IBR ON HANNIBAL BOXING

“On Saturday, Saul “Canelo” Alvarez defended his undisputed super middleweight crown against Jermell Charlo at the T-Mobile Arena in Las Vegas. Charlo, who rules the junior-middleweight division regardless of the hardware he lost to a broken hand, moved up two divisions and fourteen pounds to face a fighter he has long believed he could beat. A prizefight quickly devolved into a transaction with a result rightly decided by a series of scorecards as passionless and academic as the inaction that wrought them. All three judges scored the bout widely for Alvarez, who did very little and yet so much more than his opponent.”

Read All Hat, No Cattle: Jermell Charlo Capitulates to Canelo Alvarez on Hannibal Boxing.

IBR ON HANNIBAL BOXING

“It was a complete performance from the most complete fighter in boxing. But it was not a signature one. Nowhere during that domination did Crawford indulge in the sadism that makes personal the surgical application of his skills. Perhaps his respect for Spence, 28-1 (22), tempered his cruelty; at the end of the seventh round, after Spence twice hit the canvas, Crawford even touched gloves with his wilting opponent as if to compliment his toughness. And before he could indulge fully in the jubilation of his signature win, Crawford sought out Spence to thank and praise him. It was a rare emotional night for Crawford, a performance of supreme violence that resolved into quiet gratitude.”

Read Man Down: Terence Crawford Thrashes Errol Spence Jr. on Hannibal Boxing.

IBR ON HANNIBAL BOXING

But Inoue walked through Fulton; were you looking to identify those moments in the fight that belonged to Fulton, you would be forced to count in seconds and would have fingers and toes enough for the tally. Not because Inoue is a murderous puncher—though he is, without question, a concussionista of the highest order—but because Inoue is the better boxer, the finer technician, the smarter fighter, which brings interesting questions about matchmaking.

Read Enough Is Not Enough: Naoya Inoue Annihilates Stephen Fulton on Hannibal Boxing.