Franchise Thoughts: Things I'm Thankful for in Boxing This Year

I should probably be out helping to stimulate the ailing economy right now, but until BoxingWatchers.com turns into a profitable side gig, I have to stay at the keyboard. At this time of year, it's a bit of a cliche (okay, more than a bit) to cook up a list of things to be thankful for, but here in the U.S., it got that way for a reason. It's just the right time of the year to do it.

So without further ado, and in no particular order, here are the boxing-related people, places and things making me give thanks as 2008 comes to a close:

• Manny Pacquiao - Aside from his status as my favorite boxer (Disclaimer: the staff members of BoxingWatchers.com are all part Filipino!), the new episodes of 24/7 are showing once again that he's just a compelling personality. The wide range of opinions about whether he can and will beat Oscar De La Hoya are adding to my anticipation for Dec. 6.

• Freddie Roach - He seems to be taking the high road more often than not after his perceived snub at De La Hoya's hands, and he sure is doing his all to show his confidence in Manny. You sometimes forget he is battling through ongoing health concerns to continue on in the sport he loves.

• Affliction - Yes, their stuff is a bit pricey, and I have to pick shirts carefully to avoid scaring my small children. As long as they keep sponsoring fighters and fight cards, I'll keep supporting them.

• Bernard Hopkins - His domination of Kelly Pavlik was something to see. If his other performances over the past three or four years were carried out in the same way, I'd probably be a huge B-Hop fan.

• Volume punchers - I like to think I'm sophisticated enough as a boxing fan to appreciate some of the subtler aspects of the sport. That being said, it's sometimes fun to see guys throw 100-plus punches a round and just try to overwhelm the other boxer.

• Boardwalk Hall - My ultimate goal is still to be in Vegas for a fight weekend in 2009. Still, it's nice to have a venue within driving distance that puts on championship fights, and it's possible to get a decent seat there without draining your entire bank account.

• David Haye - Quite possibly positioned to give the heavyweight division a jolt of electricity - win or lose, actually. I hate to keep beating a dead horse, but said jolt is long overdue.

• Versus - With ESPN cutting back on its boxing content in 2009 (so long Wednesday Night Fights), Versus is at least trying to give fans in the U.S. more fights on cable. It will also soon be home to The Contender, which I'm likely to watch despite the presence of Tony Danza.

• Tavoris Cloud - My favorite discovery of 2008, in the sense that I did not know who he was before this year. He's still raw but immensely entertaining, and he sure doesn't get cheated any time he throws a punch.

• Emanuel Steward - Almost singlehandedly keeps the HBO crew from cheerleading too much for one particular boxer at times. I don't always agree with him, but I do appreciate his insight.

• Ricky Hatton - As my brother Uatu has mentioned on numerous occasions, he's great for boxing because of the atmosphere he brings to his fights. And as an added bonus, he looked great in his most recent fight.

Andy Lee loses to Brian Vera, Friday Night Fights

Much hyped and ballyhooed (especially by Emanuel Steward, his trainer) middleweight Andy Lee made what Uatu believes was Lee's first televised appearance against Brian Vera of The Contender on Friday Night Fights last night.

Uatu fell asleep watching college hoops as he figured this would be a quick KO win by Lee, since Steward has said many times that Lee is ready for Kelly Pavlik right now. Well, imagine Uatu's surpise this morning checking through results on ESPN.com to find out that Lee was stopped in the seventh round.

Watching the highlights, Lee knocked Vera down in the first, but it was a weak knockdown. As the fight progressed, Vera tagged Lee over and over with hard shots. Lee ended up getting stopped on his feet, and he was actually punching back as the ref waved it off, so it did look like a quick stoppage. It was likely inevitable that Lee was going down for good, but you never know.

Emanuel Steward is an interesting character. Since he has been an expert in the game for years and years now, and as the cliche goes, has forgotten more than most people have ever known, one questions him at the peril of being completely embarrassed. However, since he often holds a role as a broadcaster at the same time he acts as a trainer and manager, he might (not necessarily consciously) be a bit biased toward his guys. This, of course, is completely understandable. A good trainer and manager should be behind his guys all the way. After watching Lee last night though, it doesn't look like he is ready for Pavlik right now. Is Lee talented? Looks like it. Will he be the world champ someday? Almost definitely, which is a great accomplishment. It just doesn't seem necessary to hype him up so much so fast. But whatever. Lee will just have to wait a bit longer, and Pavlik will be out of the division by then anyway. In the meantime, it bears mentioning that Lee and Jermain Taylor are two fighters that Steward trained and may have slighly overestimated. Kermit Cintron has been moved aggressively by Steward as well, and one wonders if these other outcomes will have any bearing on Cintron's fight with Margarito.

Lee and Vera are moving to a rematch, and Uatu predicts Lee will get the KO in that fight.