ROUND 1: The first action of the fight is Pacquiao landing a straight left from his southpaw stance that turns into a clinch less than 30 seconds into the first round.

Off the break, you see De La Hoya try to land a big uppercut, but Pacquiao is just outside range for it.

The straight left of Pacquiao lands again, which gives Manny the confidence to increase the combinations as he knows De La Hoya isn’t dealing with his speed.

De La Hoya has a little burst with less than a minute in the round left, but Pacquiao defends well.

The first round showed what Pacquiao’s plan was in the fight. His speed was too much for De La Hoya early with his straight lefts and bouncing in and out, causing issues for him early on.

Round 2: Pacquiao picks up the speed straight away in the round, landing a strong straight and heavy right hook less than 20 seconds into the round.

De La Hoya is trying to jab, but Pacquiao is just outside range, which De La Hoya just can’t time right in this round so far.

Pacquiao looks unstoppable in these first two rounds with his speed and combinations causing De La Hoya problems, and his ability to get inside and outside of range stops De La Hoya from getting anything going.

Round 3: De La Hoya has a bit of success this round with his pressuring and is able to land some shots, but nothing major to cause Pacquiao any serious issues.

De La Hoya seems very tentative with his right hand in the fight, as he knows Pacquiao has the speed to counter, but he hasn’t thrown it fully at all so far, which just makes it simple for Pacquiao to deal with him.

Even with some success in this round, De La Hoya feels one step behind Pacquiao, who still is outlanding De La Hoya so far and controlling the fight with relative ease.

Round 4: Pacquiao lands a nice double straight early in the round, which shows how much of a factor speed is in this so far.

De La Hoya looks lost anytime Pacquiao explodes and flurries, which just makes Pacquiao more comfortable in the fight without any form of retaliation from De La Hoya.

You see Pacquiao go to the body more in this round to set his strikes to the head. He will jab the body, causing a reaction, and then catch De La Hoya with his guard down.

It feels like Pacquiao is just playing with his food so far this fight, as De La Hoya isn’t offering anything of value in return, and most of Pacquiao’s offence has been simple straights and jabs, but they continue to work for him.

Round 5: Pacquiao again lands big this time with a left hook to lower the guard, and a right jab lands clean.

Midway through the round, Pacquiao is flowing with just constant strikes from any angle, with no return strikes from De La Hoya to slow him down.

De La Hoya has his best period of the fight so far, landing a strong right hook to the body of Pacquiao and lands a few uppercuts in the clinch but once they break from the clinch De La Hoya doesn’t follow up which lets Pacquiao reset and calm the fight down before the end of the round.

Round 6: Pacquiao continues his dominance in this round with short flurries, causing De La Hoya issues.

De La Hoya had moments where he would try to compete with Pacquiao, but he just couldn’t match Pacquiao’s speed.

The double-straight has been a major weapon for Pacquiao in this one as De La Hoya just eats it and isn’t quick enough to dodge or counter it, allowing Pacquiao to add more punches behind the double-straight, which he is using like it’s his jab.

A late flurry from Pacquiao, where he lands another straight and ends another round, where Pacquiao has been in control.

Round 7: Pacquiao has been so in control of this fight that he’s been able to keep a great pace, and he hasn’t overexerted himself because he hasn’t had to worry about De La Hoya countering.

The issue for De La Hoya in this one has been that Pacquiao would land a fast combination that he couldn’t react to then whenever he would try to throw Manny was fast enough to counter and throw more back to where he lost the confidence in his punches and just became a deer in the headlights for most of this fight. For every single De La Hoya punch, Pacquiao responds with 3 or 4.

Pacquiao has De La Hoya by the ropes and is throwing multiple strikes to the body and head with no response from De La Hoya in return.

De La Hoya almost looks out on his feet as Pacquiao continues to land continuous damage with no fighting back from De La Hoya.

