It was Ian Dury & The Blockheads who crooned about “Reasons to be Cheerful.”
Today’s twist on the theme is Reasons to be Thankful in the thimble sized world that cares about professional boxing.
So, before you say “rub a dub dub and thanks for the grub” and put knife and fork into the midsection of your holiday turkey or, for you vegans, your Thanksgiving tofurkey, consider that we can be appreciative for…
Dan Goossen, chief public apologist for Tall Paul Williams because Al Haymon keeps his advisory lips sealed, went out of his way to say that dashing Argentine Sergio Martinez’s one shot dismantling of PWill was NOT, I repeat, was NOT the proverbial “lucky punch.”
Hollywood Danno is improving at propaganda, it seems, because by saying it was “a lucky punch” he, of course, has implanted the notion that it really was a fortunate blow landed by “Maravilla.”
It really was “a lucky punch,” lucky for fight fans coming in the 11th month of an otherwise fairly pedestrian boxing year. It was high drama on the Atlantic City Boardwalk and it served to awake sleeping boxing fans and to give notice to the MMA advocates and enthusiasts that no fight result in their UFC and other shows will ever be as electrifying as a clean and classic boxing KO.
This one is preserved in posterity, along with other classics such as Thomas Hearns’ near beheading of another ring great, Roberto Duran. That one also ended in the second round.
So let’s be thankful for “Maravilla” blooming into a superstar, albeit however fleeting his status, at age 35 and let’s enjoy the ride…
Thnakful for the workaholic habits of Coach Freddie Roach at the same time we wish he’d take a well earned vacation on Boracay Beach or somewhere where he can sit in the sand, take in the sun and order frothy drinks with paper umbrellas in them…
Thankful for the unusual but praiseworthy loyalty middleweight Kelly Pavlik shows to his hometown trainer Jack Loew despite those who try to break them apart. Pavlik may have hand injuries, rib injuries and more but it’s clear he does not suffer from amnesia…
Thankful for how Buboy Fernandez, Alex Ariza and, yes even Michael Koncz, sublimate their egos on Team Pacquiao knowing that only Manny and Coach Roach drive the train and everyone else is a passenger. In recent bouts, the supposed disharmony surrounding Pac has been mostly a product of dramatic license, fodder for the HBO 24/7 telenovelas…
Thankful to WBC Leader For Life Don Jose Sulaiman and his deep-pocketed pal, the Mexican billionaire Carlos Slim Helu, who teamed up to provide substantial and sorely needed monthly pensions (not taxed, either) for former ring greats such as the down and out Carlos Zarate. We’d all be more thankful if we could identify an American rich guy (is Warren Buffett a fight fan, I don’t believe so) to do the same.
Thankful if we see the Boxing Writers and the Boxing Hall Of Fame pay special tribute to Senor Slim with the idea that maybe this good charity started in Mexico City can spread across the US border…
Thankful for Nonito Donaire and perky wife, Rachel, who do not suffer from any Pacquiao comparison syndrome but instead enjoy and appreciate the limelight which shines on the second favorite fighter of Filipino extraction. The Donaires hope to be thankful for better opponents come 2011 and beyond so Nonito’s bright light of talent can be magnified…
Thankful to have met and spent time with all the great Pinoy, Fil-Ams and others in Pacman’s huge orbit, including but not limited to Jimmy from Pensacola; Auntie Lilly from Virginia (Manny’s aunt); Hammering Hermie Rivera; Dr. Ed de la Vegas, DDS, and to his magician son, Enrico, who has a trick which makes toothaches and dinner tabs disappear; journalist Edwin Espejo back in Gensan; Tina from Nat’s Thai Food; Rachel Buenvista of Nike; Manny henchman Joe “I Lived In Omaha But Mr. Buffett Never Adopted Me” Ramos; my man in San Diego, Jeffrey Rosete of Flip Squad Apparel (shout out to VP sales, marketing Omar Manglicmot; Mike Koncz’s tell it like it is bride, Racquel Batimana;Helena Buscema, the singing coach who can get you six-way chili from Cincinnati; the colorful and powerful politician Gov. Chavit Singson; Chavit’s