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Gatti v Mayweather: Do the Math
SAT June 25, CARL RICE - I was going to do a Tale of the Tape for this superfight when it struck me…this is not a superfight. Mayweather KO4 Gatti.
I can almost hear Gatti’s supporters screaming in unison and yelling obscenities about me and my fat moma. But I did not come to this conclusion because I hate Gatti or love Mayweather. I like them both, albeit for different reasons.
I like Gatti because he’s a stand up guy in the ring. You know going into any of his fights that he’s not going to quit and that he is giving his best in the ring, regardless of the situation.
Cut? Who cares?
Broken hand? Gotta keep fighting.
Behind on the cards? Can’t give up.
This is Arturo Gatti.
Who can forget his trilogy with Micky Ward, or his come from behind win against Gabriel Ruelas, or his two fights with Ivan Robinson, or his tough fight with Angel Manfredy? Those fights and many others are etched in the mind of every single Gatti fan, fight fan, and casual fan. And when you add trainer Buddy McGirt, that’s one more ingredient an already delicious recipe.
Gatti has looked better than ever before in his blowouts against Leonard Dorin and James Lejia. There is no doubt that Gatti has recently shown skills that no one thought he had, and HBO has been able to reward Gatti for his ring chronicles and have taken the new and improved slugger to stratospheric heights in terms of both fans and purses. It’s really hard to talk about Gatti in a negative light because of what he’s accomplished in the ring and by how humble he is (at least in front of the cameras, al la Oscar de La Hoya). Perhaps it is this point that makes so many people want to cheer against Floyd Mayweather just as much as they cheer for Gatti.
Mayweather has been talking a lot in advance of this fight, and it is understandable how people could get turned off by a guy disrespecting a blue collar type fighter like Gatti. However, it is that attitude that I like about Mayweather. I see nothing wrong about a guy talking trash ONLY if he backs it up. Antonio Tarver is the perfect example: Before his fight with Roy Jones, all anyone could hear was this guy talk about how great he was and how he was going to dominate Jones, and it bored me to tears hearing about how he was robbed in his 1st fight to Jones. But after the second fight, he could talk all the trash he wanted because he backed it up. Mayweather is the same way. But one must consider the fact that he hasn’t really said anything that’s untrue. Let’s look at what Mayweather has said over the past few months.
Gatti is a C level fighter-Mayweather is an A level fighter, as is Bernard Hopkins, Antonio Tarver, Ricky Hatton, Erik Morales, Zab Judah and Winky Wright, just to name a few. These are the guys that have proven more than once that they are the best boxing has to offer. They have fought through adversity, been placed in difficult fights and come out victorious, and have proven their worth over many different styles. These are, in most cases, the champion of a division.
B level fighters are boxers like Vivian Harris, Cory Spinks, Jermain Taylor, Kassim Ouma, Clinton Woods, and Miguel Cotto. These are guys who have not yet been given the chance to show that they are A level fighters, either because they are too young or because they have not been put in the fights needed to put their true skill level on display. This also includes fighters that became champion but was still unproven when they lost the belt. Gatti most likely belongs in this class as he is a two time champ, but also because he won the title and lost it when he faced a tough opponent.
I won’t name any C level fighters because I don’t want to inadvertently disrespect anyone, but these are the fighters that have reached their peak and are on the downside of their career. They may or may not have won a title, but the fact is that they probably won’t win another one. They are tough guys and always come to fight but they do not have what it takes to become champion. Looking at it this way, you could also put Gatti in this range if you are of the impression that he is on the slide. Nonetheless, there is no Gatti fan that would say that Mayweather and Gatti are on the same level skill-wise.
In order to be the best you have to beat the best-Mayweather has backed this statement to the fullest. At 130, everyone said they wanted a piece of Mayweather. Joel Casamayor and Acelino Freitas both champions, said they wanted the fight but when it was time to actually make it happen, there was always a reason why it couldn’t happen. Finally, Diego Corrales stepped to the plate and Mayweather showed why the other champs never came to the dance. Mayweather slapped a tough and rugged Chico around the ring before the corner stopped the fight, against the wishes of Corrales.