Easily Pacquiao’s best round so far. He couldn’t miss, and there were multiple times where you could say De La Hoya was out on his feet. If the fight was stopped, I don’t think many could have been mad.

Round 8: De La Hoya has a small bit of success for a few seconds, but straight away, Pacquiao returns with his own combination, and just like the rest of the fight, Pacquiao is in control and backing De La Hoya up against the ropes.

Pacquiao keeps the pressure on De La Hoya’s body, which is starting to cause a lot more of an effect late in this fight, with De La Hoya covering up, which leaves his head open for shots.

De La Hoya has a late flurry, but Pacquiao allows it because it’s causing no damage to him and wasting energy for De La Hoya.

Pacquiao ends the round with his own late flurry, which, like most of the combinations in this fight, continues to land and hurt De La Hoya.

De La Hoya makes it back to his corner, but the fight is stopped, and if you are in the camp of De La Hoya, you can’t be mad, as he had been getting dominated for eight rounds with no sign of fight in him.

FINAL RESULT: Manny Pacquiao by Corner Retirement in Round 8/12

Overall Thoughts: This was a world-class performance by the “Pac Man”, and ultimately, the fight helped propel the 29-year-old Manny Pacquiao into a superstar in the Western market after dominating one of the best to ever do it in Oscar De La Hoya up multiple weight classes at 147 pounds which at the time Pacquiao had only fought above 130 pounds once in his career.

This would be De La Hoya’s retirement fight and is considered a passing of the torch moment from De La Hoya to Pacquiao, who knew his time at the top was done and called it a day.

This was a great fight to watch back, and one where you really see the brilliance in a fighter like Manny Pacquiao.

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ROUND 1:

Inoue starts well by pressuring Kim and getting him against the ropes and corner.

Whenever Kim throws, you can see him trying to find his timing for a counter.

Inoue is so patient until he knows when to turn it up, which is really fun to watch as he switches it on quickly.

Not much in the round but Inoue is setting his traps early and getting his reads for later.

ROUND 2:

Inoue uses his jab to set up straights to the body, which keeps Kim guessing.

Kim has a bit of success, but Inoue defends well in the middle of the ring and gets back to leading the fight.

The pace of the round picks up late in the round, with Inoue ending the round by landing an uppercut.

ROUND 3:

The round starts with a bit of back-and-forth action, with Kim going for it and Inoue willing to throw with him.

Inoue starts to get his bounce going and timing his counters well, which Kim struggles with.

You can see in this round that Inoue has started to find his opening and is starting to flow in there, which means he’s ready to finish.

ROUND 4:

Inoue has a bit of a stumble straight into the 4th round, but nothing comes from it, and Inoue gets back to control.

Inoue turns up the pressure and has Kim against the corner, which causes Kim to overcommit for Inoue to counter.

Inoue starts to put some power behind his shots, affecting Kim.

Inoue catches Kim with a counter left, which stings Kim, but he welcomes and taunts Inoue to keep going, which he does, and from there, he keeps landing until a nice 1-2 down the middle drops Kim, and he does not make the count.

FINAL RESULT: Naoya Inoue by KO R4 2:45

OVERALL THOUGHTS: Another fantastic performance from one of the best in the world, Naoya Inoue. He’s just so good at finding his openings and taking them, which is a real skill. I believe he plans to fight a few times this year, which should be good to continue to see him do great and hopefully against more top-level opponents.

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Round 1: You instantly see Usyk implement a straight left to the body. Both guys are using a ton of feints to get someone to over-commit, but no one bites early on.

Fury lands a few jabs but nothing of note really early on and is trying to showboat for the most part.

Usyk lands a good left hand to the face after faking a double jab to get Fury to react to that first before landing well.

A tepid first round, but some good stuff was shown early from Usyk with his straights to the body, and he landed well, which shows that opening in that fight. Fury doesn’t look focused enough, which is worrying if you are in his corner. A simple 10-9 Usyk first round for me.

Round 2: Usyk starts the second round fantastically, landing a 1-2 right away, which shocked Fury.

