By Johnny Ortiz

Thunder and Lightning have co-existed since the beginning of time, this Saturday night, June 25, 2005 on HBO PPV, they will come to a parting of the ways. "Thunder comes in the name of Arturo Gatti, while Floyd Mayweather Jr. wears the tunic of "Lightning."

They will be fighting for Arturo’s WBC Super Lightweight title. Floyd (33-0 W/ 22 KO’s) is nearly a 4-1 odds on betting favorite mainly due to his speed and elusiveness. To hear "Pretty Boy" talk, the fight is a mere formality. His unkind words have been directed at Arturo, (39-6 W/ 30 KO’s) one of the most loved fighters in the history of the sport of boxing. At a recent press conference, these are just a few unkind things Floyd had to say about Arturo: "He’s a club fighter that they put on HBO," "He’s never been in with a guy like me, his last six opponents I could beat in one night, he’s going to get outboxed easy and then I am going to stop him. He don’t really believe he’s going to win, he’s scared. He’s not a good fighter."

There are a few things Pretty Boy left out; things like, without Arturo Gatti, Floyd would still be looking for his first PPV fight. Bob Arum is predicting approximately 500,000 PPV buys. The reason: Arturo "Thunder" Gatti! Win, lose or draw, fight fans know that when they watch a Gatti fight, it doesn’t get much better. Arturo’s fight or die style of fighting has endeared him to fight fans all over the world. If he were to lose, it would not make any difference as far as his devoted fans are concerned, they know that Arturo will give you every thing he has and more, he has the heart that champions are made of. They love him and will continue to do so until the day he hangs his gloves on a hook.

I number myself as one of his greatest fans, I learned long ago that winning is not everything, I look for the heart in a fighter, if he fights to the very best of his ability, that’s good enough for me, I could not ask for more.

Not every fighter can fight with the great finesse of a Sugar Ray Robinson; fighters like Arturo Gatti have to go that extra mile in order to make up for their boxing limitations. Arturo has done all that has ever been asked of him, he knew when he signed to fight Oscar De La Hoya that he had to go up in weight while giving away height and reach besides fighting an Oscar who was at the very top of his game. If you saw this particular fight, you saw Oscar completely dominate the fight against the much smaller man, you also saw Arturo never quit trying. After the fight was stopped in the fifth round, Oscar had nothing but praise for the gallant try Arturo put up. His praise of Arturo came as no surprise to me, like Arturo, Oscar has no use for trash-talking, his praise of the other guy has always been the epitome of class.

I am by no means taking anything away from Floyd Mayweather; all the accolades that have come his way have all been deserved. He is definitely a terrific fighter who I believe has yet to see his best days. I thought Jose Luis Castillo clearly won their first fight but since then, I truly believe that Floyd has improved immensely. I just wish he would fight his fight and leave all of the trash-talk behind him. Floyd is only hurting his public fight image by attacking a much-loved Gatti. I pray that one day Floyd will realize that he doesn’t need to verbally attack his opponent; he is so talented that he would have legions of fans if he conducted himself with dignity outside of the ring…his work inside the ring need no suggestions.

Muhammad Ali, the innovator of the trash-talk, was the lone exception. When Ali did his boasting, it was not done maliciously, he did it to hype the gate. It was done with humor and tongue in cheek. When reading his hardhearted, poetic words, one could easily read between the lines. Ali would be the first one to tell you that he got his shtick from the popular wrestler "Gorgeous George." People hated the pompous George for his obnoxious boasting and packed the house to see him lose, Ali quickly saw it as a way to pack the house when he fought by using his mouth; he masterfully and successfully put his plan into gear. The rest is boxing history. Thus…the Louisville Lip was born.

Muhammad Ali really liked his opponents, he truly believed that without them he would not have become the fighter who till this day, is still revered the world over. There was only one Muhammad Ali. Trash-talk began with him; it should have ended with him. I am sure that Ali did not mean for it to be taken to the level where it is today. Now when certain ugly things are said, it takes away from the one saying it. I only hope that one day Floyd will learn from Ali, that his educated fists – not words – will get him all the recognition he so justly deserves.

As for the fight itself, being the boxing purist that I am, I would on paper, think that Floyd with his youth, great speed and uncanny way of avoiding punches should win, his lightening fast combinations would have at one time been able to establish cuts above Arturo’s eyes. Since his operations to strengthen the scar tissue above his eyes, Arturo has not suffered any serious cuts, but then he hasn’t been in with anyone with the hand speed and velocity of Floyd Mayweather.

Arturo on the other hand, still has the one thing capable of turning any fight in his favor, and that one thing is his awesome power. Diego Corrales when asked who he thought would win the fight, replied that he thought Floyd would win due to his boxing ability, but if Arturo can get to his chin, he would knock Floyd out.

I too believe that Arturo, besides his going back to the wonderful basic boxing ability he once showed in his early days, has the power in both hands to win the fight. Trainer Buddy McGirt has Arturo doing things that he had put away in favor of becoming an out and out brawler.

I’ve had both Arturo and Floyd on Ringside LA with Johnny Ortiz, Floyd once, Arturo at least four times. Floyd was being Floyd, he spoke of his greatness even back then, Arturo was his same humble, likable self. My producer Danny Lujan once told me that he received a call from Arturo’s manager, Pat Lynch after my last radio conversation with Arturo, telling Danny that Arturo had told him that my latest introduction of him was the nicest thing he had ever heard said about him in all of his days in boxing. I was flattered and moved by Arturo’s words, he has long been one of my favorite fighters ever since the day I saw the enormous bravado he brought to the ring.

