On The Watch “It’s All About Shakur Stevenson vs Oscar Valdez”

WBC/WBO Super Featherweight Unification Championship

Last night’s Top Rank’s Main Event Unification bout between WBO Super Featherweight Champion Shakur Stevenson (18-0, 9 Kos) and WBC Super Featherweight Champion Oscar Valdez (30-2, 23 Kos) at the MGM Grand Garden Arena, Las Vegas, was a clinical beatdown bestowed by Shakur on the biggest night of his career to date. Real Talk!

Shakur’s boxing IQ was on full display last night. I was expecting Shakur to box and move all night but instead Shakur stood his ground right from the jump and patiently dismantled his opponent round by round with a stiff powerful jab that couldn’t miss or be deterred by Valdez, who was stuck all night clueless behind an ineffective high guard that left his face visibly touched up at the end of the night.

Shakur walked it like he talked it and shut down Valdez who looked defeated as the rounds progressed. Valdez was unable to stop Shakur from having his way inside that squared circle. Valdez’s “game plan” or lack thereof was non-existent. Valdez looked lost inside that squared circle with absolutely no guidance from his corner. Unbelievable.


Shakur was always two steps ahead of Valdez all night. Stevenson stood his ground and beat the power puncher at his own game. After 12 full rounds of schooling, the Judges scored it 118-109, 118-109 and 117 110 all in favor of Shakur Stevenson.

With this convincing win by Shakur, he is now the new WBO/WBC and newly acquired Ring Magazine Unified Super Featherweight Champion of the World.

With the way Shakur made this bout look so effortless, I can’t see anybody beating this kid in the 130-Pound Division. Real Talk! The road to undisputed just got clearer for Shakur. Good luck to the competition.

Congratulations Shakur on your latest triumph.

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 Floyd “Money” Mayweather”

The Champ is here

Last night Mayweather (50-0, 27Kos) took it back in time. He left the cell phone at home and went straight to the phone booth, the inside game that is. REAL TALK!

The retired older and much smaller fighter outsmarted the bigger stronger and younger challenger in Conor McGregor (0-1). It was a boxing lesson at its finest for the public and fans all around the world watching. The so-called old man “Money” Mayweather took it straight to McGregor and pressured the Young Lion throughout the fight. Mayweather’s game plan was perfectly executed.

Conor showed a lot of heart and a strong will but at the end Floyd was just too witty and crafty for the Young Blood to figure out. Your Boy McGregor just simply ran out of “juice” and couldn’t sustain the ongoing aggressiveness that Mayweather was bringing on to him. Floyd stayed cool, calm and collective while walking the awkward McGregor down round by round. By the tenth round it was clear that Conor was about to be out on his feet so the ref saved him from more punishment and stopped the fight.

To me win or lose McGregor is still a tough competitor hands down. The MMA World still has a Champion in Conor McGregor. He walked it like he talked it but just happen to tangle with “The Best To Ever Do It” in the Boxing World in Floyd “Money” Mayweather that is.

Congratulation Champ! You masterfully secured your 50th victory with a hell of a memorable performance. Thank you for staying true to your word. The Champ is here!

Blaze

On The Watch “It’s All About Ward vs Kovalev Take 2”

Last November 2016, the two Pound-For-Pound undefeated fighters took centre stage and battled it out for the full 12 rounds. On the line were the WBO, WBA and IBF Titles. The winner by unanimous decision and New Light Heavyweight Champion of the World, Andre S.O.G. Ward. All three Judges scored the fight 114-113 for Andre Ward. This was a 50/50 fight right off the jump. The “Hype” behind the first fight was must see TV. Real Talk!

The haters can say whatever they want but real is real. Ward came from behind a knockdown in the second round and fought his way back into the game in a strategic way. Since the previous fight was such a close one a rematch is the only way to appease the naysayers and truly find out who the true Light Heavyweight Pound-For-Pound Man in the Game is without any more uncertainty in any bodies mind out there. For Kovalev this rematch is more of a “revenge” fight for him. An opportunity to destroy Ward and recapture the Belts that he believes were stolen from him.

As for Ward he deems the right Man won that night and in this rematch he plans on completing the task at hand in a far more convincing fashion and retaining the WBO, WBA and IBF Titles with the rightful owner. Tune in this Saturday night June 17, 2017, HBO Boxing pay-per view live from Mandalay Bay Events Center in Las Vegas, Nevada. Ward vs Kovalev Take 2, who will triumph has the No. 1 Light Heavyweight Champ of the Division?

Blaze