Usyk ups his straights to the body in this round, and it’s a key part of his gameplan, you can tell, as it lands consistently.

Fury still hasn’t really gotten started in the fight, as he just can’t match Usyk’s output. A weapon that Fury finds late in the round is the uppercut when Usyk comes in, as he’s completely open.

Another solid round for Usyk. Landing work to the body constantly and starting to get stuff to land up top. Fury might’ve found something late in the round to work off of, but as for this round, it’s another 10-9 Usyk.

Round 3: A much closer round for both guys in this one.

Fury stepped up his pace in this one and was going back and forth with Usyk.

I still felt Usyk was controlling the fight with his footwork and pace, but this round, depending on how you score, could go either way.

I have it 10-9 for Usyk in the third round.

Round 4: Fury starts round 4 quickly with two nice hooks to the body as well as teasing the uppercut early.

Fury looks much faster in this round, with some nice work done to the body and combinations that are doing well against Usyk’s pressure.

Usyk finds some success when Fury is against the corner of the ring, where he goes for it to the body. Nothing major lands, but it was some of his better stuff in this round.

Usyk ends the round well, but overall, it is a much better round for Fury. Even though Fury is willing to be pushed back by Usyk’s pressure, he is still able to land well and use his speed advantage in this round. 10-9 Fury.

Round 5: Another solid round for Fury. He’s turning it up in these middle rounds.

His speed is working well against Usyk’s pressure as he is able to land with his range before Usyk can get into a good range and land anything of his own.

It’s still a close fight so far, with both guys very competitive, but for these middle rounds, Fury has found his form, and he is still teasing the uppercut, which will be a big weapon if he uses it more. 10-9 Fury.

Round 6: Fury starts the round with the uppercut which may not land super clean but clearly is an opening that Usyk doesn’t deal with.

Fury’s pressure increases in this round with constant attacks mixing well to the head and the body.

Fury lands the sneaky uppercut clean with just over a minute left in the round, and it stubbles Usyk a bit, which Fury sees and picks up the speed.

Usyk is able to recover well, but Fury still ends the round well, continuing the pressure and combinations. Another 10-9 Fury. This fight is very even, but Fury is looking good in the middle of the fight, which Usyk will need to find his second gear late to get the win here.

Round 7: Usyk seems to find his form again in this round. He does well with his pressure again, like he did early in the fight, and is landing well to the body and head.

Fury lands his uppercut again clean, but instead of working off it, Fury decides to clinch, which I guess he wanted to put his weight on Usyk, but I think the smarter option would’ve been to continue striking.

Off the clinch, Usyk lands a straight left down the middle and ends the round well with his pressure and combinations, with Fury looking a bit tired and willing to be backed up in the corner of the ring.

This was a close round with both guys doing solid stuff, but I think Fury got too comfortable in this round, especially after landing the uppercut and deciding to clinch just lets Usyk recover and end the round well, which I think gives the round to Usyk 10-9.

Round 8: Usyk lands a clean jab early in the round and goes into his constant movement and bouncy footwork, which does well for him.

Usyk lands a nice right hook-left straight after Fury overcommits with the right hand, which wakes Fury up.

Usyk finishes the round strong in the corner, throwing heavily against Fury.

Very good round for Usyk. He looks like he found his second wind, while Fury looks to have slowed down. Usyk’s movement and footwork is causing tons of issues for Fury. 10-9 Usyk.

Round 9: Usyk starts the round strong again, with his pressure being a real difference-maker in this fight.

Usyk keeps his work up to the body and is able to land big when Fury is against the ropes.

With 30 seconds left in the fight, Fury is peppering short strikes with his hands low, which Usyk uses to counter and lands a powerful and clean straight, which wobbles Fury to the ropes.

Usyk would turn his pressure up, but Fury is barely standing up straight. He is lucky that he finds the ropes to keep him standing until the ref gives Fury a standing count.

