All the great fighters, both established and young. All the great fights. All the great knockouts. All the great personalities.
Yes, boxing fans have a lot to be grateful for on Thanksgiving Day.
Here are 20 things I’m thankful for …
- Tyson Fury, whose ability and presence make him one of the most compelling heavyweights in many years.
- Oleksandr Usyk, whose sublime talent has allowed him to become a unified heavyweight champion even though he’s a natural cruiserweight.
- Deontay Wilder, whose awesome punching 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 years old. He turns 91 on Dec. 8.
- The Gervonta Davis-Ryan Garcia matchup, which demonstrates that any obstacles can be overcome if the will is there.
- The fact there’s still time for Terence Crawford and Errol Spence Jr. to fight one another, although recent events leave me pessimistic.
- Davis, whose combination of skill set and crushing power might be unmatched in the sport.
- Jaron Ennis, whose quickness and punching power remind me of Roy Jones Jr.
- David Benavidez, whose underrated ability and fighting spirit make him one of the best and most exciting warriors on the planet.
- The trend toward title unification, which is a step (however small) toward the ideal of one champion per division.
- A wave of brilliant 25-and-younger boxers (including by Garcia, Ennis, Benavidez, Shakur Stevenson, Devin Haney and Bam Rodriguez), who ensure that the sport will be in good hands for years to come.
- Canelo Alvarez, whose consistency over more than a decade has arguably made him the face of the sport.
- Dmitry Bivol, who proved that no one is unbeatable.
- The Charlo brothers, who might be the best fighting siblings of all time.
- Roman “Chocolatito” Gonzalez, who somehow is still going strong at an age (35) when most little fighters are well into their second careers.
- Naoya Inoue, who is a worthy successor to the great Manny Pacquiao as the best Asian fighter in the world. He might be the best fighter, period.
- The rise of women’s boxing, which is long overdue. They have given the fans many of the best fights over the past decade-plus.
- Joe Joyce, who might be the next dominant heavyweight.
- The precautions boxing commissions take to protect the fighters. I hope they continue to hone safety measures.
- All the fighters, who risk their lives every time they step through the ropes to pursue their dreams and entertain us. God bless them.