On The Watch “It’s All About Tim Tszyu vs Sebastian Fundora”

WBO/WBC Junior Middleweight Showdown

Last night’s PBC/Prime Video Main Event at the T-Mobile Arena between WBO Junior Middleweight Champion Tim Tszyu (24-1, 17 Kos) and late replacement challenger 6 foot 5 ½ “The Towering Inferno” Sebastian Fundora (21-1-1, 13 Kos) brought one of the bloodiest showdowns inside that squared circle.

It was an intriguing bout that didn’t take much time to unfold into a bloodbath of a war after Fundora broke his nose early in the bout and then an accidental elbow cut Tszyu to the left side of his forehead in the second round and completely changed the flow of the bout.

With both combatants bleeding nonstop one from his nose the other from his head, things got really interesting on just how determined both warriors reacted to the unforeseen challenges unfolding inside that squared circle.

There was no quitting in both combatants at any time but the nonstop blood flow was visibly an issue that hindered both combatants. Tszyu who started out very well at the beginning of the bout seemed to be bothered the most with the blood going into his eyes and hindering his vision from properly executing the “game plan” at hand.

That said, I was most impressed with Fundora who looked focused and on point utilizing his height and reach the way a 6 foot 5 ½ fighter shood. Fundora boxed well and used his length and jab well making it even harder on Tszyu who tried to bully him on the inside.

Fundora surprisingly stayed disciplined throughout the bout weathering the storm of the bloodbath round by round. It was a tougher assignment then expected for both combatants but one that both accepted with open arms delivering a very entertaining show.

After 12 competitive rounds of actions the Judges at hand scored it 116-112 for Tszyu and 113-115, 112-116 for Fundora giving him the split decision making him the New Unified WBO/WBC Junior Middleweight Champion of the World.

This win here has just entered Sebastian and his sister Gabriela into the history books as the first brother and sister duo to hold Championship Titles concurrently.

You’ve bounced back from a devastating loss to now being at the head of 154-Pound Division. Well done, Champ.

Blaze

On The Watch “It’s All About Jermell Charlo vs Brian Castano II”

Junior Middleweight Unification Championship Showdown

Last night’s PBC/Showtime Main Event Junior Middleweight Unification Championship Rematch bout between Unified WBC/WBA Super/IBF and Ring Magazine Champion Jermell Charlo (35-1-1, 19 Kos) and WBO Champion Brian Castano (17-1-2, 12 Kos) at the Dignity Sports Park, Carson, California was definitely a bout to remember as we finally witnessed the crowning of the first Undisputed Junior Middleweight Champion since the four-belt era.

This time around both combatants came out the gate with a different approach. Castano’s punch output was visibly less while Charlo stepped up his boxing and moving being more aggressive from the jump.

Charlo’s jab was very effective and definitely gave Castano a harder time at getting on the inside but that being said, both combatants had their moments making this bout quite exciting as the rounds progressed with both warriors dropping some heavy bombs on one another up close and personal.

With the rounds heating up, it was Charlo who walked it like he talked it and made sure to keep the Judges out of the equation this time around when he viciously dropped Castano heavily in the tenth round twice as Castano resisted to get to his feet a second time visibly still hurt from the knockdowns which then prompted the referee to stop the electrifying bout.

It was an action-packed event that saw Jermell defend his WBC/WBA Super/IBF and Ring Magazine Championships and seize the WBO Belt from Brian to now becoming the first Undisputed Junior Middleweight Champion of the World since the four-belt era.

With this convincing win and major achievement in your career to date, you are now part of one of the most prestigious clubs in Boxing and join the likes of Canelo Alvarez, Oleksandr Usyk, Bernard Hopkins, Jermain Taylor, Josh Taylor and Terence Crawford to become Undisputed Champions in the four-belt era.

Congratulations Jermell, you cleaned out the 154-Pound Division and now reign supreme. You earned that one the hard way. Well done!

Blaze

On The Watch “It’s All About Jermell Charlo vs Brian Castano”

Junior Middleweight Unification Championship Showdown

Last night’s PBC/Showtime Main Event Junior Middleweight Unification Championship bout between WBC/WBA Super/IBF and Ring Magazine Champion Jermell Charlo (34-1-1, 18 Kos) and WBO Champion Brian Castano (17-0-2, 12 Kos) at the AT&T Center in San Antonio, Texas, was nothing short of exciting from start to finish but did end with controversy.

