The book on Khan has been out for some time. First published under Prescott, then reissued by Peterson & Garcia, this book tells the story of a fighter from Bolton, Lancashire, England, a silver medalist in the 2004 Olympics who looks both unstoppable and eminently beatable. According to this book, a light-punching boxer like Algieri stood little chance against “King Khan,” a fighter to whom he conceded nearly every meaningful advantage. It is not so much that Algieri could not hurt Khan, as he did with an overhand right in the opening round, but that his style—that of the mobile boxer—would play to Khan’s strengths. And in those moments when Algieri either reverted to this style, or was forced into it by a better boxer, the fight played out by the book.

Read On the Fly: Amir Khan W12 Chris Algieri on The Cruelest Sport.

“Part of what was intended to make the Friday PBC broadcasts better than their now extinct Friday competition is the name value of the fighters involved. No, familiarity is not enough for success, but if Haymon is looking to attract new viewers, and ultimately new sponsors, he is going to use the more recognizable names in his stable (at least for now). Unfortunately, Haymon has given little indication that he will risk having his familiar fighters knocked off. In this respect, there is little revolutionary about PBC boxing coming to regular cable. Mismatches, of course, are nothing new: HBO is guilty of them with their flagship fighters, Showtime is guilty of making them for whomever Haymon says.”

Read Trivial Pursuit: Amir Khan-Chris Algieri Preview on The Cruelest Sport.

“With the win, DeGale also joins Vasyl Lomachenko as the second 2008 gold medalist to win a vacant title over an Al Haymon fighter, a feat that is unremarkable given the number of fighters under Haymon’s purview, but nigh impossible considering his predilection for control. Like Lomachenko, DeGale, London, England, only got his crack at the title because of a purse bid won by Haymon, who staged the fight with one of his puppet promoters (in this case Warriors Boxing).”

Read The Other: James DeGale W12 Andre Dirrell on The Cruelest Sport.