Special Feature
REMEMBERING THOMAS GERBASI | LESSONS FROM THE MASTER
A Quick Word In The Wake Of Losing A Legend
“Just do the work.”
I heard that line dozens of times over the last dozen years, uttered in a low rumble with soft edges by a man that had a greater impact on my professional life than anyone else. Every time something came up — personal struggles, professional frustrations, life — we’d jump on the phone, chop it up, and invariably, just before he muttered a quick “g’bye” in the way he always did, he’d tell me, “Listen Kyte — just do the work.”
I’ve heard it playing in my head a million times over the last couple days as I’ve tried to process that Thomas Gerbasi — my friend, my mentor, my biggest supporter — has passed.
It doesn’t make sense to me that I’m not going to get quick, one-word email responses when I file stories any more and that killer stories that he wanted an extra set of eyes on aren’t going to land in my lap and remind me that I’m fortunate to have been schooled by a master storyteller for all these years. TG wasn’t big on compliments or praise, which is why when those occasional messages came along about a well done piece, they really resonated and lingered.
They still do.
As much as TG taught me a ton about the mechanics of this craft, the greatest influence he had on me and my career came in the form of something he never actually articulated.
No one cared about the men and women that compete in the UFC — or the boxing ring — more than Thomas Gerbasi.
Incredibly devastating news that our dear friend Tom Gerbasi @tgerbasi has passed away. He was an incredible father, grandfather, and sportswriter who cared about everyone.
— BWAA (@boxingwriters) September 17, 2025
RIP TO A CHAMPION IN LIFE pic.twitter.com/qxoApZ8zvY
It didn’t matter if you were in the first fight or the last fight: if you were on the other end of the phone, you had his full attention and he was going to put everything he had into telling a little piece of your story. He never short-changed anyone, approaching every story as if it were the biggest thing he’d been asked to write, because he knew that for a lot of those athletes, each appearance on UFC.com or anywhere else he shared their stories and his gifts, it was a big deal to those individuals and their people.
That has been something I’ve committed more and more to over the years, largely thanks to copious conversations with TG that always ended the same way.
“Just do the work… G’bye.”
Goodbye, TG.
Thank you for everything.
