“So why pick up the march through his welterweight district? Here we might suggest something complimentary about Spence’s sanguinary bent, his desire to measure himself against the best. But there is that Ocampo on his ledger, the aged Peterson, that sorry transaction with Mikey Garcia. Each is evidence enough that Spence, charming though he is, might not be the fighter he threatened to be when he one-upped his stablemates unseating a champion overseas by knockout. Perhaps this judgment is a bit hasty. Perhaps. But for how long has Crawford been a welterweight?”

Read Sixteen Ounces: Errol Spence-Danny Garcia Preview on Hannibal Boxing.

“What we perceive in the duck-rabbit image is often determined by what we bring to the observation. We might see the rabbit first because we had one as a pet and have to be shown the duck, or vice versa; we can see both simultaneously. Maybe that is the best way to perceive Crawford: as superlative and yet unproven, unproven and yet superlative, with what you see first determined by what you are looking for.”

Read Crawford vs. Brook: It’s still wait and see for TBC on Hannibal Boxing

“‘Speed is the last excitement left,’ writes Don DeLillo in End Zone, ‘the one thing we haven’t used up, still naked in its potential, the mysterious black gift that thrills millions.’ Not flashy speed, thrilling speed—speed of hand and foot, shoulder and hip, harnessed to render men silent. Inoue has it. It’s part of the preternatural athleticism that underlies his mastery, infuses his movements with a dynamism and danger reminiscent of Roy Jones. Inoue is more orthodox than Jones—he keeps his hands higher, works behind his jab—but like Jones, his bearing reflects a fighter in complete control of his generational talent. Like Jones, he leaves before you arrive, returns before you can leave, and then leaves you to pick up the pieces.”

Read Naoya Inoue: A Gift to Thrill Millions on Hannibal Boxing.