Fury is able to get his bearings back enough, but the bell goes. Fantastic round from Usyk, and with the knockdown, that’s big for the fight. 10-8 Usyk.

Round 10: Usyk gets right back to work in this round. He starts fast and has Fury back against the ropes, instantly peppering him with strikes.

Fury just can’t get going, as Usyk is not slowing down and is landing nearly everything he throws.

Even when an area of success shows for Fury when he lands a clean uppercut with 40 seconds left in the round, Usyk just wipes it off and gets back to work.

Another good round from Usyk. He started the fight strong and he is looking to finish the fight strong. Fury just looks a bit lost off there and is not confident in anything he is throwing. I’ve said it quite a few times, but the uppercut was open for most of this fight, and it’s a weapon I think should be looked at, as Usyk tends to leave himself open for them. 10-9 Usyk.

Round 11: Fury shows a bit of fight in this round. He seems to dig in and throw more and compete with Usyk, and he is able to find some success.

Usyk is still leading the dance, but Fury, when he decides to throw combinations, is especially able to do good work.

Fury starts throwing the uppercut to the body, which gets a reaction from Usyk.

Usyk ends the round well, landing a solid overhand in the corner. A competitive round 11 where both guys did some solid stuff. I think you could Fury did a bit more overall in the round so 10-9 Fury.

Round 12: Both guys go for it, with it being the last round. Both trade good moments early, with Usyk flurrying well and Fury fighting well off the clinch.

Usyk has some success when he lands against Fury in the corner, but Fury tries to clinch his way out of the corner. However, Usyk fights it off.

Fury lands a nice 1-2 with 30 seconds left but doesn’t follow it up.

Usyk turns the pace up for the last 10 seconds and ends the fight strong landing well to the body and head.

Usyk rounds off his fantastic performance with another 10-9 Usyk to end the fight.

FINAL SCORING: 116-111 Usyk

OVERALL THOUGHTS: Wow watching this fight again made me see how much of the fight Usyk controlled. I had Usyk winning the first fight but I had it a bit closer than 116-111. Usyk is just a phenomenal boxer and I think for the rematch he wins again but will have to figure out the gameplan for a more focused Tyson Fury this time around.

The annoying thing about Fury in this fight other than the constant showboating was that he had success especially when he decided to use the uppercut as it consistenly landed well. I think it can be a big weapon in the rematch if Fury decides to incorporate it more into his gameplan.

I think the rematch is going to be an incredible fight and hopefully we see both guys at their best and no bad scorecards or bad refs and just see two world class boxers competing but this is boxing so something is always bound to happen.

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Round 1: The first round was a feeling-out process for both boxers. You see them each try to win the lead foot battle. The difference early on is that Bivol would throw multiple strikes at once, whereas Beterbiev was looking for openings and would only really throw one at a time. Beterbiev would step up the pressure near the end of the round, but Bivol countered well and landed, which I think takes the round for him. 10-9 Bivol.

Round 2: Bivol starts to double and triple up his jabs, which helps keep Beterbiev at a distance and stops him from pressuring. Beterbiev does start to pressure Bivol well in this round, but because he is only throwing one at a time, he isn’t really winning the round. Bivol does the smart thing of flurrying well, which lands, which, for me, wins him the round again as he is doing the damage, but you can see what Beterbiev is setting up with his pressuring. 10-9 Bivol

Round 3: This is a much better round for Beterbiev. His pressure starts to affect Bivol, and he starts to throw multiple punches, which Bivol does not like. Bivol was still there and had occasional flurries, but most of this round was Beterbiev dictating the pace and having Bivol move around the ropes. 10-9 Beterbiev

Round 4: This is the closest round so far. Depending on how you score a round will determine who you think won it. Bivol had the volume with his jab and combos, whereas Beterbiev had the damage and pressure. I favour damage, which is why I think Beterbiev takes the round purely, as his pressure and damage were more apparent than Bivol’s volume for me. 10-9 Beterbiev.

