All great warriors, both established and young. All the big battles. All great knockouts. All great personalities.
Yes, boxing fans have a lot to be grateful for on Thanksgiving Day.
Here are 20 things I’m grateful for…
- Tyson Fury, whose ability and presence made him one of the hottest heavyweights in years.
- Oleksandr Usyk, whose super talent helped him become a unified heavyweight champion even though he was originally a heavyweight athlete.
- Deontay Wilder, whose amazing punch power makes him the most exciting heavyweight since Mike Tyson was at his peak.
- Promoter Bob Arum, who remains a major player in the sport at 90. He turns 91 on December 8.
- The Gervonta Davis-Ryan Garcia match proves that any obstacle can be overcome with the will.
- The reality is that there’s still time for Terence Crawford and Errol Spence Jr. fight each other, although recent events have made me pessimistic.
- Davis, whose combination of skill set and crushing power can be unparalleled in the sport.
- Jaron Ennis, whose agility and punching power reminds me of Roy Jones Jr.
- David Benavidez, whose abilities and underrated fighting spirit make him one of the best and most exciting fighters on the planet.
- The trend toward unifying titles, it’s a (albeit small) step towards the ideal of one champion per division.
- A wave of brilliant boxers 25 and under (including Garcia, Ennis, Benavidez, Shakur Stevenson, Devin Haney and Bam Rodriguez) who ensure that the sport will do well for years to come .
- Canelo Alvarez, whose consistency for more than a decade is said to have made him the face of the sport.
- Dmitry Bivol, who proved that no one is invincible.
- The Charlo brothers, who may be the best fighting brothers of all time.
- Roman “Chocolatito” Gonzalez, who is somehow still going strong at the age (35) when most junior boxers are entering their second career.
- Naoya Inoue, the worthy successor to the great Manny Pacquiao as the best Asian boxer in the world. He might be the best fighter, period.
- The rise of female boxing, it’s been too long. They’ve given fans some of the best fights over the past decade or so.
- Joe Joyce, who could be the next heavyweight boxer.
- The precautions boxing commissions take to protect boxers. I hope they continue to hone their safety measures.
- All the warriors who risk their lives every time they step over the ropes to pursue our dreams and entertain us. God bless them.
