IBR on The Cruelest Sport

“A fight for the boxing hipsters, Russell-Lomachenko pitted a fighter who had seen his once burgeoning popularity wane enough that it was again cool to like him against an underground sensation with “the look” but not the mainstream popularity (and the inevitable backlash that accompanies it). Whoever came out on top would be “on trend” if for no other reason than having proved his merits, the hipsters could say they had recognized them all along. But this was not a symposium on fixed-gear bikes or pretentious mustaches: Russell-Lomachenko was a genuinely intriguing fight, regardless of how little attention it garnered.”

Read Grand Designs: Vasyl Lomachenko W12 Gary Russell, Jr. on The Cruelest Sport

IBR on The Cruelest Sport

“Gary Russell, Jr., faces Vasyl Lomachenko in the opener of a Showtime triple-header from the StubHub Center in Carson, California, on Saturday night—and fittingly so. Not because Russell’s uninspired career is as gawk-worthy as a garage sale, or because Lomachenko has as many wins as fingers needed to flip someone off—although both are acceptable reasons for low billing. No, this matchup of unknown variables is an appropriate opener because it is a fight between two men who have jumped the line to Clipart title shots. Where better to slot it then, than first?”

Read Absence Versus Thin Air: Vasyl Lomachenko-Gary Russell, Jr. Preview on The Cruelest Sport.

IBR on The Cruelest Sport

“It would be interesting to hear Friedrich Nietzsche’s take on Ruslan Provodnikov. Nietzsche, whose philosophy apotheosized the will, would surely provide interesting commentary on a fighter who exemplifies the creative and destructive potential of an iron volition. Provodnikov is not unique in his fixation on will—boxing is a sport predicated on willpower directed both without and within—but there is an almost mystic quality to the language he uses in reducing a violent ritual to a test between intangible forces. It is both frightening and captivating to hear Provodnikov, Beryozovo, Russia, speak of how his willpower allows him to overcome opponents and himself alike. And he means what he says: in the ring, when the talking stops, Provodnikov covets only attrition.”

Read: Anything But The Knots: Chris Algieri W12 Ruslan Provodnikov on The Cruelest Sport.