On The Watch “It’s All About Keith Thurman vs Mario Barrios”

Welterweight Throwdown

Last night’s Premier Boxing Champion/Fox Pay-Per View Main Event between Keith Thurman (30-1, 22 Kos) and Mario Barrios (26-2, 17 Kos) at the Michelob Ultra Arena in Las Vegas was a very crowd-pleasing entertaining bout.

Keith, who hasn’t graced the squared circle in nearly two years, appeared in tip top shape and ready to rumble right from the first bell. Keith looked sharp, strong and very accurate with his punch selection. Going toe to toe with a big first timer in the Welterweight Division in Mario Barrios is not an easy task. Barrios looked strong and big as well at the weight and very rangy with his reach and height creating a stiff challenge to Keith.

That said Keith, boxed with confidence and clearly displayed a higher boxing IQ round by round. I gotta tip my “B” hat to Barrios for stepping into the lion’s den and taking on such a proven competitor as his first fight into the Division. As good of a boxer Mario is he was levels below the highly experience Thurman inside that squared circle. Barrios held his ground, fought well and proved that he will be a problem to the rest of the Welterweight Division.

Keith was on point last night, firing heavy shots from all angles and moved beautifully from round 1 to 12 without displaying any fatigue or ring rust. Quite impressive.

After 12 full rounds of action the Judges scored it 118-110, 118-110 and 117-111 all in favor of Keith Thurman.

Thurman needed to prove to the 147-Pound Division that he was back and last night’s performance was adequate enough but the question still remains: will he still have what it takes to dethrone the current Champions in IBF/WBC Errol Spence Jr. (27-0, 21 Kos), WBO Terence Crawford (38-0 29 Kos) and WBA Super Yordenis Ugas (27-4, 12 Kos) holding the belts?

Until then, congratulations Keith on your comeback win. I can’t wait to see who your next challenger will be.

Blaze

On The Watch “It’s All About Luis Ortiz vs Charles Martin”

IBF Heavyweight Title Eliminator

Last night’s FOX Pay-Per-View/Premier Boxing Champions Main Event between “King Kong” Luis Ortiz (33-2, 28 Kos) and “Prince” Charles Martin (28-3-1, 25 Kos) at the Seminole Hard Rock Hotel and Casino in Hollywood, Florida was quite the interesting bout to bring in the New Year 2022.

Both combatants promised fireworks in this bout and the first one to let out a spark was Charles when he pressed the action in the first round and surprisingly dropped Ortiz for a quick 8 count that got the crowd in attendance fired up.

Being that both combatants are southpaws, Charles was the one who looked more comfortable at letting his hands go in the earlier rounds, disrupting Ortiz with a good solid jab that landed dead on the mark in the fourth round and dropped Ortiz once again for an 8 count but this time right before the bell.

Ortiz, clearly behind on points entering the fifth round, attempted to press the action and appeared to do enough with his own strong jab to win the round.

By the sixth round, Ortiz continued with his pressure and eventually caught Martin with a strong jab to the dome that had him frozen in the “Matrix” dead on his feet, oblivious to his surroundings. This prompted Ortiz to administer an onslaught of heavy shots that dropped Martin tangled into the ropes and the floor which forced a weird break in the heated action.

Once Martin was untangled by the referee, Ortiz when in for the kill with a series of unanswered body and head shots that dropped Martin for another 8 count that eventually urged the referee to stop the bout.

Ortiz had to dig deep coming off the canvas twice in this bout to pull this one off but “King Kong” prevailed and got the job done in a convincing fashion.

With this win, Ortiz is now the mandatory challenger to the IBF Title held by Heavyweight Unified Champion Oleksandr Usyk (19-0, 13 Kos). That being said Ortiz made it real clear last night after the bout that if any Heavyweight wants to fight for the IBF Heavyweight Title they will have to go through “King Kong” to get that opportunity.

With Ortiz getting up there in age, nearly three months shy of his 43rd birthday, the competitors are probably thinking the time is now to get Ortiz out of the way. The trap is set, now let’s see who signs up for the challenge.

Blaze

On the Watch “It’s All About Andy Ruiz Jr. vs Chris Arreola”

Heavyweight Throwdown

Last night’s PBC/Fox PPV Main Event between former Heavyweight Champion Andy Ruiz Jr. (34-2, 22 Kos) and Chris Arreola (38-7-1, 33 Kos) at Dignity Health Sports Park, Carson, California, was a dramatic bout from start to finish. Real Talk!

A visibly slimmed down Andy walked in the squared circle feeling himself and thinking this was going to be easy work and underestimated his opponent. He was careless in the second round when he got caught flush on the dome and dropped for a surprising quick 8 count that kept him shook for the remaining of a tough round.

