The past three days featured nine major fights, already given a preview ranking by our own Eric Raskin here. Despite several duds, there were diamonds to be found among them, and our team picked which one shone brightest.

Tris Dixon: I had pretty low expectations of Ramon Cardenas against Naoya Inoue simply because Inoue is so good rather than Cardenas being a sub-par challenger. But I enjoyed everything about that contest. Cardenas, at the start, fought out of a tight shell and when he let his hands go he punched with aggression and confidence. The knockdown was a special moment and a great bit of skill. Imagine how many times he has thrown that punch in the gym to get it to work like that under the bright lights? But you have to give Inoue credit for his adjustments, his ferocity, and doing what he needed to do. I was also very happy with the stoppage. Inoue was on top by then and the scales had shifted, for me, irreversibly.

Matt Christie: After enduring the snorefests of the previous two days, Naoya Inoue versus Ramon Cardenas was a welcome surprise. Full credit to Cardenas for exceeding all expectations and to Inoue, too, for brushing off his latest mini-crisis to show us all what makes him so special.

Ryan Songalia: James Gennari W-UD Joel Allen. Usually they say, save the best for last, but in Times Square this past week, they saved the best for first. Whenever you have a FDNY vs. NYPD fight in New York, there’s a lot more at stake because of the inter-agency rivalries, and this one lived up to the hype. Glad they came to represent their badges and ensure there was at least one entertaining match on the card. There’s almost never a boring fight whenever they do their annual shows at Madison Square Garden.

Post-script: Yeah, that Inoue-Cardenas fight was good, too.

Eric Raskin: This would have been a tough question to answer if I’d tried to do so Sunday afternoon. Then along came Sunday night to make it easy. Sorry if I’m going the Captain Obvious route here, but Inoue KO 8 Cardenas was the fight of the weekend. And for me, it’s the fight of the year so far — comfortably.

I was among those who didn’t get swept away in the emotion of Chris Eubank Jnr vs. Conor Benn. Solid scrap, great atmosphere, not an all-timer. Then along came Cardenas to put Inoue on the deck and partner with him in eight rounds of pure edge-of-your-seat violence at an elite level. Their scorcher easily won the weekend, and to my eyes, is almost as easily the leader in the clubhouse for year-end honors.

Declan Warrington: Naoya Inoue-Ramon Cardenas. It wasn’t only incredibly entertaining, it was dramatic, and proved one of those rare occasions from which both fighters emerged with their reputations enhanced. Inoue was already recognised as a special fighter, but Cardenas can expect to attract bigger audiences hereafter, too.

Elliot Worsell: Inoue’s latest win is my pick and it shines even brighter in light of everything that came before it. In fact, the one thing you can say for Inoue is that he always makes even so-called mismatches interesting and exciting.

Owen Lewis: I couldn’t have asked for any more from Inoue-Cardenas. The main beats are what will get talked about most – Inoue rising from the knockdown, Cardenas’ chin and guts – but how about the finer details? The fighters didn’t clinch more than once or twice in seven rounds and change, and they celebrated the classic they were authoring by grinning and tapping gloves even after some of their most brutal rounds. I had chills.

Inoue showed more desire to entertain than Devin Haney, Ryan Garcia, and Saul “Canelo” Alvarez combined, and Cardenas came with more desire to win than all the other underdogs in those fights combined. The fight wasn’t just a palate-cleanser from the shit sandwich of the previous few days, it reminded me why I watch boxing.

Tom Ivers: For me, it’s not even close. Naoya Inoue vs. Ramon Cardenas exceeded expectations. Both men were under pressure after the two lackluster shows in the days previous to deliver, and they put on an eight-round barnburner. Cardenas deserves huge credit for the part he’d played, I like many doubted his chances but he has more than earned another big fight under the Las Vegas lights.

Lucas Ketelle: Rafael Espinoza TKO7 Edward Vazquez. Punch volume (or the lack thereof) was the theme of this weekend's fights. Then came Espinoza, throwing 86 punches in the opening round. Though he lost, Vazquez is the type of fighter who should be celebrated. He lost two close fights to Joe Cordina and Raymond Ford but never lost his belief in himself. This weekend, many fighters underachieved under a big spotlight, Espinoza stole the show and let his hands go. Vazquez's bravery was also on full display as he refused to back up or check out the fight.

Espinoza is trending to be a modern remix of Emanuel Navarrete, a Mexican fighter who pulled off a major upset and then became a star with subsequent performances. Another successful defense for Espinoza moved him closer to headlining shows at a later date.

Jason Langendorf: Inoue-Cardenas is an easy call. How do you beat it? An all-time great against the world’s new favorite Lyft driver. A (brief) underdog story. Both fighters hitting the deck. Boxing’s most exciting performer delivering, yet again, with a stirring stoppage. And it all landed as the perfect palate cleanser for an otherwise deeply disappointing weekend of fights.

David Greisman: Inoue-Cardenas. Not just the best fight of the weekend. It was one of the best fights of the year.