Some Nicknames Don't Fit, "Thunder" Does for Arturo
by
Buster Paris
1/26 - Second round and with the fury of Zeus the thunder struck. BOOM! That was it. I sat there eyes wide open in disbelief after two minutes and fifty five seconds had passed. It was a body shot that did it. There’s something so impressive when a body shot ends a fight.
Leonard Dorin isn’t just some 139-pound slab of meat to beat on. He entered Atlantic City’s Boardwalk Hall with 22 wins, 1 draw and no losses. He was scrappy and talented and came to fight. Round one was high quality and I was ready for a brawl. Then it happened. Dorin was “Thunder Struck”, took a knee and Arturo Gatti let out a giant king of beasts roar.
There are some nicknames that really fit well, like Rubin “Hurricane” Carter, Mitch “Blood” Green, Roberto “Manos de Piedra” Duran, Ray “Boom Boom” Mancini and of course Randall “Tex” Cobb.
Add Arturo “Thunder” Gatti to that list.
If you’re not sure about that then watch the Dorin fight again, better yet watch the Gatti-Ward wars, especially the first two.
After the Ward trilogy I had a profound respect for both Micky Ward and Arturo Gatti, but I thought that this could possibly be it for Arturo. Micky decided to retire and it just left me pondering what could be next Arturo? After one of the greatest trilogies of boxing’s recent history what could even come close? How much could Arturo even have left? These types of wars usually take their toll on a fighter and age them rapidly. What fighter would emerge? A shell of himself spent from Ward? What could be next for Gatti?
Dorin was next and like I said he got “Thunder Struck”. A thunderous body shot commandingly ended it in round two. My question still remains though, but with more of a hopeful eye. I have more of a respectful view of Arturo. So again I ask myself what fighter will emerge? What’s next?
The Texas Tornado is next. Jesse James Leija.
I’ve heard talk around the water cooler that perhaps Leija is finished or finishing as a fighter. At 38 how much time does he have left? He’s won 5 of his last 6 fights. He lost to Kostya Tszyu who hasn’t lost a fight since 1997 so that’s not really counted as a major loss and Jesse’s corner stopped the bout in the 6th suspecting he suffered from a broken eardrum.
Come to think of it should Jesse be worried facing another “Thunder” nicknamed opponent? (Tszyu is also known as “The Thunder From Down Under”)
Leija is still winning fights; again, he’s won 5 of his last 6. I think I’m in a very small group that’s concerned about his age, but being 38 hasn’t seemed to affect his victories and he’s not concerned about it.
I think this fight against Gatti is a very important fight for the career of James Leija. If he were to beat “Thunder” then he’d be in a whole new class.
This Saturday, January 29th on HBO, LIVE at 9:45PM/ET when Gatti faces Leija, it is going to be a good night. It’s going to be a good and exciting fight, one of those fights with two quality fighters facing each other and boxing fans win no matter what happens.
It’s a weatherman’s dream, with roaring Thunder and a Texas Tornado in Boardwalk Hall, Atlantic City.
Discuss this at our Boxing Forum