Canadian pal, Geoff Hughes; Bob Lyons of StarFlite International, Inc., the “wingman” who sets up the “Air Pacquiao” charter flights when he’s not busy sending the Boston Celtics into the wild, blue yonder; Pacman’s personal videographer, Levi Martinez; Bartender/Poet/Painter Wrong Rev. Carl Roberts, a leprechaun of many skills; Quezon City’s own, the ubiquitous sports media maven, Robbie M. Pangilinan, even though he still has not introduced me to Madam Auring; Chino Trinidad and Ruth Cabral of GMA; Dyan Castillejo of ABS-CBN; Dodie King at the Amusement & Gaming Board, Malate, Manila; irrepressible Winchell Campos; to Goodfella Adriano “Call Me Tay” Golingan at his Family Country Hotel in Gensan, a true boxing guy; Pacman’s personal priest, Fr. Marlon Boef; last but never least, pals Ronnie Nathanielsz, Nick Giongco, Abac Cordero and all the other terrific Pinoy fight scribes and scribettes with special mention to living legend, Recah Trinidad, as son Chino thought a basketball coach was like a jeepney, something to “ride in” when Pops was already at the top of his game…
In case I missed you, come on, you know who you are…mabuhay ka Manny!
Thankful for how fighters have other promotional options beyond Top Rank and Golden Boy. While some, especially some at the House Of Oscar, yearn for monolithic control as enjoyed by Dana White and the “our way or the highway” rule of the UFC, I think it’s good for my sport to have a Lou DiBella to take on an unheralded talent like Martinez. Let the promoters compete like the fighters have to compete. You know the old saw about how absolute power corrupts absolutely…
Thankful for how Michael Buffer’s introductions and familiar “Let’s get ready to rumble” tag line pumps up live arena crowds. You have to sit in a Cowboys Stadium with 50,000 others to get the FBE, Full Buffer Effect…
Thankful for how Pacman never responds to confused Floyd Mayweather Jr., who is really not some street thug like he pretends to be sometimes, in an infantile manner but, instead, responds with common sense. For his betterment and the uplifting of boxing, who knows, maybe Mayweather will abandon such childish conduct sometime soon…
Thankful that young stars, such as Mercito Gesta, Brandon Rios, Juan Manuel Lopez, Yuriorkis Gamboa and heavyweight banger Orlando Solis are bubbling up when the greybeards–Shane Mosley and Bernard Hopkins come to mind–are nearing the exit door…
Thankful that BHop keeps mentioning African American boxers even though he does it in a weird way. We’d be more thankful if there weren’t less black American boxers each passing year but I suppose it’s socioeconomic progress just as the Italian, Irish and Jewish American boxers faded away when those groups found other occupational doors open to them…
Thankful to Dong Secuya, Salven Lambugay and the others at Pacland/Philboxing.com for keeping the light on for boxing in general and Pinoys in particular. The popular sites are the internet version of a Starbucks for fight fans now, not just Pacman addicts…
Though I can’t say I know her well, I do know that Don King and his whole family are especially thankful to be gathered around the table today in Florida with the diminutive but forceful family matriarch, Henrietta. I’m sure the DK oceanfront mansion will be loaded with children, grandchildren and maybe even a few great grandchildren. Don may be King but, make no mistake, “Henry” is still the Queen…
Thankful that the magic of Martinez KO 2 Williams may be properly followed up by real excitement from the fists of Carl Froch, Andre Ward, King Artie Abraham, Juan Manuel Marquez, Michael Katsidis, Amir Khan and Marcos Maidana. The year was dismal for the longest but 2010 could go out with a real bang!..
Finally, I’m thankful to all you readers, even the White Gorilla haters, because if we all agreed on everything boxing, our small world would be a most boring place…
To me, the only real insult is the lethal combination of ignorance and apathy, which is when you don’t know AND you don’t care!
Turkey Day shout out to all the great American men and women serving in our Armed Forces around the globe. As always, we salute your service to the nation…