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Round 5: Very good round for Beterbiev. He continued to control the fight with his pressure and step up his volume which Bivol did not like and most of the round was Bivol moving backwards and blocking. Clear Beterbiev round. 10-9 Beterbiev.

Round 6: Beterbiev starts this round well, keeping his pressure up and striking well, but Bivol decides to fight back with combinations with some ending to the body, which was good. Bivol has a good middle of the fight, but Beterbiev turns it on again near the end of the round to take it for me. 10-9 Beterbiev.

Round 7: Really good round to watch. Bivol was looking good with his combination, and work to the body was beautiful, but Beterbiev seemed to catch Bivol with a lead uppercut, which clearly hurt Bivol, and Beterbiev went for it until the end of the round. It was a very close round that was difficult to judge, but I feel that most of the round was Bivol doing damage and fighting well, so I think he took the round. 10-9 Bivol.

Round 8: Good round from Bivol. He sets his pace in this round, which Beterbiev accepts. Bivol does well with his combinations, and even near the end of the round, he turns it up to make sure that he takes the round. 10-9 Bivol.

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Round 9: Another good round for Bivol. Similar to the 8th round he sets his pace and works his combos well. You can see that he was slowing down due to Beterbiev still pressuring him which you can see might come in handy with these last few rounds. 10-9 Bivol.

Round 10: Beterbiev turns it back on in this round. His pressure is something any boxer should learn from as he does it so well and causes his opponents to tire without even realising it. Bivol has a slight burst with his combinations but Beterbiev shuts it off and finishes the round strong with constant strikes that Bivol does not like. 10-9 Beterbiev.

Round 11: Beterbiev starts to play with Bivol and is constantly peppering short strikes at Bivol. The last minute especially, it feels like Bivol is just taking damage from Beterbiev. Beterbiev is a master of knowing when he needs to turn it on. He knows when he needs to win a round, and with this fight being close, he starts to really tee off on Bivol. 10-9 Beterbiev.

Round 12: I said it live when the fight was happening and wanted to say it again that this round is why boxing is beautiful. Two of the very best guys doing what they do best. Beterbiev is masterful and again turns it up a notch when he knows its needed and takes the round for me.

FINAL SCORING: 115 Beterbiev -113 Bivol

OVERALL THOUGHTS

WOW, I loved this fight. This is the type of fight that makes me love boxing, as when you see two of the best just going at it at the highest level, you get to witness beautiful scenes. I felt that Beterbiev did win the fight, but I wouldn’t have been mad if it was a draw because some of the rounds were close, and I just favoured the pressure and damage of Beterbiev more. I’d love to see a rematch, as this is easily one of my favourite fights of the year. Beterbiev is a dangerous man, and it’s crazy that he performs at such a high level at 39 years old. Bivol was very much in this fight, and maybe he will find out how to deal with Beterbiev’s pressure in his next training camp and get the win the next time. All I know is that I want this fight to keep happening as it was such a fun watch, even on my second time watching.

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Round 1: Dubois starts strong by pressuring Joshua against the rope and keeps a consistent snappy jab to give Joshua something to focus on. Whenever Dubois is ready to pounce, he waits for Joshua to be by the ropes, and when his lead hand is lower for Dubois overhand. Anytime Dubois landed, whether it was clean or off the gloves, it affected Joshua and caused him to have big reactions, which is what Dubois wanted. Joshua’s hands are constantly low which leaves him vulnerable to be countered. Near the end of the first round, after a small exchange, when Joshua is against the ropes again, he leaves his lead hand down, and Dubois times a beautiful overhand that completely offsets Joshua and results in a knockdown. Luckily for AJ, it was the end of the round. This was as good of a round as you could get for Dubois. Everything he wanted Joshua to react to, he did, and he found his jab straight away. The knockdown at the end of the round was the cherry on top. 10-8 Dubois.

