So Dan Rafael and ESPN give us................

.............. ..... ...... . . . . what they are thankful for this Thanksgiving..... This boxing fan has plenty to be thankful for Wednesday, November 26, 2008 | Print Entry Posted by Dan Rafael It's time for Thanksgiving, so, as far as boxing goes, here is what I am thankful for these days: • HBO stepping up to the plate with some extra dough to get the Antonio Margarito-Shane Mosley fight done for Jan. 24. What a tremendous way to kick off 2009. • The tenuous, but so-far lasting peace between promoters Top Rank and Golden Boy. Their vast stables mesh brilliantly and they keep making the biggest fights in boxing together. • Oscar De La Hoya fighting Manny Pacquiao. I touted it when it was nothing more than a twinkle in Larry Merchant 's fertile imagination, but I never believed it would actually happen. Now, it's only a week away and it's going to be great. • A fresh season of ESPN2's "Friday Night Fights" is just around the corner. • The re-emergence of Ricky Hatton. There's only one, you know. • The class of Wladimir Klitschko and Glen Johnson. • Having Angelo Dundee involved with the De La Hoya-Pacquiao fight. At 87, Dundee is one of boxing's treasures and he has a million great stories. • Oscar Diaz surviving after suffering a brain injury against Delvin Rodriguez in July. • HBO's "24/7," a brilliant series often more compelling than the fights that it follows the build up to. But wouldn't you love to see a batch of episodes that focus on a regular HBO bout instead of them only being for HBO PPV matches? • Kendall Holt and Ricardo Torres agreeing to a rubber match in their wild rivalry. • My three DVRs and a wife who will happily and properly record all the boxing shows for me when I am away covering an event. • The crushing power of Vic Darchinyan and Arthur Abraham. TEAM ARMENIA BABY • Showtime for using its money wisely to buy important, but not necessarily star-studded fights, such Lucian Bute vs. Librado Andrade, Celestino Caballero vs. Steve Molitor, Abraham vs. Edison Miranda II and the second and third Holt-Torres bouts. Those fighters don't have the biggest names but they were each in fights that mattered. • Video Web sites such as youtube.com to watch overseas fights on, sometimes within minutes of their conclusion. • The gofightlive.tv Web site to watch many of the smaller American cards live and for free on. • Kelly Pavlik and Miguel Cotto, both now-beaten stars, are young enough and mentally strong enough to rebound from tough losses. • The passion of boxing fans in such places as the United Kingdom, Puerto Rico, Mexico and Montreal. If you think boxing is dying or dead, think again. • The recent rumors of an Arturo Gatti comeback being just that. • Those who run the show at sister Las Vegas casinos MGM Grand and Mandalay Bay continue to support boxing, not to mention the outstanding PR staff that always makes the media feel welcome, big fight or small. • A junior middleweight division stocked with young talent such as Paul Williams, Alfredo Angulo, Joel "Love Child" Julio, James Kirkland, John Duddy, Ronald Hearns, Vanes Martirosyan, Joe Greene and Deandre Latimore. • The ridiculous skills of Ivan "Iron Boy" Calderon. • Being ringside to watch Adam "The Swamp Donkey" Richards vs. Chazz Witherspoon, the year's best heavyweight fight, which was not televised in the U.S. • Mosley going for the 12th-round knockout against Ricardo Mayorga even though he could have coasted and won a decision. • Israel Vazquez and Rafael Marquez giving us a brilliant conclusion in March to one of the greatest trilogies of all-time. • The Versus network showing continued interest in boxing. Since the end of its exclusive deal with Top Rank earlier this year, the network has made several quality cards and is providing promoters, fighters and fans with something boxing has lacked for a long time -- a middle-class level of shows. • The epic Rogers Mtagwa-Tomas Villa fight from a few weeks ago to send Telefutura's "Solo Boxeo" out with a bang on the day the series was cancelled. • Knockouts. You just never know what's going to happen when a fight goes to the judges. • The determination of Bernard Hopkins. • The star potential of young fighters such as Juan Manuel Lopez, Chad Dawson and Victor Ortiz. • An interesting, fan-friendly American heavyweight contender to follow in Cristobal Arreola. • Joe Calzaghe finally getting the respect that he deserves as a great champion. • All of the Fight Freaks for reading and chatting every week. • Even though it wasn't perfect and never will be, another fine year of action in the ring.