Arturo Gatti: Lighting and Thunder
The huge crowd in attendance took a massive gasp as Arturo hit the canvas the first time. Many didn’t think Arturo would beat the referee’s ten count. But the proud Jersey City native arose to his feet to what was become yet another knockdown and this time a final knockout.
Thunder and Lighting:
In this great day of modern boxing, there are certain characteristics and personalities that each fighter is known for. Beyond the Bernard Hopkins’s, Floyd Mayweather Jr’s and Hasim Rahman’s, don’t dare leave out the Arturo Gatti’s.
He wasn’t exactly the best technical fighter; didn’t possess the best hand and foot speed, didn’t quite have the best defensive swagger, and he wasn’t the flashy type with tassels and loud entrances dancing his way to 12 round victories – no. Arturo Gatti was a fighter! A damn good one. Gatti had the charisma and appeal of a Rocky Bowboa, the face of a modern day Jack Dempsey, and a two fisted assault that could threaten every man in the house. What made Arturo Gatti so special was the fact that he could do so many things at once; a well-balanced athlete in boxing’s legendary honor of kings.
It wasn’t until legendary trainer Buddy McGirt hooked up with Arturo Gatti that we begin to see more and more how special Gatti was. McGirt, who trains a stable of fighters, is brilliant at brighting a fighter’s abilities. He sculpted Arturo into a well-balanced fighter who could brawl, box, shake and bake. After Gatti was schooled by the tutelage of Buddy McGirt, fans begin to see Gatti’s natural talent and ability take shape. Sometimes he’d fire quick combinations and leap out of the way, other times he’d throw lighting left hooks that put his opponents to sleep. Although he struggled a bit with deficits in defense, he made up for it with his heart and courageous performances.
His biggest challenges were always mounted against tough, slick and agile boxers. Yet, despite giving up technical advantages, he was always capable of making any fight, a damn good one! In his bravest efforts, he’d usually be the first willing to trade or come forward. At times he’d pay the price, on other occasions he was phenomenal; overwhelming his opponents with flying fist of fury.
That attitude, mixed with that Rocky Bowboa “Eye of the tiger” spirit made him a home in Atlantic City, New Jersey. Generally speaking, fans never really came to see Arturo win or lose. They just came to see him fight! But after suffering earlier losses in his career and with the scars to prove it, it was apparent that if Arturo Gatti didn’t change his brawling intentions his career would be a short one. It was essential for Gatti to abandon his Atlantic City crowd and learn the basics.
After a 5th round De La Hoya TKO and a reincarnation of his old habits in 2002, Arturo Gatti begin to embrace his new found abilities. Buddy McGirt helped contribute Arturo Gatti into a much better and well-balanced athlete. He never had to adjust any spark plugs or heart in this fighting machine; only align a few brake pads in defense and fine-tune its motor to mold the perfect fighter.
Arturo “Thunder” Gatti begin piling impressive victories off the bat; he held his own in three brutal and bloody slugfests with “Irish” Mickey Ward in 2003. In the final confrontation, Arturo Gatti landed a hard right hand on the hip of Ward; as a result he broke his right hand. It wasn’t apparent until after the 4th round when fans and spectators noticed Gatti protecting his hand for the rest of that round. For those watching in attendance, many can remember vividly what went on in Arturo’s corner.
Arturo: “My hand! My hand!”
Buddy McGirt: “What’s wrong it, baby!?”
Arturo: “It’s broken!”
Buddy McGirt: “Whatchu want me to do, champ!?”
Arturo: “I gotta keep going!”
Buddy McGirt: “Aight, Imma tell you what you doâÂ?¦.”
Love or hate Gatti for whatever reason, you have no choice but to respect him for his state-sized heart. For many of us who have once broken a bone or two, lets not forget how painful it was. However, for a boxer to break his hand during the course of a fight, it can become much more devastating. That broken hand is squeezed firmly by hand-wrap, tape, and a 8 oz sized glove that’s constantly squeezing that broken-bone. Somehow, someway believe it or not, Arturo sucked up the pain for six rounds and won a Unanimous decision. At times in the bout he’d even punch back with it, maybe even punching harder than before (ask Mickey Ward for verification.)
By late 2004, Gatti had dyed his hair blonde and in July, knocked out tough slugger Leonard Dorin in two rounds. By January of 2005 he was staring across the ring at a knocked out version of Jesse “James” Leija. After successfully dominating Leija with a shot that ended in the contest in five rounds, the immediate consensus was a meet up with Floyd Mayweather Jr.