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Round 2: Dubois starts round two strong, as he can see that Joshua isn’t fully back yet. He is going on the constant attack and is landing some clean hooks that Joshua is just about surviving. Dubois starts to double his jab, which is smart as his jab is very powerful and could easily cause a knockdown. It was a much quieter round than the first, but Dubois still controlled the pace of the fight and did not let Joshua back in. It’s also smart of him not to blow his gas tank by going for the finish, so he stays calm and waits for his opening. That’s a simple 10-9 round for Dubois and 20-17 after two.

Round 3: Dubois again fights this round smart by not overdoing anything and working behind his jab, and doubling it up. He goes to the body a bit more in this round, which is smart for giving another area for Joshua to worry about. Dubois lands a glancing hook when Joshua overextended. This wobbled Joshua against the ropes, and he dropped him just on the bell again like round one. This fight is going so well for Dubois so far, with him not even needing to exert much energy as Joshua is playing into his game. When Joshua overextends, he knows on the way back, Joshua is wide open for the hook, and it throws Joshua off, and his legs wobble. 10-8 Dubois and 30-25 after three.

Round 4: Dubois drops Joshua again straight away, but it looks more like the Jab stumbled him, and he lost his footing. Joshua gets up, but with Dubois going for the kill now, he slips. Anytime Dubois lands, Joshua looks lost even if he doesn’t get dropped. Joshua is barely staying up against the ropes and constantly looks like he’s about to fall. One thing that Joshua had a bit of success with was his uppercut. He landed a few times, but because of how out of it he was, he wasn’t consistent with it. Another 10-8 round for Dubois and 40-33 overall.

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Round 5: Funnily enough, this is Joshua’s best round. He lands a clean right on Dubois and has him slightly hurt, and he goes for the kill, but like most of the fight, he leaves his lead hand low, and Dubois counters with a short overhand and knocks Joshua out. Right when Joshua thinks he has found something, he over-commits and, while trying to throw his uppercut completely naked, gets countered by Dubois with his short overhand.

Overall Thoughts: Wow. Even though Dubois is a star in his own right, this was a star-making performance for him at the next level of heavyweight. At only 27, we’ve seen him grow into what his style should be, and this fight was proof that he is a top heavyweight. I’d love to see the Usyk rematch, as even though Usyk’s the best heavyweight to me, this Dubois will at least make for a fun fight and potentially better than the first. Other great opponents could be Zhilei Zhang or Joseph Parker, which could be a couple of fantastic fights. For Joshua, I would like him to retire as all he is doing to me is ruining his legacy, but it seems as if he plans on continuing fights, which I’m not looking forward to, but that’s boxing.

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For Deontay Wilder, Joseph Parker was just a better boxer than Wilder, with Parker moving constantly and doing an excellent job of avoiding Wilders right straight, which has won him many fights. Wilder looked like a shell of his former self in the fight, and not even his power looked threatening. Parker used well-timed flurries to get into Wilder’s guard, land punches, and then reset. What Wilder does best is set up his right hand, which has been able to get the job for most of his career, even against better boxers. Even in the Fury fights, there were times he landed the right, which, against everyone else, had ended the fight.

Zhilei Zhang started the fight against Parker well, getting a knockdown in Round 3, but then he cost for the next few rounds, which allowed Parker to take rounds off Zhang as Zhang was only looking for the fight-ending shots. Zhang was even able to get another knockdown in Round 8 but again pulled away, which allowed Parker back into the round, and he was able to control the rest of the fight and win a majority decision against Zhang. What Zhang needs to do after causing a knockdown or hurting his opponent is to keep the pressure up and not allow the other fighter to get back into the round.

To me, this feels like Zhang’s fight to lose. Wilder does not look like he used to, and his power did not cause any issues for Parker in his last fight. I can’t imagine Wilder causing much issue for Zhang. Hopefully, Zhang fights as he can by setting up punches and not waiting after causing damage.

My prediction is Zhang gets it done in Round 6.