“The bout also marked Ward’s return to HBO, and a fitting return it was. Making his return to action after two years lost trying to extricate himself from Goossen Promotions, Ward suggested reanimating a corpse or two to help him reacquaint himself with the perils of his profession. HBO would have none of it, however. While BET was happy to let Ward hammer Paul Smith to inevitable defeat last June, HBO did a rare thing: it imposed some standards on one of its high-profile fighters. In offering Ward a three-fight contract, the network not only required Ward agree to meet Sergey Kovalev in the final fight of that contract, it demanded an opponent with merit—if not a prayer—for the “Son of God’s” Easter return.”

Read: Beyond Reach: On the Return of Andre Ward on The Cruelest Sport.

“Terence Crawford made a mess of Hank Lundy at the Theater in Madison Square Garden last night, hammering Lundy to a fifth round stoppage just as an overwhelming favorite should. It was a typical Crawford performance: one where the opponent feels himself in the fight, until suddenly (for the opponent) and inevitably (for Crawford) the only tenable outcome becomes clear. Lundy, the self-professed “Uncrowned Champion,” remained crown-less; Crawford kept his own bauble, and the HBO commentary troupe worked up the usual lather about what mayhem Crawford might visit on opponents far better than the ones the network approves for him.”

Read Disassembly Line: Terence Crawford TKO5 Hank Lundy on The Cruelest Sport.

“Crawford, who faces Hank Lundy in the main event of the HBO Championship Boxing card from Madison Square Garden in New York, is not facing Manny Pacquiao, as rumors ultimately as hollow as they were well-placed encouraged us to believe. But his rejection as the Filipino’s first final opponent reflects how formidable a fighter Crawford has become. It was not finances that prompted Team Pacquiao to choose Tim Bradley a third time, but preservation. Bradley is the more familiar fighter, yes, he is more proven; Crawford is better. Just how much better is something neither the brain trust of a 37-year-old veteran of 65 fights, nor the fighter himself, is interested in presently determining.”

Read Idle Ceremony: Terence Crawford-Hank Lundy Preview on The Cruelest Sport.