Mayweather then moves up to 135 and in his second fight at lighty he takes on the champion Jose Luis Castillo. He wins the first fight, who some think he really lost. But he comes back like a champion and gives a rematch when he did not have to and was even more impressive in the second go around. He then moves to 140 and has beat some credible opponents and has looked impressive doing so. This fight is yet another chance for Floyd to fight a champion and show how willing he is to fight the best available opponents.
To further illustrate Floyd’s willingness to fight the best…right now, Corrales and Castillo are on many people’s pound for pound lists. Those two have beat Casamayor and Corrales beat Freitas, then after they become champions in their own right, they fight one of the greatest fights in boxing history. This solidifies that Mayweather has fought and beat some of the best fighters in the world.
Gatti became champion by beating Tracy Harris Patterson in 1995 for the IBF title at 130, but Patterson was not the top fighter at the time; that was Azumah Nelson and Gabe Ruelas. By the time Gatti fought Ruelas in 1997, the top guy was Genero Hernandez (who Mayweather beat to win his first title). After beating Ruelas, Gatti was stopped by Angel Manfredy in 7, after which Manfredy was KOed my Mayweather in 2.
Gatti then fought a tough string of non-championship fights winning some and losing some before taking on Oscar De La Hoya. This was a PPV that was trying to capitalize on Gatti’s blood and guts rep and De La Hoya’s selling power. In retrospect, it was rather apathetic to put Gatti in that tough, but although he was overmatched, Gatti still tried his best but could not deal with the power of Oscar, nor his speed and defense.
It was last hurrah time as HBO gave Gatti, who had a new trainer in McGirt, a fight with the Terron Millet in a crossroads fight. The winner could continue toward another championship while the loser would go along the trail of the journeyman. Gatti looked impressive in stopping Millet (since that fight, Millet has gone on to show that he did not have much in the tank when he fought Gatti).
And then comes the fights with Micky Ward. These three fights helped to further along the Gatti mystique for being in a series of spectacular fights, but as gritty as Ward is, he was not in the top or middle echelon of the 140 pound weigh class. Simply put, Gatti has never really fought the best in any division he’s been in, which leads to another statement that send Gatti fans’ heads spinning as if they were in “The Exorcist”…
Gatti’s a paper champion-The WBC, in stripping Kostya Tszyu in 2002, probably since because he was injured, he wasn’t bringing in sanctioning fees and, thus, expendable, set up a fight between their top 2 ranked fighters, Arturo Gatti and Gianluca Branco.
The light welterweight has been one of the hottest divisions for years with fighters like Vivian Harris, Phillip N’dou, Sharmba Mitchell, Zab Judah, Ricky Hatton, and others, yet this is the top two picks? Whatever…so they fight and Gatti has a much tougher fight than anyone expected against Branco, who’s best win came against Alan Vester. Essentially, Gatti was virtually handed the title by the WBC, even though the recognized champion was Tszyu. In his first defense, Gatti takes on Leonard Dorin in only his second fight at 140; the first fight was against a very unskilled Chucky T. Dorin was the much smaller man and Gatti took advantage of the size disparity, scoring a KO in the 2nd round with a body shot.
James Lejia was the next fighter that Gatti would dominate, beating Lejia to the punch and stopping Lejia in the 6th round. Then, in an unfortunate twist of fate for Gatti, his mandatory comes up and it’s Floyd Mayweather. The ironic part of this is that manditories have usually been the soft tough type (think Roy Jones), but this time the mandatory is actually one of the best in the weigh class. They very definition of paper champion is someone who is called a champion but is not recognized as THE champ by fans because of the way said championship was gained; can anyone dispute that this is exactly what Gatti is? It’s a rather harsh term, but there are many paper champions in boxing.
