IBR on The Cruelest Sport

“You can roll your eyes at the redemptive narrative of Zab Judah, but the fact that he has clung to relevance over seventeen years is no meager accomplishment. Despite the worst intentions of men like Kostya Tszyu, Miguel Cotto, and Floyd Mayweather, Jr., and a history of self-sabotage that runs the length of the comedo-tragic spectrum, Judah, 42-7 (29), has staved off inconsequence time and again. And while his speed and power—relatively undiminished in his 35th year of life—will continue to award Judah the proverbial puncher’s chance, those physical attributes alone do not explain his materializing against Danny Garcia at the Barclays Center in Brooklyn, New York, on Saturday night.”

Cinders And Smoke: Danny Garcia-Zab Judah Preview on The Cruelest Sport.

IBR on The Cruelest Sport

“Junior middleweight Saul Alvarez has long endured the criticism that he was a pampered and protected golden calf, a fighter whose popularity and earnings were disproportionate to his achievements. And this is true. The response to such cries, of course, is that Alvarez is a defense in himself: he makes truckloads of money grinding the husks of the welterweight division because he is worshiped for more than his performances. Nor, for that matter, is his godliness self-ascribed, but rather bestowed by the sanction of the masses. In a sport where all pursue maximum reward for minimum risk, Alvarez need not apologize for anything. Included under this all-encompassing “anything” is the hard-fought decision he earned last night when 39,472 fans packed the Alamodome in San Antonio, Texas, to see him win a unanimous decision over Austin Trout.”

Read The Golden Calf: Saul Alvarez W12 Austin Trout on The Cruelest Sport.

IBR on The Cruelest Sport

“In “Culture and Value,” Ludwig Wittgenstein warns: “Resting on your laurels is as dangerous as resting when you are walking in the snow. You doze off and die in your sleep.” In winning the 2012 Fighter of the Year Award, Nonito Donaire never needed to improve, never needed to deviate from a hyper-dependency on his otherworldly athleticism. Saturday night, however, at Radio City Music Hall in New York, Guillermo Rigondeaux, a fighter with comparable talent and superior polish, asked that Donaire do more than just be the faster, more powerful man. Unable to muster an adequate response, Donaire dropped a unanimous decision to the Cuban, losing for the first time in twelve years.”

Read SLUMBER TIME: Guillermo Rigondeaux W12 Nonito Donaire on The Cruelest Sport.