A lot of people in the boxing community expected “Iron Man” Jermell to completely and easily destroy Castano on his way to Undisputed but things didn’t go as planned. Castano showed up last night and was a real live aggressive body inside that squared circle. Real Talk!

I’m not sure if Jermell underestimated Castano but his passive/aggressive approach may have cost him at times inside that squared circle. Jermell, who was clearly the bigger fighter of the two combatants, had a visibly hard time with Castano’s pressure style of fighting. Although Jermell’s jab and long range made it harder for Castano, the man still found his way in time and time again with some serious controlled aggression.

Both combatants threw some serious leather at each other. Jermell’s punches looked more telling at times but Castano’s controlled aggressive offensive output could not go unnoticed. I gotta tip my “B” hat to Castano cause Dude was definitely touching Charlo and making this fight tough as hell for the Unified Champ inside that squared circle.

Jermell showed his own toughness withstanding Castano’s onslaught cause say what you want the Kid Castano can pop. That being said, this bout was tight from the jump. Charlo had himself two very telling rounds when he clipped and wobbled Castano early in the second round and when he threw some serious combinations in the tenth round that had Castano retreating to survive the round. As good as these two telling rounds were, Charlo was not able to stop Castano.

That being said, Castano had his moments as well actually clipping and hurting Jermell when he was working his inside game whenever he had Jermell on them ropes. In my eyes, Castano’s non-stop pressure for the bulk of the bout clearly showed who controlled the fight inside that squared circle.

After 12 full rounds of non-stop action the Judges scored it 114-113 for Castano, 117-111 for Charlo and 114-114, a split decision draw. Listen, I’m ok with them Judges scoring the championship rounds for Jermell but that 117-111 is straight up OUT OF POCKET!! A ridiculous score if you ask me.

Controversial ending aside, both Champions leave with their titles in hand. Jermell is still WBC/WBA Super/IBF and Ring Magazine Champion and Castano WBO Champion.

Congratulations to both combatants for putting on an exciting show from start to finish, hopefully part two will be in the near future.

Blaze

On The Watch “It’s All About Erickson Lubin vs Jeison Rosario”

WBC Junior Middleweight Eliminator

Last night’s PPV PBC/Showtime Co Main Event between Erickson Lubin (24-1, 17 Kos) and Jeison Rosario (20-3-1, 14 Kos)  at the State Farm Arena in Atlanta, was a statement type bout that was much needed in the Division.

It didn’t take much time for the two warriors to start exchanging leather back and forth, the only looming question was who would be able to withstand the onslaught.

Erickson looked more patient with his approach while Rosario pressed the action leaving quite a few holes open for Erickson to capitalize on. Although both combatants landed quite a few heavy shots on one another it was Rosario who seemed, to me, to have lost some serious punch resistance.

Once Erickson realized that Rosario’s punch resistance was shot it was only a matter of time before he connected on something significant. By the 6th round Erickson pressed the action and landed some serious head and body shots that sent Rosario down for a quick 8 count but then once up couldn’t sustain further body shots that sent him down for the second time and a full unanswered count.

With this win “The Hammer” may have scored his most impressive win to date over former unified World Champion Jeison Rosario. Now it’s about taking this WBC No. 1-Ranked contender position and push for that the rematch to avenge his only loss to WBC/WBA/IBF Junior Middleweight Champion Jermell Charlo.

Until then, keep killing your opposition.

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 Erickson Lubin vs Terrell Gausha”

WBC Junior Middleweight Title Eliminator

Last night’s main event on Premier Boxing Champions Showtime Boxing at the Mohegan Sun Arena in Uncasville, Connecticut between Erickson Lubin (23-1, 16 Kos) and Terrell Gausha (21-2-1, 10 Kos) was a chess match that had caution written all over it from the first half of the bout but did pick up the pace in the later rounds.

Lubin was the far more active fighter inside that squared circle while Terrell fought too conservatively in the earlier rounds. Both showed discipline in their boxing but needed more action between rounds. Lubin clearly landed the more power punches while Terrell searched for more of a calculated approach.

As the rounds wore on, the action eventually started to pick up which made things a little more interesting, especially by the 10th round when Terrell rocked Lubin with some heavy shots that had him looking a little shaky by the end of the round.

