On The Watch “It’s All About Oleksandr Usyk vs Anthony Joshua II”

IBO/IBF/WBA/WBO Heavyweight Rematch Challenge

Tonight’s Heavyweight Championship rematch between Undefeated Unified IBO/IBF/WBA/WBO Heavyweight Champion Oleksandr Usyk (20-0, 13 Kos) and former Heavyweight Champion Anthony Joshua (24-3, 22 Kos) in Jeddah, Saudi Arabia, definitely lived up to the hype.

This highly anticipated bout was a continuation from their last meeting but this time Joshua, with a new trainer by his side, performed exceptionally better then his last outing. This time around AJ had a much better “game plan” and proceeded to execute it well but Usyk with his country of Ukraine at war on his mind, fought with all his people on the back of his shoulders and performed remarkably well with the added pressure.

That being said, AJ’s “game plan” was the right way to go about it in this bout but as the rounds progressed AJ seemed to divert from the plan at hand at times as Usyk proved to be just as elusive with his boxing skill on full display figuring AJ out as the rounds advanced.

AJ had some moments where he had the upper hand but neglected to capitalize and finish the job as the bigger and stronger man inside that squared circle and those critical times were key to him having that window of success.

Usyk weathered the storm and fought through the adversity and like the great technical combatant that he is managed to turn things around while never losing focus or confidence inside that squared circle.

This bout was a much closer outing then their last encounter but the deciding factors to me were the championship rounds where Usyk separated himself from AJ by being the much busier combatant in the most important rounds.

Both combatants showed fatigue in the later rounds but Usyk closed it out with pure will and effort in my eyes. After 12 full rounds of none stop action, the Judges scored it 116-112, 115-113 for Usyk and 115-113 for Joshua giving the split decision win to Oleksandr Usyk.

With this second win over AJ under his belt, Usyk retained his IBO/IBF/WBA/WBO Heavyweight Championship belts and picked up the prestigious Ring Magazine belt for good measure.

Had Anthony stuck to the original “game plan” and not gassed out, we definitely could have seen a different outcome but the superior warrior in Oleksandr Usyk prevailed and completed the task at hand.

Congratulations Oleksandr on your latest accomplishment, well done.

Blaze

On The Watch “It’s All About Anthony Joshua vs Kubrat Pulev”

IBF/IBO/WBA/WBO Heavyweight Challenge

Last night’s Heavyweight Bout inside the SSE Arena, Wembley in London, UK was a homecoming fight for Unified Heavyweight Champion Anthony Joshua (24-1, 22 Kos) and Kubrat Pulev (28-2, 14 Kos) that did not disappoint.

AJ looked good last night, focussed, assertive, poised and did not deviate from the “game plan“ at hand. His jab and uppercut were key last night and he handled his opponent the right way, dropping Pulev four times throughout the bout to a convincing stoppage in the 9th round.

Pulev, a worthy opponent, tried to keep up with AJ but was simply met with a better, complete and motivated fighter in AJ. Anthony worked the ring well and controlled every round while wearing Pulev down.

Kubrat couldn’t put any type of a convincing offence together long enough to deter Anthony who showed much improvement in his repertoire. Pulev showed some durability at times throughout the bout but Anthony’s size and power proved to be too much.

The “End Game” was inevitable and in the 9th round when AJ connected with a vicious strong and accurate right hand to Kubrat’s jaw that put him down indefinitely for the 10 count.

With this emphatic win by AJ, he now retains his IBF/IBO/WBA “Super” and WBO Heavyweight Titles. This was a much-needed win for Anthony last night. He needed to make a statement of Pulev and show the Heavyweight Division that he is nothing to play with inside that squared circle. The road to undisputed is still the mission at hand.

Congratulations AJ on finishing this turbulent year 2020 in a strong fashion.

Blaze

On The Watch “It’s All About Anthony Joshua vs Andy Ruiz Jr.”

World Heavyweight Championship Challenge

Expect the unexpected. The Heavyweight Division has once again taken a major twist.
Late replacement and substantial underdog, Andy Ruiz Jr. (33-1, 22 Kos) shook the world last night at the Madison Square Garden in New York City to a sell out crowd of 20,201 fans, when he defeated the No. 1 Unified IBF, IBO, WBA and WBO Heavyweight Champion of the World Anthony Joshua (22-1, 21 Kos) by TKO. Unbelievable!!

