“When Al Haymon launched Premier Boxing Champions in 2015, he had much of the welterweight division under his banner. At the time, the division seemed stacked, and yet almost five years later that notion seems, if not risible, at least in need of qualification. The parity of the division—and Haymon’s high-profile branch in particular—exceeded its talent; and that point has been proven, albeit too infrequently, since Haymon finally started asking the real names in his 147-pound stable to swap leather instead of opponents. Never has that point been made more forcefully, though, than when Pacquiao was taking strips out of Thurman, something he did with striking ease.”

Read Good Time: Manny Pacquiao Stuns Keith Thurman on Hannibal Boxing.

“Which means that very soon Top Rank will be able to deliver us an undisputed lightweight champion. There are ways to scuff the shine of that distinction to be sure, and no chance the winner retains all of that hardware for very long, considering the promotional and network goodwill required for so heavily-belted a fighter to fulfill his mandatory defenses. Making the fight would mean convincing Lomachencko to face the still unproven though undeniably dangerous Lopez; and perhaps Lopez—who thus far has been properly irreverent in speaking of “Hi-Tech”—will recalibrate his ambition when finally offered the challenge he has courted. Oh, and only the new and naive would expect Top Rank to delivery promptly a fight it can tease for a year or so, especially considering what little incentive there is for the company to get their present or future knocked off by the other—an outcome the loser might interpret as proof of favoritism.”

Read Nearing the Ledge: Richard Commey Stops Ray Beltran–Is Teofimo Lopez Next? on Hannibal Boxing.

“There is little to say about the action. That Schwarz was ranked number two by the WBO is baffling only until you remember who the sanctioning body’s favorite promoter is. You hadn’t heard of Schwarz, 24-1 (16), before he was sacrificed to Fury and he’ll return to Germany, never to be heard from again. Fury danced on the hapless heavyweight like a six-foot-nine Josh Baskin pounding out a melody on the (LM)FAO Schwarz keys. A pair of hooks to the body were all Schwarz could land, and only because Fury, enamored with his own slickness, occasionally swapped a sound defense for a flashy one.”

Read Short of Gold: After Demolishing Schwarz, Tyson Fury Waits for the “Biggest Fight in Boxing” on Hannibal Boxing.