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Gatti's Bid to Retain Title Runs through 'A+' Fighter
WED June 22, GARTH WEAVER - Fans concoct a mental image of a man named Arturo Gatti when thinking of our beloved sport. The WBC jr. welterweight champion embodies the sport with dramatic performances that are nothing short of breathtaking and happens to be the poster boy for many things associated with boxing. Almost all he brings to the sport bring boxing only to a higher place.
HBO's broadcast team uses words like “warrior”,“heart” and “all action” to describe Gatti and he also has several nicknames, such as “the human highlight film”, “the ultimate blood and guts warrior” and his official nickname, “Thunder”.
Raised in Canada and is the beloved, adopted son of Jersey City, New Jersey, where he now resides, Gatti, 39-6, 30 KO’s, will be defend his WBC jr. welterweight title against “Pretty Boy” Floyd Mayweather Jr., 33-0, 22 KO’s, at the Boardwalk Hall in Atlantic City, Live on HBO PPV on June 25th.
The Gatti-Mayweather fight has mass appeal, as the proper ingrediaents are there. An undefeated phenom, and pound for pound great in Mayweather, versus a very powerful, hard hitting fighter in Gatti, who has built a legacy off of proving people wrong. The question that is on everyone’s mind is, 'will Mayweather’s lightning strike Gatti hard or will Gatti’s thunder shake the world?
“The fight will be exciting. I am going to explode on him. I am going to use my hands and listen to Buddy. We know what we are going to do and that’s how I’m going to do it in this fight,” said Gatti at a recent press conference to promote the fight.
By the looks of things, Gatti is extremely focused and has prepared over a long training camp to gradually come down to the 140-lb limit and rightly so, as he has a tall order in fighting this slickster. Many fans and media have completely written Gatti off as far as winning this fight. On a personal note, I disagree with those pundits.
"I have worked hard to be where I am today and this fight...a lot of people are going to have to apologize to me after this fight,” Gatti said.
It's obvious that Arturo Gatti wants to silent all of his critics and if he wins, it should no doubt buy him a few steak dinners from the media. It will be a tough fight for Gatti no doubt, but Team Gatti thinks his third title defense is going to be easier than many say.
Buddy McGirt, Arturo Gatti’s legendary trainer lent his thoughts on the matter at a recent press conference. “I believe in my heart that Arturo is going to win this fight easier than people think. I don’t see it being and everyone is saying “FLOYD IS THIS AND Floyd is that…” we are going to find out." The star trainer who also guided Antonio Tarver to a recent win over Glen Johnson continued, "They underestimate Arturo. They underestimate him a whole lot. Arturo rises to the occasion of his opponent. He know he is going to rise for Floyd and he knows that what we worked on he is going to do. If he does that, I’m telling you, it’s not going to be as hard as you think.”
Speaking of difficult, many experts thought that Gatti’s last two title defenses against then undefeated, former lightweight champion Leonard Dorin and veteran 'Jesse' James Leija were going to be wars. Gatti proved those experts wrong, making quick work of both fighters, especially Dorin, whom he knocked out in two rounds with a body shot.
When asked about his rather quick title defenses, Gatti had this to say about his underrated boxing ability, “That was the proof of my ability. That was the proof of Buddy and I working together. The 25th will just be another fight and more proof. Because I am getting better is why those fights were so short. It lined me up for a great fight against Mayweather.”
It is not as far fetched as it seems when you look closely at this upcoming fight. Gatti could knock Mayweather out, as there are some questions that still shroud top pound for pound boxing star Floyd Mayweather.
Mayweather is a masterful boxer, a fighter that appears to have it all, with blinding hand speed, great footwork, can judge distance very well and is an awesome counter-puncher. Watching Mayweather fight is heaven for purists of the sport, as he does so many things flawlessly in the ring. This is why people don’t give Gatti much more than a punchers chance at beating him. Floyd has even said himself that Gatti is a 'C level fighter', among some of his many choice words for his opponent.
However, Gatti is just as eye pleasing as Mayweather, with a few more fans. Gatti is effective at cutting off the ring, has improved the jab into one with power and his left hook is nothing short of an atomic bomb hidden in an 8-ounce glove. There is also one other facet to Gatti’s bag of tricks that may play out in this fight, and that is his ability to stand on a dime, going toe-to-toe with his opponents. Usually the brawl will come at the cost of getting hit a few times, but with the reward of stopping the fighter he engaged in trench warfare with. This is one of many factors that will play heavily into this fight, Gatti's ability to brawl and his solid chin, which he can take a wicked punch too.
This PPV showdown could pan out a couple of ways with either Floyd moving and countering all 12-rounds and dancing his way to a unanimous decision, which is how most experts see it, or the complete opposite, a win for Gatti by knockout based on the many questions that surround Mayweather.
Gatti also had this to say about Mayweather coming after him in this fight, “I don’t know if it will make it easier. I do know one thing that when I clip him in the chin and he doesn’t get knocked out, he will run. I am going to do what I am supposed to do and you will see on the 25th." Gatti continued, "I don’t care what he tries, it is not going to help him.” Of course that final statement from "Thunder" is in reference to Mayweather's ability or lack thereof to take a punch.
Looking back, don't forget that when Mayweather fought contender Demarcus Corley in early 2004 in his first jr. welterweight bout, he did get hurt, and Corley is not regarded as a knockout puncher. Corley is a solid southpaw and gave WBO champion Miguel Cotto a heap of trouble, but if Corley could hurt Floyd, what is Gatti’s punch going to do?
Will Floyd get on his bicycle and back pedal, to avoid Gatti’s power shots once he feels their power? Mayweather will be looking to counter, but since fans don’t know if Floyd can dig deep, will Floyd be able to pull himself out of a early or late hole?
Gatti had some colorful words for that type of situation saying, “He never did (have to dig deep) and we’ll see how much balls he has. I know I have a big heart and a lot of balls. I don’t think he has that and I think he’s going to need them on the 25th.”
Another thing that I am troubled to wonder about is whether or not Mayweather will be able to hurt Gatti. We all know that Mayweather has brittle hands, not unlike Gatti, and does not seem to have as much knockout power at jr. welterweight then he did at lightweight. Gatti, ever so talkative had this to say about Mayweathers power, "Can I take his punch? Of course I can take his punch. I can take pretty much anybody’s punch. I’ve been down and I got up and finished the fight. Talent-wise, I think Mayweather is one of the most talented fighters I have fought. But I’ve been in the ring with a lot of really good fighters,” Gatti said, who sparred with the great Pernell Whitaker.
Gatti will be able to take Mayweather’s pot-shots and will also have the power to hurt Mayweather. When you have a combination like that, it usually spells disaster for the fighter that can get hurt. Mayweather is not going to be able to land anything that will hurt Gatti enough to make him respect him. Gatti is going to take the risk of eating a few punches so that he can set up his own big shots, which will hurt Floyd and stop him.
This is a very winnable fight for both fighters, it depends on who gets the upper edge first. It's Gatti’s time to shine, therefore Gatti will beat Floyd Mayweather via a 10th round TKO. Mayweather has all the talent in the world, but it won't be enough this Saturday. Either way, fans have waited a long time and no matter what happens, this is going to be a hell of a fight. A hell of a fight!