For many fight fans, and even some of Gatti’s own co-workers, no one seemed thrilled at his decision to take this matchup. Arturo fans gulped their burning hearts, and tried to calm their jittery nerves at the idea of him fighting this slick and tenacious assassin from Grand Rapids, Michigan. Many in Atlantic City, New Jersey on that warm June night in 2005, had no idea what they were about to witness.
On June 25th, 2005, in front of a sold out crowd at Boardwalk Hall in Atlantic City, New Jersey, Floyd Mayweather Jr. crucified Arturo Gatti. Weeks building into the fight he’d promise he would humiliate Arturo in front of his fans. At live press conferences and an interview via satellite, he called Gatti a paper champion and a ‘C’ level class fighter. His exact words, “He is a ‘C’ class fighter, he’s not even on my level, I am an ‘A’ class fighter. I am gonna prove it! I’m going to crush him!”
For Floyd, he couldn’t even keep his word; he had done worst than crush Arturo Gatti, he flat out destroyed him. It seemed apparent after the first round that Arturo Gatti was in for a long night. By the first round, Floyd had already raised welts under the eyes of the Jersey City native, Gatti. In rounds two, three, four, five and six, Floyd continued his assault; making each round more brutal by the minute. For every punch Arturo would throw, Floyd would counter with two or three crisp counter shots. The result left Arturo reluctant to throw punches because of Floyd’s “ultra high” spider-sense.
“It’s getting brutal in there,” Jim Lampley commented in the 4th round.
He was right, the result of the matchup was a complete shutout; a landslide, a one sided execution, and a beat down all blended into one soft drink. At the end of the sixth round, and after absorbing more punishment, Gatti wobbled back to his corner and his trainer Buddy McGirt made the immediate decision to end this matchup.
“I am stopping it, baby,” Buddy McGirt begin.
“One.. one more round,” Gatti barely spoke out through his swollen eyelids.
“Arturo,” McGirt continued, ” look both of you’re eyes are closed, that’s it!”
Buddy embraced Atlantic City’s beloved warrior by the head, lighting kissing him on the roof of his scrambling cranium. Arturo Gatti had lost his 140lb WBC welterweight championship. Thus, the punishment more than less the massacre was finished we all thought, but Arturo had different plans.
The calm before the storm:
January 28, 2006, Boardwalk Hall Casino, Atlantic City, New Jersey, Arturo Gatti had moved up to welterweight (147lb) to challenge undefeated Thomas Dammgard of Denmark for the IBA welterweight strap. Before a sold out crowd in Atlantic City, Arturo repaid his forgiving crowd with a remarkable performance. He out boxed and outfoxed a gamed Thomas Dammgard; thoroughly bloodying his face and finally ending Dammgard’s nightmare in the 11th round. Gatti chants filled the boardwalk hall as fans littered the arena in celebratory fashion for their beloved fighter. For many thoughts, the ‘thunder’ was back in the famous slugger from Jersey City.
His performance made us proud; he had finally rid himself from the stench of defeat and restored his name in the sport of boxing. Legacy was still on his mind, however. Just 21 days ago before his win he watched Carlos Baldomir upset Zab ‘Super’ Judah in his hometown of New York City, New York for the WBC welterweight crown. He licked his lips;
wanting seconds.
After the storm:
We all sat through the ninth round in hope and wonder that Gatti would land this knockout punch and end our panicky emotions. We were dead wrong. It didn’t take long for Carlos Baldomir to witness the clear picture; being away from home in another man’s backyard, he had to end this fight and not give it to the judges. Baldomir swarmed Arturo and landed a devastating left hook to drop Gatti to both knees. Arturo was for sure able to beat the ten count. However, his worn down frame from the beating at the hands of a much larger welterweight was too much for him to continue. A few more punches after his stand, Arturo was once again laid out and this time for good. At 2:50 the referee waved the bout over with; stooping over the fallen frame of Arturo Gatti to reach for
his gumshield.
It was a disheartening loss to many; the destruction of a good fighter, the loss of a warrior to a sport that he helped build so greatly. When questioned by HBO boxing analyst Larry Merchant if he’d continue fighting, Gatti replied,
“You know, I never really thought much about retirement. But after tonight, I’ll probably think about it more.”
Gracious in defeat, accepting of his knockout loss to Carlos Baldomir, he showed true champion prowess by his compliancy and didn’t for once make a single excuse.
Fighters of Arturo’s importance don’t stick around for so long. Let us not get carried away, boxing is a SERIOUS sport. At any given time, any well-placed punch from any professional fighter can take you out! Boxing has left several fighters beyond mental positions they can remember, and for some even death.
We should just be thankful that Arturo Gatti at age 34 has realized there’s nothing else for him in this dangerous sport. However, we must never forget who he once was when he leaves boxing for good, a hero. A legend. Most importantly, a creator of thunder…
