By David P. Greisman
Over the course of his fourteen years as a professional fighter, Arturo Gatti has repeatedly returned from the brink of destruction, successfully resurrecting himself by overcoming nearly every obstacle that blocked the pathway to fame and fortune.
His name, now synonymous with a “Blood and Guts, Never Say Die” attitude in the ring, was first established in 1995, when he battled flowing crimson and diminishing vision to take a junior lightweight title from Tracy Patterson. And like wildfire, the cult of Gatti would grow as he participated in edge-of-your-seat bouts against Wilson Rodriguez and Gabe Ruelas, nights that saw the man known as “Thunder” battered, bruised but not beaten, explode with single monstrous left hooks that knocked his opponents out.
Never mind that in-between his knockouts of Rodriguez and Ruelas, Gatti had outpointed Patterson in a rematch by utilizing his boxing skills. In fans’ eyes, that was not who Arturo Gatti was, and unfortunately, Gatti began to believe in the hype of himself as an entertainer, a warrior who stepped between those ropes not just to win, but to be “The Human Highlight Film.”
In 1998, Gatti filled his ledger with losses, a technical stoppage on cuts to Angel Manfredy and two dropped decisions to Ivan Robinson. The fights may have been compelling, but after each, Gatti would leave empty-handed, lacking the “W” that should have been added to his record.
Gatti took eight months off, entering the ring only once in 1999, when he won the first in a string of four straight victories against lesser opponents, all the while adding pounds onto his 5’7” frame. By early 2001 he was a welterweight, and besides being larger in size he was on the grandest stage of them all, standing in the corner opposite Oscar De La Hoya.
He had no chance.
“The Golden Boy” trounced Gatti for five rounds, and a white towel saved him from any more. Arturo Gatti was destroyed, done, the designated opponent whose job was now to show up in order to be beat down.
But it couldn’t be over, not for Arturo Gatti, the man who had conquered all of his past adversity, confronted his drinking problem, confounded the pundits with the twists and turns that his career had taken.
And it wasn’t, at least not after Gatti returned from a ten month sabbatical with a new trainer, Buddy McGirt; a new body, as he shed some pounds and began to fight just above the junior welterweight limit; and a new lease on life, a knockout of former 140-lb. beltholder Terronn Millett coming thanks to a style that allowed him to abstain from taking as much punishment while still dishing out his considerable power.
Thirty rounds with Micky Ward displayed that Gatti was still relevant, his involvement and two wins in one of the greatest trilogies in the sport’s history proving that he was back and a force to be reckoned with.
Gatti picked up a vacant belt to commence 2004, decisioning Gianluca Branco, and defended twice by putting Leonard Dorin and Jesse James Leija down for their respective counts. With Kostya Tszyu injured and inactive, and Zab Judah stepping up to 147, Gatti climbed his weight division’s rankings, and with his ability to draw in the crowds in his adopted home state of New Jersey, he became a marquee name.
As such, it was no surprise that when Floyd Mayweather Jr. joined the junior welterweights, he set his sights on Gatti, the one man that could give him the pay-per-view glory and gobs of cash that had yet to accompany his considerable skills.
And it was no surprise when Mayweather absolutely embarrassed Gatti, humiliating him for six rounds and forcing McGirt to protect his proud charge by asking the referee to end the bout before round seven could start.
It was the type of demolition that causes pugilists to question whether or not they want to continue, and afterwards Gatti declared that he would take one fight at welterweight, see how he did, and make his decision from there.
So if, as some outlets have announced, Gatti makes his return in January by facing Thomas Damgaard of Denmark, don’t call it a comeback. Gatti’s had those, the watershed moments that were so crucial in desperate times, in dire straits.
In facing the undefeated Damgaard, whom Main Events publicist Donald Tremblay says is just one possible opponent, Gatti could be making his curtain call, going out on a high note in a fight that, on paper, seems designed to turn into yet another memorable Gatti brawl.
Forget the fact that people predicted the same for Gatti’s bouts with Dorin and Leija. Damgaard is a come-forward fighter that has plenty to prove, and who can use Gatti to launch a career that had stagnated as of late.
After turning pro in 1998, Damgaard built up momentum by knocking out Greg Haugen, Rodney Jones, Freddy Rojas and Wilfredo Ruiz. But each time he was to step up competition, against Oktay Urkal and Jose Antonio Rivera, the fight has been called off, the former when Damgaard pulled out and the latter when Damgaard’s father passed away.
