Such was the oddity of Anthony Joshua v Jake Paul even taking place, the fight landed on Netflix under a cloud of suspicion that boxing had surrendered itself to choreography.
To be clear, this was a sanctioned professional contest, not a scripted event – and the storyline it produced was mundane and predictably one-sided.
The plot played out in the ring was lifeless – a slow, joyless watch that would have struggled to earn even a charitable rating on Rotten Tomatoes.
And the ultimate irony is that this spectacle has provided one of Joshua’s biggest paydays and, in all likelihood, his largest television audience.
With seconds remaining in the fourth round, referee Christopher Young perhaps spoke for viewers around the world when he pulled the fighters together and urged them to engage.
Directing his comments at Paul, he said: “Fans didn’t pay to see this crap.”
“Amen,” replied Netflix commentator Mauro Ranallo. “Christopher Young with the call of the night.”
All week Joshua spoke about “carrying boxing on his back”. On Friday night in Miami, he dumped the load, but only after an awkward and laboured process.
Paul was there to survive.
The man who spent fight week promising the greatest upset in sporting history instead avoided engagement.
He circled endlessly – making the most of the space afford by a ring two feet wider than normal – and attempted to run down the clock.
When he did make contact, it was with echoes of his schoolboy past as a wrestler, constantly going low and grabbing Joshua’s leg.
There was an embarrassing lack of punches by Paul and a litany of wild swings from Joshua that even a novice like his opponent was able to easily evade.
“It’s a win but it’s not a success,” Joshua said afterwards. “I’ve got a lot of improving I’ve got to do. I’m not happy.”
Joshua earned his share of a reported £210m purse, but from a boxing perspective – and for those in the UK who stayed up into the early hours to watch – the contest was meaningless.