What started off slow quickly heated up in the third round when both fighters exchanged knock downs with AJ receiving the worst of it by hitting the mat twice to Ruiz’s heavy combination punches. Joshua landed the first knock down and immediately went in for the kill but ended up being careless and got caught paying the price.

Joshua’s approach was off from the jump. He did not impose his height and reach and fought too tentatively as the rounds wore on. To me AJ looked sluggish and slow while Ruiz showed patience with a sense of fearlessness while stalking AJ.

The underdog Ruiz had suddenly turned the odds around in his favour. Andy’s confidence was growing and his presence was being felt inside that squared circle. The pressure was working AJ and his energy was quickly dissipating, and in the seventh round, Anthony tasted the mat two more times in dramatic fashion, eventually leading to the referee calling to stop the fight. Just like that, Anthony Joshua got broken down.

I tip my “B” hat to Andy Ruiz Jr. He came in there with absolutely nothing to lose and walked away dethroning the No.1 Heavyweight in the game, Anthony Joshua, to now become History’s first Mexican descent Unified IBF, IBO, WBA and WBO Heavyweight Champion of the world.

Congratulations Andy, your dreams have now become a reality. Enjoy the fruits of you labour, you deserve it!

Blaze

On The Watch “It’s All About Anthony Joshua vs Jarrell Miller”

World Heavyweight Championship Challenge

It has officially been announced today that undefeated Unified Heavyweight Champion Anthony Joshua (22-0, 21 Kos) will be making his U.S. debut June 1, 2019 at Madison Square Garden in New York City against undefeated challenger Jarrell “Big Baby” Miller (23-0-1, 20 Kos).

Judging from the first press conference, there is definitely a really thick build-up of animosity between the two boxers. Real Talk!

“Big Baby” looked like he was ready to rip AJ’s head off from the jump. The trash talking coming from “Big Baby” was real heavy and personally a little disrespectful to my liking but I get it, the adrenalin is running on a high and the big stage can do that to you.

That being said, this will be AJ’s first bout on American soil and AJ is welcoming the “HEAT” from “Big Baby” and can’t wait to put them paws on him. This bout might be a block buster in the making. Two very big undefeated warriors ready to do some unapologetic harm to one another inside that squared circle.

There will be some serious pressure on both combatants to show up and perform to their best abilities come fight night. Trash talking aside this is supposed to be Miller’s time to shine since he’s the Kid from Brooklyn and can’t afford to drop the ball on his biggest test of his career.

AJ is out to prove he’s the “Top Dog” on any block around the world. That being said AJ needs to be impressive on his U.S. debut establishing his presence by silencing Miller by convincingly beating him on his own home court, Brooklyn, New York that is.

Both fighters are extremely confident and talking that sh*t, now let’s see if both can keep that same energy come fight night. Tune in on DAZN Saturday June 1, 2019 or better yet see it LIVE at Madison Square Garden in New York City.

Blaze

On The Watch “It’s All About Anthony Joshua vs Joseph Parker”

Heavyweight Title Unification

Tonight, at the sold-out Principality Stadium in Cardiff, Wales, Anthony Joshua (21-0, 20 Kos) unanimously decision Joseph Parker (24-1, 18 Kos) in their 12-round bout to become Super WBA, IBF, IBO and WBO Unified Heavyweight Champion of the world!!!

All three Judges had AJ winning by a large Margin. Hands Down! Truth be told this was not the most exiting AJ performance to date but my Boy showed character and patience tonight inside that squared circle and kept with the game plan at hand. AJ was the predator all night and Parker the pray with no real answer to AJ’s advancement towards him. I was seriously expecting Parker to be more aggressive and quicker of his feet but tonight his performance was very lackluster compared to what he usually brings to the squared circle. Styles make fights but that only works if both fighters are fully engaged and tonight that was not the case.

Tonight, AJ’s knockout streak may have ended but the job at hand was still delivered, he secured the win and collected Parker’s WBO Belt to become Unified Champion.

It’s clear that as the competition improves for AJ so does the challenge. Every time out is an opportunity to show improvement and tonight going the full 12-rounds unmarked by his opponent for the first time is a good way to gage where your are at this point in your career. Real Talk!

Congratulations on your win tonight AJ, you are one step closer to becoming Undisputed. Keep working and perfecting your craft but keep in mind there can only be one true “King” in the Heavyweight Division so be cautious of Deontay Wilder the man holding the last peace to the puzzle, the WBC Belt, cause he’s a BADDDD Man inside that squared circle.

Blaze