Despite the fits and starts, Damgaard is ranked as the number five welterweight in The Ring magazine’s rankings, and a major victory, even over an Arturo Gatti that is completely unheralded in the division, would leave the Dane poised for a breakout.
As for Gatti, with his limitations against the highest tier of fighters now exposed, he must decide, after his match with Damgaard, whether he has accomplished everything that he had wanted to, and if he is capable of doing even more. He has gone through multiple incarnations: human highlight reel, blood and guts warrior, two-time titlist. It is yet to be seen if, like the phoenix, he can once again rise from the ashes, but there is absolutely no question that “Thunder” will always roar in our memories.
The 10 Count
1. Showtime’s October card, which is headlined by James Toney’s heavyweight match with Dominick Guinn, is now a tripleheader. Co-featured with Toney-Guinn is Chris Byrd’s first fight since his split decision last November over Jameel McCline. Byrd will face his mandatory challenger, DaVarryl “Touch of Sleep” Williamson, and sharing the bill with the big guys will be two little men, IBF bantamweight champion Rafael Marquez and Silence Mabuza.
Having three fights on one airing is the kind of thing that the pay networks should be doing more often, especially as their shows become more sporadic and filled with mismatches that often last for only a few rounds (like July’s Samuel Peter-Taurus Sykes squash).
It is also important that Chris Byrd is returning to the fold, especially so that he can once again be in the running to claim the top spot among the heavyweights. Along with a few less-than-dominating showings (against McCline, Andrew Golota and Fres Oquendo), his time off, caused by a dispute with promoter Don King, has allowed Vitali Klitschko, whom Byrd beat five years ago, to be regarded by many in the public as the best.
2. After last Friday’s broadcast, ESPN’s Friday Night Fights is off the air until January of next year, so as to make room for broadcasts of college football. It’s a shame, because although the cards, as the year progressed, were no longer of the quality promised when the network made its deal with Main Events, it was still nice to have boxing on television on a regular, frequent basis.
3. Rumor has it that pro wrestling superstar The Undertaker will be leading Manny Pacquiao out to the ring for the latter’s fight on September 10 against Hector Velazquez. Maybe I’m reading too much into both the Undertaker’s nickname “The Dead Man” and the classic video game that provides Pacquiao’s moniker, but isn’t Pacman supposed to hate ghosts?
4. Rustam Nugaev, the other party in the unfortunate July bout that left Martin Sanchez dead, will return to fighting on September 16 when he faces Luis Arceo for a minor title belt. It remains to be seen if Nugaev, like so many others that came before him, will have difficulty being his own self after having an opponent pass away from injuries sustained at their hands.
5. John Ruiz, just like Chris Byrd, has had issues with Don King over minimum purse payments, and has supposedly hired a lawyer in order to end his business relationship with King. If Ruiz is successful, it remains to be seen if someone, anyone will want to promote the clinching machine. King has had a tendency to collect heavyweights in order to have a better chance at cashing in on the championships, but even Midas would have difficulty turning a Ruiz fight into gold.
6. Considering the nature of the sport, it’s surprising how many disputes are ending up in court. Ricky Hatton’s promoter, Frank Warren, has sued the IBF (and true) junior welterweight champion in order to prevent him from becoming a promotional free agent. The worry is that, as these cases occasionally go, Hatton may end up being on the shelf until the lawsuit is settled, and that “The Hitman” may not be able to capitalize on his great victory in June over Kostya Tszyu.
7. Gianluca Branco, the man that Arturo Gatti defeated for the vacant WBC belt, has suffered a hand injury and is out of his September 24 fight with WBO titlist Miguel Cotto. Now without an opponent, Cotto may end up facing a barely-known replacement, a step slightly backwards for a man that, since growing from a prospect into a champion, has been right on the verge of stardom but has yet been able to fully attain it.
8. Speaking of steps backwards, Evander Holyfield, one of the best heavyweights of the nineties, may be on the undercard of an Italian fight card in October. There was more honor in being booted off of Dancing with the Stars.
9. I’m yet to see a release of buyrates for last week’s “Heavyweight Heat” pay-per-view, featuring (if that’s the proper word) Shannon Briggs, Ray Mercer and Jameel McCline. Assuming that the numbers are low, the promoters can at least take consolation that the card probably cost and (presumably) lost less than Don King’s mid-August PPV show.
10. Ending on a positive note for once, I send my appreciation to HBO for dipping into its vaults and choosing to air four fights over Labor Day weekend. I hope that, with the sheer volume and quality of what HBO and Showtime have in their archives, both networks continue to show fights from years past in order to reward boxing fans and bring potential viewers into the fold.