“There is a right way for titles to change hands, a right way to consolidate them: in a manner expeditious as it is violent, captivating as it is definitive. This is the only way Naoya Inoue accepts, and it would be uniquely his were it not for the apex predator from Omaha. Inoue is now the undisputed super bantamweight champion of the world, a distinction he secured, fittingly, on Boxing Day, stopping Marlon Tapales in ten rounds at the Ariake Arena in Koto-Ku, Japan. After two fights, the division is Inoue’s; consecutive concussive performances reminding us that if “all the belts” is your ambition—and your talent is equal to it—the excuses for falling short of your goal might reside in you.”

Read Atomic Blonde: Naoya Inoue is Undisputed (Again) 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.

“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.