Chris didn’t come to lay down and he fought a smart fight and actually hurt Ruiz again in the third round. Andy kept it cool and took a few rounds to shake it off and then proceeded to box his way through the remaining rounds applying some good pressure with his combinations.

Chris proved to be tough as expected and made Andy work and respect the veteran who was in front of him inside that squared circle.

As good as Andy looked physically inside that squared circle, he seemed a little off to me and had to dig really deep to survive all 12 rounds of this bout. Both combatants were visibly tired as their punch output slowed down in the later rounds.

That being said, both warriors put on a show that did not disappoint. At the conclusion of this bout the Judges scored it 117-110, 118-109, 118-109 unanimously for Andy Ruiz.

Listen, I don’t have a problem with Andy walking away with the win but the score cards do not reflect what transpired inside that squared circle. These Judges did Chris dirty on this one. Hands Down!

Congratulations to Andy for pulling off this though win.

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 Deontay Wilder vs Luis Ortiz 2″

WBC Heavyweight Challenge

Don’t blink! -Is what the WBC Heavyweight Champion Deontay Wilder (42-0-1, 41 Kos) said before defending his WBC Heavyweight Championship Title last night against Heavyweight contender Luis Ortiz (32-2, 26 Kos) at the MGM Grand in Las Vegas. The “Bronze Bomber” spoke it into existence when he knocked out “King Kong” for the count. Real Talk!

A slim and trim, focussed Ortiz stepped inside that squared circle last night and executed his “game plan” to perfection. He boxed beautifully, composed, sure of himself and was clearly winning every round from 1 to 6 hands down until round 7.

Wilder, who had zero offence throughout the first 6 rounds only needed one opening, one second, one well- connected demoralizing right hand “Bomb” to close the show in round 7. Once Wilder connected, Ortiz could not recover in time to beat the count. Just like that, Ortiz’s hard work to that point went out the ring.

Your Boy Wilder is a real problem to the Heavyweight Division. That Thanos-type power that he carries in that right hand is the “End Game” whenever he connects. Once again Deontay has put the entire Heavyweight Division on notice. Good luck to the competition. Whomever wants to take the WBC route to the Championship Belt needs to be mentally and physically prepared and even with that in mind, there is no guarantee you will succeed once you enter that squared circle and Deontay Wilder in standing across the ring from you.

Until your next contestant, congratulations on your win Champ.

Blaze

On The Watch “It’s All About Anthony Dirrell vs David Benavidez”

WBC Super Middleweight Challenge

The co-main event on the Errol Spence Jr.-Shawn Porter pay-per-view card at the Staples Center in Los Angeles was blazing last night. David Benavidez (22-0, 19 Kos) regained his WBC Super Middleweight Belt in a conclusive fashion by stopping Two-Time Champion Anthony Dirrell (33-2-1, 24 Kos) by a 9th round TKO. Anthony’s corner had seen enough.

It was a beautiful display by Benavidez. Not an easy one but well worth the challenge. Dirrell stood his ground and seemed to be boxing and moving well and keeping the rounds close but Benavidez who was visibly stronger and taller than Dirrell, started breaking him down systematically and patiently round by round with some serious heavy hands.

To me the “game-changer” was the left hook that opened up a horrible cut over Dirrell’s right eye in the 6th round. It was downhill from that point on for Dirrell. The onslaught coming from Benavidez was too much and the fight was quickly looking one-sided as the rounds wore on.

Dirrell was being walked down and outgunned from every corner. It was only fitting for Dirrell’s corner to pull the plug in the 9th round and stop the bloodbath from continuing.

With this win Benavidez reclaims his WBC Super Middleweight Title and becomes one of the youngest Two-Time Champions to ever do it this good.

Congratulations Champ. Now on to the next.

Blaze

On The Watch “It’s All About Manny Pacquiao vs Keith Thurman”

WBA Super Welterweight Champion

Once again Manny proved to his haters that age is just a number until he says so. Last night at the MGM Grand Arena in Las Vegas, Manny Pacquiao (62-7-2, 39 Kos) convincingly handed WBA Super World Welterweight Champion Keith Thurman (29-1, 22 Kos) his first professional defeat. Real Talk!

Manny and his “t-rex arms” caught “Mr. One Time” Keith Thurman nice and early with a right hook knock down in the first round. From that point on Manny controlled the tempo of the fight and continued to administer some heavy damage with those so called “t-rex arms”. That being said Keith found out how quick and strong Manny really is first hand.