That being said, Terrell wasn’t able to capitalize on his previous successful round leaving Lubin to recover and regroup well enough to continue boxing his way to a unanimous decision. The Judges scores were 115-113, 116-112 and 118-110.

Personally, this wasn’t Lubin’s best performance but he did get the job done. With this win Lubin has now secured his WBC Mandatory position against the winner of the upcoming WBC Champion Jermell Charlo and IBF/WBA Super Champion Jeison Rosario Unification bout.

This will be Lubin’s second attempt at the WBC Belt. Whoever walks away with the WBC Championship Title between Jermell and Jeison will be Erickson stiffest competition. Therefore, Lubin will need to have his sh*t together and be properly prepared when his name is called to step up to the plate.

Until then, congratulations on your win Erickson.

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 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

On The Watch “It’s All About Erislandy Lara vs Ramon Alvarez”

Vacant WBA “regular” Junior Middleweight Title

Last night, at the Minneapolis Armory in Minnesota, Erislandy Lara (26-3-3, 15 Kos) picked up a much-needed win when he easily annihilated Ramon Alvarez (28-8-3, 16 Kos) in two rounds by TKO.

Ramon, who came in slightly over the contested weight, seemed quite big on the night but sluggish for the few rounds we got to see of him. Ramon was clearly outgunned and outclassed inside that squared circle. Lara was noticeably too much for him to handle from the jump. Personally, Ramon had absolutely no business challenging Lara on that night.

Lara desperately needed a convincing victory and he delivered on the task at hand. We didn’t get to see Lara’s full ammunition but did get a glimpse of his power when he staggered Ramon for a quick 8 count before the stoppage. Lara seemed to be sitting down more than usual on his punches making sure his opponent felt every bit of his power. This version of Lara could make his future bouts that more intriguing to watch if he continues with that type of approach.

With this win, Lara picked up the Vacant WBA “regular” junior middleweight Title
and rejoined the winner’s circle once again. That being said, in order to become the mandatory challenger to Unified WBA Super Junior Middleweight Champion Julian Williams, Lara will most likely set a date with fellow WBA Gold Junior Middleweight Champion Michel Soro (34-2-1, 23 Kos) to firmly establish who’s next in line.

Lara’s drive back to the top of the 154-pound Division is not an easy one but it’s definitely keeping him within the conversations amongst the top of the Division.

Seize the momentum Lara and keep focussed, until your next challenge.

Blaze

On The Watch “It’s All About Jarrett Hurd vs Julian Williams”

IBF/IBO/WBA Junior Middleweight Challenge

The Junior Middleweight Division is “Blazing Hot” right now. Last night’s Main Event at the EagleBank Arena, in Fairfax, Virginia, between IBF/IBO/WBA Super Junior Middleweight Champion Jarrett Hurd (23-1, 16 Kos) and Julian Williams (27-1-1, 16 Kos) was a thing of beauty. Real Talk!

J-Rock who was a 5-1 underdog from the jump, walked into the Champion’s own turf (game 7 style) and claimed all the gold by defeating Hurd by unanimous decision with the scores off 116-111, 115-112 and 115-112. Unbelievable!

J-Rock’s performance was on point from the jump. He executed their “game plan” to a “T”. Julian was calm, focused and definitely well prepared physically and mentally. Being visibly smaller than Jarrett, Julian still had enough power nice and early to drop Hurd down for an 8 count in the second round.

To me, that was the game changing moment right there. From that point on, them two warriors entered the phone booth and exchanged some serious leather back and forth. The up close and personal style usually favours Hurd but, on this night, J-Rock had his number.

Round by round Williams stayed busy with his hands at all times. His defence was tight and making Hurd miss while still staying composed whenever Hurd did land something of significance.

Williams went toe to toe with the heavy fisted Champion “Swift” Jarrett Hurd and out boxed him at his own game. Hurd took a lot of punishment last night and it cost him dearly as the rounds wore on.

Personally, I’m thinking Jarrett underestimated J-Rock’s ring generalship and in doing so succumbed to his first professional loss.

That being said, with this win, Julian is now the New IBF/IBO/WBA Super Unified Junior Middleweight Champion. A feat well deserved.

Congratulations Julian, you defied the odds and fulfilled your dreams of becoming a Champion.

Blaze