Floyd has pursued Gatti for a number of years as they have been in or around the same weight class throughout their careers. I can recall years ago of hearing Floyd specifically naming Gatti but he never seemed to be available. But while Floyd was taking on the best fighters available, Gatti was in life or death struggles with average to good fighters, all the while putting on exciting fights. But now Gatti has to fight Floyd or avoid the fight and taking credibility away from his “blood and guts” moniker. Gatti is certainly not in an enviable position.
The media always talk about my out of the ring problems but never talk about his-This is true. I won’t rehash these issues but the media has done a great job of putting Floyd out there but rarely mentioning anything about Gatti’s past. This also helps to understand why Mayweather has a chip on his shoulders. One look at Mayweather in training and you would understand why he talks so much about his greatness.
Mayweather works out as hard as anyone in the gym. He comes into camp on or slightly above the fight limit, spars 15 rounds, hits the pads for 30 minutes straight, gives to the community of Grand Rapids, Michigan, and lives a clean and sober life. He has sacrificed a great deal to get to the level of fighter he is and there is no reason he shouldn’t be able to say he’s the best; he’s worked extremely hard to get there.
But HBO chooses to offer fight contracts to fighters like Ricardo Mayorga, who disrespects boxing by smoking in the ring and doesn’t come into the ring in the best of shape, and Wladimir and Vitali Klitschko, fighters who have not even come close to what Mayweather has achieved in the ring and does not appear willing to fight the best in their division. So after doing everything boxing has asked him to do and still not getting the recognition he deserves, instead of being what everyone wants him to be, he does what he has to do to get people’s attention.
Many people have said that Mayweather is a hypocrite because on one hand he’s saying Gatti is a C level fighter but also saying that he only wants to fight the best. But this is the perfect opportunity for Mayweather to put his skills on display for an audience greater than what he’s used to. Furthermore, Mayweather has always had an affinity for the WBC belt and Gatti happens to be the possessor of that belt. Rest assured, if history dictates events, Mayweather will certainly be looking to make the biggest fight possible after Gatti to take advantage of his PPV status.
This fight could have been sold in several ways; Gatti finally getting the chance to take on a top level fighter to prove his skills, Mayweather moving up to his 3rd weight class to win a title, or even the fight that can lead up to a megafight with the conqueror of Kostya Tszyu, “The Hitman” Hatton. But HBO and the press have taken the classic routine…Good v Bad.
It’s understandable why HBO is so upset with Mayweather. They want people to think this is a PPV matchup when they themselves know that this fight isn’t even close. But other media seem to have a more dubious rational. There’s a hypocritical morality in the media that if someone is outspoken about being the best, then they are brash, bold, and unlikable. But when someone with immense skills act humble about it, they are noble warriors. But then, the media will turn around and give so much more press on the brash, bold guy than the noble one.
Take Terrell Owens and Marvin Harrison. Harrison is probably the best receiver in the NFL, but Owens gets all the press because he talks so much. If it’s not Owens then it’s Randy Moss. Although Harrison is commended for his play and good press, Owens gets much more press (albeit mostly negative), interest when he’s playing, and a number of accolades. Either the media should actually be unbiased like they are supposed to be or stop complaining when an athlete uses their own hypocrisy against them to get press.
And race has to be mentioned when talking about perception and the media. It’s never been popular for a black wealthy athlete to flaunt what he has and talk about his greatness. Jack Johnson was the first black heavyweight champion at a time when the heavies actually meant something. He would always tell people he was the best and would mock his opponents, making him the most hated fighters ever. After Johnson, there wasn’t another black champion until Joe Louis over 30 years later. Louis’ handlers made sure they did not take the Johnson route, making Louis seem very docile and humble, therefore, making him one of the world’s most beloved champions.
So, for a black fighter, of all people, to tell the world he has more money than them and that he’s the best and he’s going to destroy this white guy who is beloved by fans, people choose to see this as Floyd’s ignorant attitude rather than a smart fighter trying to help sell the fight. No one was talking this much about what Floyd was saying about Corrales, or especially when Mayorga said Spinks would talk to his dead mother after their fight. That was worse than anything Mayweather ever said, and yet people are making so much about what Floyd is saying now. Race is not the focal cause of why the media is so anti-Floyd, but history dictates that is certainly is a factor in the media’s overwhelming bias against Mayweather.
