“Garcia-Peterson is an interesting fight, though not so interesting that it justifies the setup. Nor is there some kind of mandate for this fight simply because Showtime bought the disgraceful audition. Garcia-Peterson pits a fighter who tamed Lucas Matthysse against a fighter ravaged by him. That does not mean that Peterson is doomed: there are reasons to think he can succeed against Garcia in ways Matthysse did not. Still, enthusiasm for this fight is generated in part by lowered expectations—expectations that Haymon is largely, purposefully responsible for. Having teased the public with the possibility of Garcia-Peterson—a good fight, but an excellent one in the context of last year—Haymon may be banking on the recovering public celebrating the matchup and the brand delivering it.”

Read The Kicker: Danny Garcia-Lamont Peterson Preview on The Cruelest Sport.

“Stevenson-Bika pitted one fighter, the southpaw Stevenson, who would be rendered nearly helpless should he injure his left hand, against another, Bika, whose brand of violence would be only slightly less effective were he to lose both of his hands entirely. No such disaster befell either fighter. Yet, despite their four good hands they failed to conjure a memorable moment over 12 trudging rounds. Ivan Denisovich had more success building walls then Stevenson and Bika did building excitement.”

Read Wonder or Wander: Adonis Stevenson W12 Sakio Bika on The Cruelest Sport.

“What is needed now from Russell is more of the same. Considering the nondescript opponents, the squandered potential, the years of tried patience that have typified Russell’s career, that request is as unexpected as it is novel. “Patience” from the Latin “pati” meaning “to suffer,”—oh yes, waiting on Russell was indeed suffering for aficionados left cold by his glacial progression. After years of wanting anything but consistency from Russell, however, the fighter from Capitol Heights, Maryland, finally delivered a performance that, at the very least, piqued a collective interest and earned him goodwill enough for the public to pardon whatever mandatory defense his newly acquired hardware might permit.”

Read First & Long Overdue: Gary Russell Jr. TKO4 Jhonny Gonzalez on The Cruelest Sport.