“That smile was there again, Joshua’s tell, his irrepressible betrayal; it broke out broadest with mere seconds left in the final round. Usyk had answered the challenge of Joshua’s mid-fight rally by returning to—and amplifying—what worked. And so it was Joshua, smiling and sagging into the ropes, suffering punch upon punch as the seconds ticked away just fast enough for him to relinquish his titles on his feet rather than his back. The fighter who committed extra time to the heavy bag in training drowned by an opponent who never stops moving, one who moves his head before and after he punches, who knows not to be there when the return fire comes—and yet who seemingly gets bigger as the fight wears on. What Bart might’ve written about that.”

Read Kingdom Come: Oleksandr Usyk is a Heavyweight Champion on Hannibal Boxing.

“Were Tolstoy following boxing today, he might observe that all unhappy boxers are alike, but that each happy boxer is happy in his own manner. What awaits the men who find but one route beyond the privations of their condition? Who darken their tomorrows to keep the lights on today? They know all too well. And yet, “It won’t happen to me,” each says assuredly; that naivete, or arrogance, or essential lie, all but assuring they are wrong.”

Read Exit Strategy: In the Manner of Wayne Braithwaite on Hannibal Boxing.

“Perhaps politics is all that remains for the Senator. A different public service, one less exacting, less dangerous. The crowds, they will always be there—ever devoted, ever grateful, many of them looking to him for more than a spectacle, more than a symbol of pride. That kind of responsibility is difficult to ignore. So maybe it is time for a life of shaking hands instead of wrapping them. Perhaps Manny Pacquiao is finished as a prizefighter.”

Read Manny Pacquiao and All That Remains on Hannibal Boxing.