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CANASTOTA, N.Y. - Boosted so she could reach the microphone and speak on a most special day for her late father, 7-year-old Sofia Gatti beamed.
"Thank you from my dad," she said Sunday as Arturo "Thunder" Gatti was inducted into the International Boxing Hall of Fame.
On a day that included six deceased inductees, Gatti remained fresh on the mind of everybody, especially his longtime manager Pat Lynch.
"It's a tremendous accomplishment for Arturo. This little girl here shall have this memory forever," said Lynch, who fought back tears when he spoke. "It was so great to see his mom and all of them come down to celebrate such a brilliant career. It's a truly deserving award for him. I know he's looking down with a big smile on his face."
Also inducted were: Virgil "Quicksilver" Hill, a five-time world champion who won a silver medal at the 1984 Olympics and defended his light heavyweight title 20 times over his two reigns; two-time light flyweight champion Yuh Myung-woo of South Korea; lightweight Wesley Ramey and middleweight Jeff Smith in the old-timer (posthumous) category; 19th century Irish boxer Joe Coburn in the pioneer category; referee Mills Lane, whose "Let's get it on" prefight chant endeared him to boxing fans; ring announcer Jimmy Lennon Jr.; manager Arturo "Cuyo" Hernandez; cartoonist Ted Carroll; and journalist Colin Hart. [Click Here To Read More]
"Thank you from my dad," she said Sunday as Arturo "Thunder" Gatti was inducted into the International Boxing Hall of Fame.
On a day that included six deceased inductees, Gatti remained fresh on the mind of everybody, especially his longtime manager Pat Lynch.
"It's a tremendous accomplishment for Arturo. This little girl here shall have this memory forever," said Lynch, who fought back tears when he spoke. "It was so great to see his mom and all of them come down to celebrate such a brilliant career. It's a truly deserving award for him. I know he's looking down with a big smile on his face."
Also inducted were: Virgil "Quicksilver" Hill, a five-time world champion who won a silver medal at the 1984 Olympics and defended his light heavyweight title 20 times over his two reigns; two-time light flyweight champion Yuh Myung-woo of South Korea; lightweight Wesley Ramey and middleweight Jeff Smith in the old-timer (posthumous) category; 19th century Irish boxer Joe Coburn in the pioneer category; referee Mills Lane, whose "Let's get it on" prefight chant endeared him to boxing fans; ring announcer Jimmy Lennon Jr.; manager Arturo "Cuyo" Hernandez; cartoonist Ted Carroll; and journalist Colin Hart. [Click Here To Read More]