It could have been a banner night for HBO boxing.

Though its Saturday card from Montreal was inconveniently (for fans) matched up with a dueling 10 p.m. ET event on Showtime, it seemed the boys from the "Network of Champions" had nonetheless called the driver's seat as the evening commenced.

Their two bouts - Chad Dawson vs. Adonis Stevenson and Yuriorkis Gamboa vs. Darleys Perez - featured the two most-decorated fighters of the weekend, and their main event (Dawson vs. Stevenson for the WBC's light heavy strap) was the only fight on either TV card that had a title belt on the line worthy of actual mention.

And even as the opening bouts - Gamboa's on HBO and Jermell Charlo's on Showtime - wound their respective ways from borderline interesting to astoundingly boring, it wasn't as if either cable giant was gaining ground.

But it didn't take long for that vibe to change.

Once the shock passed from seeing Stevenson's left hand collide with Dawson's skull - and hearing the markedly different fighter interviews that followed - more than sufficient time remained to grab the remote and make the switch to catch what quickly became one of the year's best shows.

In fact, had HBO known what was coming, it might have asked Andre Ward to glove up.

The back half of the junior middleweight match between Erislandy Lara and Alfredo Angulo could alone have carried the night, what with the winner rising from a pair of knockdowns and the loser suffering the sort of ghastly eye injury that illustrates why fans - and the AMA - pay rapt attention.

As it turned out, though, even a tumultuous slugfest ended by a fractured orbital bone was no better than runner-up to the Marcos Maidana-Josesito Lopez welterweight throw-down, which is sure to be resurrected during holiday season when the year's top rounds, fights and controversial stoppages are discussed.

If you haven't seen it, do yourself a favor.

If you have, you already know why it's worth another watch.

And if you're scoring at home, you'll acknowledge another clear win in a charmed spring for what had long been perceived as the kid brother of premium- cable boxing.

Showtime became the de facto network of Golden Boy Promotions after HBO severed ties with the company in March, Mexican heartthrob Canelo Alvarez passed his legitimacy litmus test against Austin Trout in April and Floyd Mayweather Jr. cashed his first pay-per-view check with the network's logo by outclassing Robert Guerrero on the first Saturday in May.

Add in a jolt of Lucas Matthysse two weeks hence, and it's been good to be Stephen Espinoza.

"The momentum has been created by the wealth of talent at the top of the 140-, 147- and 154-pound divisions," said the Golden Boy attorney-turned-Showtime fight boss, whose business card formally labels him as executive vice president and general manager of Showtime Sports.

"The credit goes to the boxers who have stepped up and accepted the challenge of participating in the highest profile and most important fights. It's been an incredible run, and there's no end in sight."

The next small steps toward superiority come in Brooklyn on June 22 and July 13, when Adrien Broner meets Paul Malignaggi and Bernard Hopkins faces Karo Murat - before another giant leap on Sept. 14, when Mayweather and Alvarez get together at 152 pounds in Las Vegas.

But if you're waiting for Espinoza to plant a flag and declare victory, don't hold your breath.