Boxing is a very passionate sport with very passionate fans. People get very upset when someone knock their favorite fighters and this fight is stirring emotions on both sides. However, I am shocked that so many people, boxing writers and fans, are going with their heart and not their head. They are going with Arturo simply because Floyd has said things that Gatti’s fans don’t want to hear. But if they look at the record of both fighters and looked at the fight tapes, they would know the truth.
Mayweather does have a flaw; his best punch is his right hand but he is also potent with the left hook. But sometimes when he throws the left hook, he drops his left hand before he throws it, leaving himself open to right hands counters. But in order to take advantage of this flaw and beat him to the punch, a fighter has to be faster than Mayweather. Power is not much of a factor because it’s tough to land a solid punch on Mayweather, unless you are fast or faster than him, and that is not Gatti.
Also, people have been saying that Gatti hasn’t been cut since the De La Hoya fight in 2001, which is untrue. Gatti was cut in the 3rd Ward fight in 2003, so he’s still susceptible to cuts by a sharp puncher. Gatti also loops his left hook, doesn’t have a fast jab, and is at a reach disadvantage, all spelling doom for him; there are people in Gatti’s training camp who have stated off the record that they feel sorry for Gatti in this fight.
But the real difference is conditioning. Gatti had to come down from 168 after putting on some muscle mass and the result of boxers having to come down in weight have never been positive for the fighter doing so. Mayweather, on the other hand, comes into the fight in excellent condition, which is typical for him. He’s moved in weight slowly and intelligently, properly adjusting himself to being a 140 pound fighter.
And so, on Saturday, one of the best fights in the world looks to win another title in another weigh class. And his opponent looks to show that he is much more than a brawler. The winner looks to take on the best that jr. welterweight has to offer and also become a major PPV fighter. There is a lot at stake, and a lot of people are thinking with their heart by picking Gatti to win the fight, completely going against what their mind tells them. But if they do the math, it does not equal a Gatti victory.
I’ve made my pick based on watching hours of fight tape of Mayweather, Gatti, and the guys they fought and Gatti simply does not have the speed, strength, or skill to beat Mayweather. In fact, every scenario I envisioned Gatti winning did not make any sense. Gatti is not fast enough to take advantage of Floyd’s flaw, his jab will allow Mayweather to land two punches up top or to the body, and going to the body effectively means Gatti leaves his head wide open for counters.
Gatti is a tough man, this is true, but the difference in skill level will be evident and Mayweather will be able to get to Gatti almost at will. A cut will form in the 1st or 2nd round and that will only add to Gatti’s problem. Also, Mayweather, knowing that Gatti has weight issues and is vulnerable to the body, will look to land ferocious shots to the body, draining more of Gatti’s power. In the 4th, Mayweather will sense that Gatti is ready to go and will go on the attack. He’ll get caught with some punches, but Gatti’s taking more than he’s landing. Mayweather KO4 Gatti.
You can hate Mayweather and dislike the guy for disrespecting Arturo, for it’s only natural to be so passionate someone in such a passionate sport. Hopefully, those fans don’t put their money where their heart is.
SIDEBAR: It was discouraging to see so many boxing writers show their disdain for Mayweather. Here is a guy who accomplished so much in and for boxing and many have acted as if he’s done nothing to get to where he is. It’s fine to write about how courageous Gatti; hey, it’s the truth. But it was ridiculous how may have trashed Mayweather because he has said disparaging but somewhat truthful words about Gatti. They reacted as if Mayweather was talking about them or their family, which can be attributed to how Gatti’s style and reputation resonates with people. But by failing to adhere to basic journalistic principles by writing unbiased articles and telling both side of the story in an analysis of a fight, you appear to lack credibility when you trash one fighter over another when you base your opinion simply and strictly on emotions.
Please submit all coments and questions to crice@talkingboxing.com.
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