further punishment.

This was a very impressive showing by Munguia, the type of showing that could possibly get the attention of the “Kingpin” Undisputed IBF/WBA/WBC/WBO/Ring Magazine Super Middleweight Champion Canelo Alvarez (60-2-2, 39 Kos).

Well done, Jaime, I hope your call out to the Champ gets answered.

Blaze

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

THE NBA Who’s On Top?

We are officially past the midpoint mark for the NBA Season with 42 plus games played to date and still holding down the No. 1 Spot in the league are the Boston Celtics (35-10). Them Boys haven’t lost a beat and seem to be getting stronger as a unit game by game on both ends of the floor. Once again, the competitiveness of the Eastern Conference is vastly improving, keeping things quite interesting throughout the season so far. Creeping up behind them are the Milwaukee Bucks (31-13), the Philadelphia 76ers (29-14), the New York Knicks (28-17), the Cleveland Cavaliers (26-16), the Indiana Pacers (25-20), the Miami Heat (24-21) and the Orlando Magic (23-21). The Eastern Conference is definitely heating up!

The usual suspects at the top have taken quite the hit this year but surprisingly still holding down the No. 1 Spot in the Western Conference are the Minnesota Timberwolves (32-13). Them Boys have been looking the part game by game showing the basketball world that they are on a mission to silence the naysayers out there but, breathing down their necks looking to overtake them are the Oklahoma City Thunder (31-13) and the Defending Champions Denver Nuggets (31-13) while the Los Angeles Clippers (28-14), the Phoenix Suns (26-18), the New Orleans Pelicans (26-18), the Sacramento Kings (25-18) and the Dallas Mavericks (24-20) are all staying within striking distance to overtake one another in the standings at any given time. Real Talk!

The power struggles within both conferences continues to give the second half of the season that much more “HYPE” so stay locked in.

Blaze

On the Watch “It’s All About Natasha Jonas vs Mikaela Mayer”

IBF Welterweight Challenge

Tonight’s Boxxer/Sky Sports/ESPN + Main Event between IBF Welterweight Champion Natasha Jonas (15-2-1, 9 Kos) and challenger Mikaela Mayer (19-2, 5 Kos) definitely lived up to the hype at the Echo Arena in Liverpool, England.

Both combatants brought the “HEAT” straight from the first bell and never letting their feet of the gas pedal. Heavy bombs coming at each other from both sides round by round with neither combatant giving an inch of breathing room.

Natasha, the Champion and the natural welterweight, found herself in a serious shootout with Mikaela who moved up to the Welterweight Division ready and willing to dethrone the Champion with a steady pace of aggressive offence proving to be effective as the rounds progressed.

Both combatants stood their ground hammering some serious shots from body to head making this bout that much more exciting for the fans and for the judges to call.

Although both combatants were going toe to toe inside that squared circle, I personally feel that Mikaela was the one edging out the better imposing work rate and administering the most visible damage.

That being said, after 10 exciting action-packed rounds, the Judges at hand called it 96-95, 96-94 for Jonas and 97-93 for Mayer, giving Natasha Jonas the spilt decision.

It was a very close fight to call where I could definitely see Mikaela walking away with the win but nevertheless Natasha retained her IBF Welterweight Belt and recorded a great victory over an elite warrior.

Well done!

Blaze

On The Watch “It’s All About Anthony Joshua vs Francis Ngannou”

Heavyweight Showdown

It has been officially announced! The former UFC Heavyweight Champion Francis Ngannou (0-1) will be getting another golden opportunity at derailing yet another highly ranked opponent in former Two-Time Heavyweight Champion Anthony Joshua (27-3, 24 Kos) from continuing his mission at regaining the Championship Titles he lost to current IBO/IBF/WBA/WBO/Ring Magazine Unified Champion Oleksandr Usyk in year 2021.

Ngannou shut out the naysayers out when he made his professional Boxing debut last year against the “Gypsy King” WBC Heavyweight Champion Tyson Fury (34-0-1, 24 Kos) and nearly pulled what would have been the biggest upset by giving the “Gypsy King” the toughest challenge in his last five fights. Ngannou stood his ground on the night and proved to the Boxing World that he could compete with the best of them in the Heavyweight Division, Hands Down!

This is why we are here today. After a stellar performance against Fury in a controversial loss, Turki Alalshik of Saudi Arabia’s General Entertainment Authority, has taken upon himself to bring the intrigue to life by pinning AJ vs Ngannou for “Riyadh Season”.

The trash talking has already begun from Ngannou. Much has been said about AJ’s chin and punch resistance being questionable and Francis has made it a point that he will be looking to test AJ’s chin come fight night. Although Ngannou is a novice in the Boxing World he does believe he has the right amount of power to keep AJ down for good.

That being said, Anthony is well aware of the capabilities of his opponent but does not seem threatened or bothered but rather focussed on the task at hand. Joshua reiterated that his sole purpose is to dominate the Heavyweight Division once again and regain the Championship Titles he lost regardless of who stands in his way of his quest.

Both combatants look the part and have the goods to end the night in a dramatic fashion but the question remains who will prevail victorious on the night? Tune in and be part of one of the most captivating Heavyweight Throwdown Showdown on March 8, 2024, in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia.

Blaze