Ballet of Violence

It was weirdly premature for HBO’s crew to call for a stoppage in the 7th round, but it also wasn’t. It wasn’t that Cotto was getting beaten to the verge of injury, like Oscar was. It was more like watching one chess grandmaster blow a crucial move, and deciding whether to watch the inevitable endgame play out. For Lampley, Steward and Lederman and the entire Cotto clan, the game was already over. Merchant wanted it to play on. So did I. It was a great boxing moment, watching Cotto play out that losing hand. I saw the same sparks of defiance that marked all the great championship fights I’ve ever seen.

— There’s something about Manny - Bad Left Hook