Thanksgiving is a time to give thanks, and with 2011 fast approaching, it's also a good time to reflect on all the blood, sweat and tears that have been shed this year inside and out of the ring for our entertainment. So, with that being said, this Thanksgiving, I present my Top 10 Boxing Thanks of 2010.
10. HBO'S DECISION TO GET OUT OF THE HEAVYWEIGHT BUSINESS
Let's face it, the heavyweight division sucks! At one time, there was nothing better in boxing than seeing a heavyweight knockout. In this day and age, however, watching a heavyweight fight is about as exciting as watching paint dry. As good as both Klitschko brothers are, they're just simply too boring to watch. The lack of any real competition deprives fans from ever seeing them in a competitve and entertaining fight. It's so bad, even their knockouts are boring. Thankfully, HBO has made the decision not to waste anymore valuable air time on the big boys.
9. THE LITTLE GUYS SOUTH OF WELTERWEIGHT
Thanks goodness for the little guys south of 147, who have been carrying the sport on their back since the death of the heavyweight division. Juan Manuel Marquez, Vic Darchinyan, Devon Alexander, Juan Manuel Lopez, Timothy Bradley, Yuriorkis Gamboa, Rafael Marquez, and of course the biggest little guy of them all, Manny Pacquiao, have all given fans something to cheer about this year. I'm sure there's several others that I'm forgetting, but thankfully, each and every one of them lay it all on the line to prove that they fight much bigger than their size.
8. BOXING FANS TAKING A STAND
When Golden Boy Promotions made the decision to stage the uninteresting Hopkins vs. Jones II card as an independent pay-per-view, I was concerned that we were about to see a growing trend. Sure enough, despite the dismal pay-per-view numbers (roughly 150,000 buys), Golden Boy Promotions tried to do it again with the lackluster Mosley vs. Mora card, this time, surprisingly, with the backing of HBO. Thankfully, however, the boxing fans took a stand again, refusing to spend money (roughly 100,000 buys) on a main event barely worthy of being on Boxing After Dark. Golden Boy Promotions was hoping to do it again with Hopkins vs. Pascal, but the stance that many of you took on their previous pay-per-view events prompted HBO to decline and made Golden Boy Promotions hesistant to go it alone. So now, we'll get to see a decent little scrap on Showtime for free, and for that, I'm thankful.
7. FLOYD MAYWEATHER
Love him or hate him, Floyd Mayweather certainly did his part this year in making sure boxing stayed in the mainstream headlines. Whether those were good or bad headlines is a whole different story, but like the old saying goes, any press is good press and the sport of boxing has certainly been a hot topic throughout the year largely due to Floyd Mayweather's actions. From his refusal to fight anyone unless they agree to random drug testing, to his rant on UStream, and of course the felony and misdemeanor charges stemming from his domestic violence case, Mayweather certainly has kept boxing at the forefront of the news. Even ESPN is covering the sport much more than normal on some of their top programs, like PTI, Jim Rome is Burning, and 1st and 10. For that, Floyd Mayweather, I am thankful.
6. THE UPSETS
You gotta love an upset. If every fight went as expected, then what would be the point of watching them? Thankfully, 2010 provided a few upsets that reminded us that nothing is a sure bet in boxing. First, after moving up from the 154-pound division, Sergio Martinez would shock then-champion Kelly Pavlik, getting a much easier than expected unanimous decision to become the new middleweight champion of the world. Following that, middleweight Daniel Jacobs would taste defeat for the first time of his career when he was knocked out cold by Dmitriy Pirog, who was relatively unknown by most fans up until that point. 2010 has definitely been a year of upsets that have introduced new faces to the boxing scene, and for that, I am thankful.
5. THE SUPER SIX TOURNAMENT
Despite the fact that the Super Six Tournament has suffered more pullouts than Jenna Jameson, we've still been treated to fights featuring the biggest names in the division. Kessler vs. Froch, Dirrell vs. Abraham, Ward vs. Green, and Johnson vs. Green, as well as this weekend's matchups of Froch vs. Abraham and Ward vs. Bika, are all bouts that may have never been made if it wasn't for the tournament. If anything, the Super Six tournament is doing it's part to clean up a division that hasn't had a clear undisputed champion since Joe Calzaghe moved up in weight and later retired. Not to mention, with the exception of Ward vs. Green, all of the other matchups were extremely entertaining for one reason or another, so for that, I am thankful.
4. HBO
Come on, you know I gotta show some love and a great deal of thanks to HBO. Despite spending way too much money on certain fighters (*cough* Berto *cough*) and then allowing said fighters to participate in mismatches, HBO still leads the way in star power. Although I strongly disagree with their selection of pay-per-view bouts, I still have to give credit where credit is due and there's no denying that a fight just seems that much bigger whenever it's on HBO. Plus, seriously, can you imagine boxing without HBO? No way! So HBO, yeah, I am definitely thankful.
3. SHOWTIME
HBO may have the bigger names, but Showtime leads the way in more competitive and entertaining bouts. With past fights like Lopez vs. Marquez, Kessler vs. Froch, and Dirrell vs. Abraham, as well as upcoming bouts featuring Abraham vs. Froch, Ward vs. Bika, and Hopkins vs. Pascal, Showtime continues to prove why it's smarter to spend money on a good matchup as opposed to just giving it away to a big name in a mismatch. Plus, unlike rival network HBO, Showtime continues to showcase and build future stars of the sport through their ShoBox: The New Generation series, where names like Timothy Bradley, Chad Dawson and Yuriorkis Gamboa all got their start before being lured away with the promise of more money. Not to mention, the late Edwin Valero scored his 27th and final knockout of his career on Showtime before his untimely death. And I almost forgot the exciting four-man, single-elimination bantamweight tournament featuring Vic Darchinyan, Abner Mares, Yonnhy Perez and Joseph Agbeko starting next month. Combine all that with the fact that Showtime has actually given fans more boxing dates than HBO and, well, you have to be thankful for that.
2. MANNY PACQUIAO
Seriously, what more can you say about Manny Pacquiao that hasn't already been said? I think we all need to say a big thank you, not necessarily for what he's accomplished inside the ring, but instead, for how he's done it. Time and time again, Manny Pacquiao has entertained fans with a style that can be described as thrilling. Actually, there's several different words that can describe his style, but none of them can fully capture the type of energy he brings when he steps foot inside the ring. Whether he's dazzling you with his fancy footwork or mesmerizing you with his blistering combinations, Manny Pacquiao is pure excitement when he fights, and more importantly, he does it all for the fans, something that's rare in a sport dominated by selfishness and greed. So thank you Manny Pacquiao for being a bright spot in a dark sport, and for always, always, always giving the fans their money's worth.
1. SERGIO MARTINEZ
Last but not least, thanks you Sergio Martinez! Just when you thought all the talk in boxing was about Floyd Mayweather and Manny Pacquiao, along comes Sergio "Maravilla" Martinez, who reminded us that one punch is all it takes to change the landscape of the sport. Although his devastating 2nd round knockout of Paul Williams may not help his cause for getting the big fights, it certainly served notice that the sport of boxing is alive and well and does not need one big mega-fight to save it. A star is born every day and with the performance he put on, Sergio Martinez proved that there's a lot more to boxing than just Floyd Mayweather and Manny Pacquiao.
Happy Thanksgiving
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