Comments Thread For: Arturo Gatti Heads Class of 2013 Hall Of Fame Inductees

[BmoreBrawler]

They put referees in, they can put Gatti in. Gatti did more for the sport than a lot of people in there.

[ironmike2012]

Glad to see Gatti get in, People comparing him to Agustus and Ward are comparing apples to oranges, Gatti had boxing skills he just liked to brawl. Gatti had 4 fights of the year (that's the record isn't it) and was on HBO more than anyone, I think, so why not.

[MasterODisaster]

I am sorry man, BUT "mediocre" fighters aren't usually multiple Major title winners in a few weight classes IMO! Give the man SOME respect, he wasn't mediocre...he wasn't an excellent fighter by any means, but he was better than you sir are trying to say he was!!!

Gatti I love you but sorry, you do not belong in the HOF with the elite. You were beyond exciting to watch and had tons of heart but as a boxer you were mediocre. The HOF should be the best boxers of their generation. Gatti fought from 130-147 and ANYONE in the HOF within that weight class would defeat Gatti. I guess guys like Mickey Ward and Emanuel Augustus should be inducted as well since they gave us amazing fights as well.

[MasterODisaster]

I think the problem lies within the definition of "hall of FAME."

As ONE poster in this thread mentioned, it is the Hall of FAME, NOT the Hall of ACHIEVEMENTS! I think this may be where all of the disagreements on who should be included come from really.

[Weebler I]

No, it's really not. If Hill deserved to be in, so did Dariusz. I don't think either was a first ballot guy, but Hill going in and not Dariusz says a LOT about the overwhelming U.S. voting bias in the HOF pool. NOT because he beat Hill, but because he did that, held the same unified titles, and had the same gaudy title numbers against similar comp.

I read this on the site:

Members of the Boxing Writers Association of America and an international panel of boxing historians cast votes. Voters from Japan, England, Canada, Mexico, South Africa, Germany, Puerto Rico and the United States are among those who participate in the election process.

What is the actual voting contribution per nation?

Obviously true. That doesn't mean the IBHOF isn't a great thing for the sport, a great place to go etc. but there are some heavy voting biases inherent in the modern category.

I actually expected it to be in one of the major cities but it appears to be in the middle of nowhere (half-way between Albany and Buffalo)?

[ArtThouFurious?]

Seems as though the quality of inductees continues to plummet by the year.

Now i can't speak on the Flyweight dude, but no way in hell are Gatti, Virgil Hill, Too Sharp Johnson & Tszyu more deserving of induction than Donald Curry, Ernesto Marcel, Jerry Quarry & Julian Jackson.

[ArtThouFurious?]

I think the problem lies within the definition of "hall of FAME."

As ONE poster in this thread mentioned, it is the Hall of FAME, NOT the Hall of ACHIEVEMENTS! I think this may be where all of the disagreements on who should be included come from really.

Jerry Quarry was waaaaaaaaay more famous and known in his day than Gatti ever was, not to mention much more ACHIEVED (if that's even a word) and still isn't in... what gives?

[MasterODisaster]

Wanna bet about that...LOL???

No offense, but in today's day and age of internet and such, Gatti became legendary, especially due to his fights with Ward!

While Boxing has seen a down turn, it has been guys like Gatti that have kept the sport alive in today's fan's. We have top guy's refusing to fight other promoters top fighters, YET you get warrior's like Gatti and some others just like him, yet lesser known so far that captured the boxing (and regular) fan's attention's!

If Gatti got a lucky one punch win to get an title for a day, then i'd agree he isn't a great fighter by any means, BUT he won a few titles (MAJOR Championships, not the usba type garbage titles mind you), and did so at more than ONE weight....that shows me that he his by NO MEANS a "mediocre" fighter as one previous poster TRIED to classify him as!!!

That said, AGAIN, it is the Boxing Hall Of FAME, NOT the Hall of ACHIEVEMENTS!!!!! If Gatti wasn't famous (and a pretty good fighter), then he wouldn't have gained entry on the first try now would he haters???????????

Jerry Quarry was waaaaaaaaay more famous and known in his day than Gatti ever was, not to mention much more ACHIEVED (if that's even a word) and still isn't in... what gives?

[deanrw]

Gatti deserved to get in. Why? Well simply put, for years he carried the sport. People fell in love with him. His fans did not care if he won or lost, he was beyond those "restrictions". He was the embodiment of pure heart and soul. The underdog warrior who consistently fought against all odds and was willing time and time again, to put absolutely everything on the line, just to entertain us.

Add that to the fact that he was among one of the most exciting fighters the sport has ever seen, well then you have something special. That someone special deserves to be rewarded. He was not Elite in the Wins/Losses Category. He was Elite in his own category. He was a headline fighter for a reason. If you have doubts about him, try to think of why he was a headline fighter regardless of his record. Really think about it and you will see why he deserves to be in the HOF.

[-Antonio-]

I really dont understand why people cant grasp that there are separate catagories for boxers and others. Its like that in every hall.

Gatti is far from deserving but ive been there and done that a million times.