Keith did his thing though and didn’t falter and fought a good one but didn’t have the right “game plan” as the rounds wore on. Keith had no real answer for Manny’s offense and found it painfully challenging to lay steady hands on Pacquiao. He did manage to land more punches, just not as effectively as Pacquiao’s power punches and his steady “t-rex jab” that looked noticeably agonizing.

It didn’t help that Keith got caught again with a mean body shot in the 10th round that had him running for dear life, but the warrior in Thurman wouldn’t let him bow down without a fight. That being said this bout was very competitive and showed just how cutthroat the 147-pound division is.

After the 12 tough rounds, two of the Judges scored it 115-112 for Pacquiao and one Judge had it 114-113 for Thurman. No disrespect to Keith but I personally think that Manny clearly won this bout hands down unanimously.

That being said, this bout did live up to the hype. Manny showed up and performed just as he said he would. This 40-year-old man still got the “Juice” and now with the full WBA Super World Welterweight Championship Title in his possession, Manny is steadily climbing the top of the Welterweight Division once again.

Who’s next?

Blaze

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

IBF Welterweight Challenge

Last night at the AT&T Stadium in Arlington, Texas, Errol Spence Jr. (25-0, 21 Kos) retained his IBF Welterweight Title by masterfully breaking down and shutting out Mikey Garcia (39-1, 30 Kos) by a unanimous decision. All three Judges scored it 120-107, 120-108 and 120-108.

I’m in agreeance with the Judges’ score cards but definitely tip my “B” hat to Mikey standing up throughout the full 12 rounds. Mikey is a great fighter and deserving to be on the pound-for-pound list hands down but on this night, Mikey was reaching wayyyy out of pocket in attempting to unseat EJ inside that squared circle.

Mikey had absolutely no answer to Errol’s steady jab and powerful body shots all night. It was clear that EJ was just too big, too strong and too long for Mikey to lay any type of offence with all these disadvantages going against him. In the past Mikey had always figured out his opponents but this time he was met with a superior boxer in Errol Spence Jr. Real Talk!

Surprisingly, EJ didn’t try to go for the “endgame” like he usually does and instead chose to show off his boxing skills while administering heavy punishment to his opponent. It was a glorified sparing bout at its finest with EJ never taking his foot off the gas all night. Errol literally toyed with Mikey round by round making it real painful to watch at times.

This type of schooling that Mikey took last night reinforces why weight divisions are to be respected. Mikey may have lost this fight but he is still a Champion in the Lightweight Division and going back down might be the most logical thing to do.

With this win and dominant performance by EJ now out of the way, he is now back on the prowl looking for that smoke with any of the top welterweights and his first target on sight is none other than Manny Paquiao.

The call out was officially made last night inside that squared circle in front of 47,525 fans, now let’s see if this bout comes into fruition.

Until then, congratulations on your win Errol, job well done.

Blaze

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

IBF Welterweight Challenge

Ask and you shall receive. It’s now officially been announced; the highly questionable match up between IBF Welterweight Champion Errol Spence Jr. (24-0, 21 Kos) and WBC Lightweight Champion Mikey Garcia (39-0, 30 Kos) is scheduled to take place on March 16, 2019 at AT&T Stadium in Arlington, Texas.

Mikey is a proven and established warrior who’s held World Titles at Featherweight, Super Featherweight, Lightweight and Super Lightweight. With this challenge ahead, he is now looking to claim a Title in his fifth weight class Division by attempting to dethrone IBF Welterweight Champion Errol Spence Jr.

Mikey has been calling for this fight for a minute now and the call has finally been answered. To me this is a tough task considering Mikey will be going up two weight Divisions to take on Errol. Real Talk! I personally rate Mikey as pound-for-pound one of the best within his primary weight class in this era hands down but taking on the “Boogie Man” of the Welterweight Division is a challenge beyond belief.

The weight difference between the two combatants is a major factor. Mikey won’t just be dealing with a heavier Dude but also one that carries crack with every punch he throws. I know that styles make fights and that Mikey is technically sound and strong within his own right but the size and power that Errol walks with might just be too much for Mikey inside that squared circle.

That being said, if Mikey were to pull off the unthinkable and give Spence his first loss, he would be joining a prestigious circle of the likes of Sugar Ray Lenard, Tommy Hearns, Oscar de la Hoya, Manny Pacquiao and Floyd Mayweather Jr. who’ve all won World Titles in five different weight classes. Not bad company if you ask me.

On paper and amongst the boxing community, Spence looks like a clear winner. It will be up to Garcia to prove all the naysayers and doubters wrong come fight night. Will the little man beat the bigger guy?

Tune in Saturday night March 16, 2019 on FOX pay-per-view and witness possibly the most intriguing bout of the New Year.

Blaze