By Dave Sholler
Photo © Ed Mulholland/FightWireImages.com

Now more than ever, Arturo Gatti and Atlantic City, New Jersey have much in common. Rarely do a person and a city have similar characteristics, but in the year 2007, the man known universally for his trilogy with Micky Ward is directly linked to a city known worldwide for its boardwalk, slot machines and poker tables.
 
Unnoticeable at first, the more you compare the city of Atlantic and Gatti, the more clearly you begin to see the likenesses. In today’s boxing world, Gatti’s career is in transition. Once a gritty fighter who fans around the world loved watching, Gatti’s appeal (outside of Atlantic City) is no longer as great. Fresh boxers like Miguel Cotto and Ricky Hatton now draw hoards of fans, while Gatti has been beaten into the canvass by members of the new breed.
 
Similarly, Atlantic City’s bread and butter – its casino industry- is considered in transition, a once top-notch gaming resort now trying to hold onto its glamour amidst younger, fresher challengers. With new slot parlors popping up just a short drive to the north and west from the shore resort town, Atlantic City has its first formidable challengers in almost three decades. Suddenly, the feeling of invincibility has eroded into uncertainty.

This brings us to July 14. In a matter of days, Atlantic City’s biggest boxing attraction, Arturo Gatti, returns to Boardwalk Hall looking for redemption. On a stacked HBO welterweight card, Gatti hopes to return to the win column and squash any notions that his time to shine has faded. In a town where he has been given so much support, “Thunder” is looking to fend off yet another fresh-faced challenger and prove that his game didn’t depart with the closing of Gatti-Ward III.

Atlantic City understands how Gatti feels. After all, it’s no fun when others try to steal your limelight. Even though the city’s competitors are younger, and for the time being, more popular, they know that it will only take one event or performance to bring the fans back. Atlantic City knows that this influx of gaming competition is only a small storm, much like, say, a loss to steel-chinned Carlos Baldomir. Opponents will come and go, but few can match what it has to offer. Atlantic City, like Gatti, is a staple in the industry: part dazzle and part blue-collar, an unordinary, yet very welcomed mix of often contradictory elements.

Still, a lot is riding on Gatti’s upcoming bout with Alfonso Gomez. In front of a sold-out Atlantic City crowd, Gatti, a career brawler and hard-nosed competitor, will face Gomez, a Hollywood-type and reality television star that at most has proved that he has decent technical skills. Gatti, who took his lumps at small shows as he climbed the boxing ladder, will battle Gomez, a nice fighter who was aided tremendously in his ascent by his appearance on “The Contender.” While one could argue that Gomez still paid his in-ring dues, few can debate that the manner in which Gatti paid his was more grueling.

Regardless of how they got to where they are today, Gatti, in particular, has more to prove. He must show that he can still dish out a good beating and do so without incurring any significant damage. Too many of Gatti’s recent Boardwalk Hall memories have been created by visions of him being mercifully pounded by Floyd Mayweather Jr. or by the sights of him collapsing onto the mat at the feet of Baldomir. Everyone knows Gatti can hit and be hit. But can he win again?

For the Atlantic City faithful, witnessing Gatti being defeated by a younger, less experienced tactician would only add salt to the wounds. If Gomez runs through Gatti on July 14, the end of an exciting era would officially come to a crashing end. You see, many in the city have become accustomed to Gatti’s puffy, swollen eyes after a fight. However, most first recognize that beaming smile underneath all of the bruises and cuts. No matter how bad he has been beaten, Gatti has always risen back to his feet and finagled a smile. It’s something Atlantic City has come to expect from Gatti. However, the ramifications of another Gatti loss would be no time for pearly whites; it would most likely signal the end of “Thunder.”

In the end, Atlantic City and Arturo Gatti have tons in common. Both have been beaten down lately, striving to keep their heads above tumultuous waters. For Atlantic City, it’s been trying to keep their customers from heading to new gaming facilities in Pennsylvania and New York. For Gatti, it’s trying to dispel the notion that his tank is empty.

As hard as their opponents push to drown them though, Gatti and Atlantic City continue to trudge through. Simply put, like any well-traveled athlete, they both welcome the challenge. They don’t mind standing toe-to-toe with foes and they certainly don’t mind taking a jab to land a hook. It is risk vs. reward in the purest sense and both look at competition like they have nothing to lose. Atlantic City and Arturo Gatti consider themselves the big boys of their respective industries and they welcome those looking to dethrone them.

By signing on the dotted line, Alfonso Gomez acknowledged that he is ready to play with the big boys. The entire Atlantic City region is hoping that Arturo Gatti doesn’t play nice.

Dave Sholler can be heard weekdays talking boxing on ESPN 1450 in Atlantic City.