It happens with lots of fights.

Two boxers (or what have you--this trend isn't exclusive to pugilism) fight it out, and it is close and competitive down the stretch. A fantastic, if somewhat methodical, fight plays out before our eyes, and when it's all over... half of us hate the judges' decision.

Few things can sour the taste of a good fight more than a split decision, and the moment that Canelo Alvarez officially received the nod from the judges, Canelo vs Lara went from entertaining fight to disappointing controversy.

Worse, still, were the claims of some that the fight was "hard to watch," or "boring." Perhaps this opinion was influenced by Alvarez's own post-fight remarks, wherein he lamented not being able to put on the kind of fight that the fans want to see, and lambasted Lara for "running" the entire time. If this fight seemed dull and uninteresting to you, I don't know what to tell you.

But, instead of berating you, I invite you to join me in rewatching some of the very best sequences from this competitive, high-level bout slowed down, chopped up, and explored in-depth. Alvarez and Lara struggled mightily with one another even when neither was throwing punches, and this battle of wills was played out in the subtle adjustments each man was continually forced to make to wrest control of the fight from his opponent.

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