"Flamboyant Floyd" would crush Hatton, Cotto and the rest.
By Mike Indri
Retired Boxers Foundation
While it was admittedly tough watching Floyd Mayweather thoroughly annihilate and pummel New Jersey’s favorite son Arturo Gatti this past Saturday night in Atlantic City, as an unbiased boxing purist I’m compelled to note the fight’s beauty and poignancy.
While all the pre-fight hype and drama provided the good vs. evil scenario: Arturo Gatti - the likable, blue collar, come from behind puncher, known as "boxing’s most exciting fighter", challenging Floyd Mayweather - the flashy, cocky, undefeated prodigy whom many consider boxing’s pound-for-pound best fighter.
All this may have helped in making both fighters' HBO pay-per-view debut successful and profitable, as the reported 340,000 buys generated $15.3 million in revenue and the live gate at the sold out Atlantic City Boardwalk Hall Convention Center added another $5 million.
Yet when all was said and done and the opening bell of round one rang, simply put, it was two champions fighting for themselves: to win, to instill their legacy and to prove their greatness.
From the fight’s onset Mayweather’s speed was the prevailing factor. Landing clean, crisp, undefended punches at an alarming rate, "Flamboyant Floyd" was making it look too easy. Floyd silenced the 12,675 fans in attendance at "Gatti’s house" whose ground trembling "Gatti-Gatti-Gatti" chants were muzzled with a hush of shock and anguish.
Arturo’s own imitation of Jack Sharkey (vs. Jack Dempsey in 1927) late in the first round, only compounded his dilemma.
While complaining to referee Earl Morton, about being hit on the break, Gatti lowered his hands and left himself unprotected. Mayweather seized the opportunity and dropped his perplexed foe with a clean left hook to the jaw.
Desperate and sensing the inevitable, Gatti, against the pleas from trainer Buddy McGirt, aborted a fight plan devised to attack Mayweather’s midsection and demolish his body. Reverting to head hunting, Gatti opened himself up even more to Mayweather’s precision power punches. Mayweather made the Hoboken resident paid dearly.
Thru six rounds, the iron chinned Gatti, now 39-7 (30KOs), was on the very short end of this one-sided bout and had absorbed far too much punishment. With his left eye swollen shut, his right eye not much better, a face distorted with bruises and lumps from an estimated 115 power shots, the valiant warrior was, rightfully, not allowed to go out for the start of the seventh round. McGirt, the caring and utmost professional trainer, sensibly dismissed Gatti’s urging for "one more round" and notified the referee that the fight was being stopped.
While the faithfully devoted Gatti crowd voiced their support to a fallen hero, there was also the acknowledged respect and appreciation of greatness towards Mayweather.
Arturo Gatti may not have been the most talented fighter that Mayweather has ever fought, but this mega fight was, by far, the most crucial and instrumental fight in Floyd’s career. A true career defining fight where Mayweather, while a 3-1 betting favorite, had to endure the hostile crowd, was fighting out of his element, and obviously was not the sentimental choice of the boxing majority; with the added pressure of this his HBO pay-per-view premier outing.
It was tough for most of the Atlantic City crowd to watch the beating that was administered to their fighter Arturo Gatti.
It was ugly; and yet the paradox of this fight was witnessing Floyd Mayweather.
"Flamboyant Floyd" Mayweather, now 34-0 with 23 KOs, is not only the greatest fighter in boxing today, but the best fighter of this generation. While not realizing just how great Sugar Ray Leonard was, until learning to truly appreciate the art intrinsically involved with the sweet science, that is the potential level of Floyd Mayweather.
As for the rest of the 140 pound division :
Vivian Harris: I figured him to pose the greatest challenge. At the present time, Harris suffered a major set back by getting knocked out by new WBA Jr. Welterweight champion Carlos Maussa, on the undercard of the Gatti vs. Mayweather fight.
Harris exposed himself as an undisciplined fighter who could not handle adversity. Hopefully this was just an extreme case of over-training.
Ricky Hatton: Everyone’s new golden boy, except mine. His conditioning allows his greatest advantage which is extreme pressure for three minutes of every round. A brawler and called very aggressive, I call him "dirty". Hitting after each break and intentional low blows is NOT aggressive. He is a good fighter and I’m not taking anything away from him, but he will not get away with half the stuff he pulls outside of England.
Mayweather smokes him wherever they fight, it might take a few rounds longer in England but the result will be Gatti-like.
Miguel Cotto: Right now, Cotto is not ready for Mayweather and would suffer a crushing defeat, which would be more mentally devastating, then physically. In a year or two Cotto would be ready, and what a battle that would be. It may have to take place at 147lbs, rather then 140.
Kostya Tszyu: Who knows what Tszyu will do, retire? Rematch with Hatton? Still a force to be reckoned with if he can get himself back into the proper mindset, yet I would have to go with Mayweather via late round stoppage.
I don’t see any other 140 pound fighter even remotely giving "Flamboyant Floyd" a struggle. At this moment, Mayweather is the "King of the Hill" at 140 pounds. We will have to watch how Floyd develops when he decides to move up to the welterweight division and takes on the likes of (Shane) Mosley, (Antonio) Margarito and (Zab) Judah.
