Okay, I guess I should write one of those Thanksgiving columns - you know the "I am thankful for..." columns that everyone writes this time of year.

What I am especially thankful for as a boxing fan (besides the fact that boxing is clearly the greatest sport in the history of the known universe), is that there is no off-season in boxing. The hits just keep on coming.

That said, I am thankful that in September Shane Mosley fought Oscar De La Hoya, in a close 12-round rematch of a fight Mosley won two years earlier. Mosley emerged with a split decision and the junior middleweight championship of the world. De La Hoya and his promoter Bob Arum emerged sore losers, forced to backtrack after making outrageous post-fight comments concerning the fight's official scoring.

I am thankful that on the undercard of Mosley-De La Hoya II, Juan Lazcano hooked up with Stevie Johnston. In a tremendous fight, Lazcano became the first man to decisively beat Stevie, when he stopped him in 11 rounds. In so doing, Lazcano became the world's clear-cut leading lightweight contender, and now has a mandate to fight Floyd Mayweather Jr. Even in the loss, Stevie acquitted himself as he always does - with distinction as among this era's most skilled and best fighters to watch.

I am thankful that in October James Toney moved up to heavyweight and took on Evander Holyfield. Toney dominated and then stopped Commander 'Vander in 9 rounds. Of course I would be especially thankful if this beating finally convinced "The Real Deal" to retire.

I must also give thanks that Joel Cassamayor took on Diego Corrales on the Toney-Holyfield undercard. Cassamayor established himself as without question Acelino Freitas' most important rival in the junior lightweight division when he climbed off the canvas to stop Diego Corrales - who twice picked himself up off the mat - in six. Later in the month Roy Jones' top light heavyweight opponent, Dariusz Michalczewski, was upset by Julio Gonzalez. I am therefore thankful to Gonzalez for finally shutting up the lunatics who had harangued me with nonsense like "Roy is ducking Michalczewski because he knows Dariusz would beat him," over the last several years.

I am also thankful that in November, Roy was finally given a tough fight. In fact, it was by far the toughest fight of his professional career when he melted 25 pounds of muscle off his new heavyweight frame to defend his light heavyweight title against Antonio Tarver. With Michalczewski losing and Roy certain to move up and out of the 175 pound division for good, Tarver has established himself as the best light heavyweight on the planet. I'd be especially thankful if Tarver were to fight Gonzalez (or the winner of the Gonzalez-Michalczewki rematch) and claim the Ring Magazine light heavyweight belt.

I am thankful to see welterweight champ Ricardo Mayorga in action again next month. He is going to fight top five contender Cory Spinks, who deserves a shot at the title. Also, Bernard Hopkins defends the middleweight championship of the world against his No. 1 contender William Joppy on that same card. It'll be good to see Bernard in again with a real fighter - it's been a while.

December gives two more reasons for thanks: very exciting 140-pound contender Ricky Hatton is fighting tough 140-pound mainstay Ben Tackie, and significant heavyweight action returns to Madison Square Garden when Vitali Klitschko, who may have in effect retired Lennox Lewis his last time out, takes on Kirk Johnson.

In January, junior lightweight kingpin Acelino Freitas is in against undefeated Artur Grigorian. Grigorian is not well known to the American television audience but has beaten Michael Clark, Stefano Zoff and Rocky Martinez. After the way Freitas struggled against Jorge Barrios his last time out, the matchup with Grigorian is intriguing. But the real feeling off gratitude here is reserved for the televised undercard supporting Freitas-Grigorian, which will feature J.C. Candelo versus Kassim Ouma.

This matchup is a gift to hardcore fight fans. Candelo and Ouma are the two best 154-pounders who are not quite considered among the division's elite. On the top of the division is Shane Mosley, who won the junior middleweight title from De La Hoya. Oscar is still obviously the division's biggest star, and Winky Wright is Shane's most deserving challenger. Vernon Forrest will soon make his 154-pound debut and Ricardo Mayorga could move up from welterweight. Those are the big name stars, but Ouma is only 24 and has never had a shot against any of the upper echelon contenders in the division.

Candelo has had one shot - against Winky Wright on the Mosley-De La Hoya undercard, and acquitted himself very well in a losing effort. Since that fight J.C. came back against rising contender Julio Garcia and turned in his most impressive performance to date, stopping Garcia in eight rounds and looking as though he has reached a new level as a fighter. The winner of Candelo-Ouma takes his place if not exactly at the table with the elite stars of the weight neighborhood, then at least on the waiting list for a spot at the table (along with Antonio Margarito). When the dust settles, if the winner of Candelo-Ouma indeed gets a shot at the big time, he might even be more thankful than we fans who got to watch them fight.

Sharmba Mitchell should be thankful that he is getting another shot at junior welterweight champ Kostya Tszyu in February, and we should be, too. Mitchell was outboxing Tszyu in their first fight, but succumbed to a knee injury. There is a real possibility that the title will change hands in the rematch, which promises to be a very good fight. Also in February, James Toney hooks up with giant Jameel McCline, and Erik Morales takes on Jesus Chavez. I am thankful that Toney means it when he says he will fight anyone in the world, and that there is a good chance that Morales and Chavez are going to create a 130-pound classic.

While the NFL and NBA take off half the year, and MLB just released its Spring Training schedule, we boxing fans get to take in the very best action there is without hardly any time to catch our breath. By the time the Yankees are even playing meaningless preseason games in Tampa, Cassamayor and Corrales will be throwing down in their rematch. I am thankful to the greatest sport in the world for never taking a month off - for churning out the hits, non-stop for over a century now. Here's to another 100 years.

Max Kellerman is a studio analyst for ESPN2's "Friday Night Fights" and the host of the show "Around The Horn."