I have all of the conversations we had on my show on tape, long after Arturo has said goodbye to the sport he loves, and the sport that so loves him, I will from time to time listen to them just to remember what a great young man he is and always will be. Floyd doesn’t have to try and convince everyone how great he is, he should try the Gatti way by being humble and showing the world just how really great he really is by winning his fights with the incredible God-given talent that has been bestowed upon him.

I look for a great fight Saturday night, I of course, will be rooting for my guy Arturo, he has to pressure Floyd, by doing so, he may be able to nullify some of Floyd’s quick combinations while trying to reach his chin with his big left hook or right hand. One thing is for sure, when a fighter can box the way Arturo is capable of doing and who possesses great power, he can never be counted out. Arturo can not get over anxious, he has to fight the fight of his life if he is to beat the #2 pound for pound guy in the business. Floyd has to fight the fight he is capable of fighting in order to emerge victorious.

In his last eight fights beginning with his last bout against Henry Bruseles who he TKO’d in eight rounds and ending with his fight against Carlos "Famoso" Hernandez, Floyd has stopped three and has had to go the twelve round distance on five occasions. Barring suffering bad cuts, there should be no reason Arturo cannot go the distance if so required.

Floyd is going to try and put on a virtuoso performance, it is his first time on the PPV stage, he will definitely be at his best. Arturo will have to whether an early storm and continually try to get Floyd to fight at close quarters where Arturo can quickly step back in order to unleash his big guns. Thunder Gatti has quite a job cut out for him, Floyd, like all exceptional, complete boxers, is a great counter puncher who will make an opponent pay when he misses. Floyd, undoubtedly knowing what a hard puncher Arturo is, will be trying in earnest not to let him get a clean shot at his chin. A puncher vs. a boxer has always made for a great fight, this one will be no different, Arturo at 33 years of age will give away five years to the 28 year-old Mayweather.

There are a lot of questions that will be answered in this fight, will age and brutal fights finally catch up to Arturo? Will Floyd be able to stay out of Arturo’s punching range? Will all of Floyd’s trash talking make him take unnecessary chances to prove his point? Due to Floyd’s incessant verbal assault, Arturo has vowed to kayo the boastful Mayweather; will his prediction come to pass? Saturday night will supply all the answers.

In total respect for both warriors, may the best man win, although speaking for Arturo’s vast legion of fans and myself…"Bring it on home Arturo!"

Be sure not to miss this fight between Thunder and Lightning, Floyd Mayweather Jr. has many more years of championship fights ahead of him; Arturo Gatti is rounding the bend of his memorable career.

If you truly love boxing, you should be required to watch every remaining Arturo Gatti fight, when his career is over, there will never be another like him, he was born to fight, and fight he has done valiantly…with all of his heart.

Make no mistake about it…Arturo "Thunder" Gatti is truly a fighter for the ages!!!

The other fight on the card will feature WBA Super Lightweight champion Vivian Harris defending against Carlos Maussa. After searching the status on Maussa, I was surprised to find that his name did not appear anywhere in the rankings. With that said, I love Vivian Harris big!

Harris has had trouble getting the other champions to fight him. He is a very worthy champion. A sensational win Saturday night might bring him some serious attention. Remember Ronald "Winky" Wright? He once had the same problem, let’s hope for Vivian Harris’ sake that he gets the same opportunity that Winky waited so patiently for.

Before closing, I would like to take the time to bring attention to a boxing book I have just read. Considering myself a boxing historian, I took a great interest in it. It has to do with the great fighters of yesteryear. As a boy when I fell in love with boxing, I would go to our local library and for hours on end, I would read everything about boxing from its very beginning. Reading this great novel really took me back to those great days of my youth.

The book is a tribute to the Golden Age of Boxing, its title: Boxing in San Francisco by F. Daniel Somrack.

San Francisco was the Mecca of boxing during the Golden Age of the sport. The greatest champions in the world came to San Francisco to win, lose, or defend their titles. The grand venues like Mechanic’s Pavilion, 8th Street Arena and Mission Street Arena hosted some of the most important fights in boxing history.

These are just a few of things that Boxing in San Francisco features:

Many never before published photographs from the renowned San Francisco

photographer Percy Dana.

The Olympic Club, where most of the San Francisco fighters learned their craft.

In this book of vintage photographs spanning from 1890 to 1914, boxing historian F. Daniel Somrack who produced the award-winning documentary "Champions Forever," presents striking images of boxing’s Golden Age. It spotlights such greats as "Gentleman" Jim Corbett, Joe Choynski, Jack Johnson, Battling Nelson, Stanley Ketchell, and 1904 Olympic heavyweight champion Sam Berger.

The author does an exceptional job of following the San Francisco boxing scene through the years; he also focuses in on weight classifications and ring records.

This is a must read if you are a boxing aficionado. I highly recommend it if you enjoy reading about how it was in the early years of boxing in the great state of California.

If you are interested in acquiring this book, check the availability at area bookstores, on –line bookstores, or through Arcadia Publishing at www.arcadiapublishing.com or (843) 313-2665. I received mine by contacting Laura Moore at lmoore@arcadiapublishing.com or (843) 853-2070.

UNTIL THE NEXT ROUND…PEACE AND GOD BLESS!

Johnny Ortiz is a member of the World Boxing Hall of Fame Board of Directors and is a former co-owner of the world famous, legendary Main St. Gym.