HOF = great fighters not bums like Gatti!

I aggrree I wouldn't call them bums. Though Leija did beat the better fighters. I hate to say this but he actually beat Lazcano and surprising he didn't get killed or run over by Tszyu inside 1-2 round towards the later career it seemed like he was on a cutting streek, Camacho, Ward, Lejia he was a good fighter and i belive he like Ruelas should have gotten the W in each of there first fight with Nelson. Credit to Nelson, he still came back and got a win over both of them and clean wins. Ruelas v. Leija was a very good fight, i still remember what Leija said in an interview they showed on the ppv before his fight with Ruelas, credit to Leija he ducked no one, wasn't the best but good fighter. Gatti just never beat an elite fighter. But i'll give him much credit for beating Ruelas, though that wasn't the same Ruelas before the Garcia fight, before the Garcia fight, Ruelas wouldn't even have thought about getting about but would have been able to get up. The death of Garcia really messed with Ruelas but he was a good fighter i'll always remember for the toughness he brought into the ring aswell as the excitment. I never really respected Gatti, cause of the fighters he lost too and the hype he got. But he showed me his toughness against Delahoya, and after that he got my respect. Tough guy no doubt. Leija was better in his prime than Gatti, but I respect Gatti more because of Leija's hyprocrisy. Leija was so down on Camacho on quitting when he was cut, yapping about "I fight no matter what" and all that, then he did the same thing against Ward.

TITO YUCA i did'nt say tha cotto don't bring exictement and he is sure a better boxer, but he don't bring as much excitment than gatti. And i mean Quake is an asshole because he disrepects gatti, gatti is no bum, all people who go to box in a ring diserves respect, because it's not easy, even as an amateur i have preasure when i go on it basicly its easy to comment and critise because something you never have done. i done little ameatuer boxing but didnt fight a bout but i could say if you could do the same as they could do it then come and talk because boxing is not easy sport.

never ducked nebody in hes life 1) 2) "Never ducked anybody" is not HOF criteria. Demarcus corley, emanuel augustus, jesse james leija, etc are perennial gatekeepers. IT IS THEIR JOB TO FIGHT THE BEST. Should they be in the Hall? To even say Gatti didn't duck or avoid anyone is false, anyway. Showtime was willing to put up $5 million for a Tszyu-Gatti fight in 2002/03, when Tszyu was the IBF (and Ring mag) champ but Gatti and his team turned it down. For the third fight with Ward, Gatti's team turned down the original offer because they wanted a 75/25 split. Ward turned it down, obviously. There was offers to fight Shambra Mitchell in an IBF eliminator. Gatti's team refused the fight, then Mitchell fought Tackie in an eliminator. Then Gatti signed to fight Ward a 3rd time, getting about 70%. Then Gatti signed a deal with HBO, with his team giving him handpicked opposition, until his mandatory (PBF) came up. To Gatti's credit, he took the fight.

Cotto is also bringing excitement to boxing, is also a two-division champ, has also showed heart by going on to KO guys who had him hurt, and made Gianluca Branco quit in 8, a fighter who Gatti couldn't stop. He also has no losses, Gatti has 8. If Cotto retires today, would those of you who say Gatti deserves to be in the hall be campaigning for Miguel to make it as well? Gatti fough Branco before Cotto did. is like if someone now beats Hearn he is a legend that is a bit extrem but you know where i am going .

TITO YUCA i did'nt say tha cotto don't bring exictement and he is sure a better boxer, but he don't bring as much excitment than gatti. And i mean Quake is an asshole because he disrepects gatti, gatti is no bum, all people who go to box in a ring diserves respect, because it's not easy, even as an amateur i have preasure when i go on it

the guys an over achiever ! Not really. Gatti spent some time partying and getting involved in the wrong things when he could have been training and living like a fighter should. He had pretty good boxing skills but chose to abandon them once he got tagged cleanly a couple times, and it cost him. He had the athleticism, pretty good boxing skills, and an inhuman ability to recover from beatings in numerous fights and not be a shot fighter. He could've probably beaten some of the guys he lost to if he had more discipline, in and out of the ring.

he had the biggest heart How do you measure who has a bigger heart? Gatti, Corrales, Morales, Pacquiao, Holyfield, Abraham, Vargas, G. Johnson, etc... Lots of guys have a lot of heart. Some guys don't have to show it as much because they have better skills.

Cotto is also bringing excitement to boxing, is also a two-division champ, has also showed heart by going on to KO guys who had him hurt, and made Gianluca Branco quit in 8, a fighter who Gatti couldn't stop. He also has no losses, Gatti has 8. If Cotto retires today, would those of you who say Gatti deserves to be in the hall be campaigning for Miguel to make it as well?

QUAKE is an asshole, gatti is a fighter who brought exitment to boxing, and that is what boxing needs.

some of Gatti fight basicaly he wnet there and he knew he was going to slaughter. Gatti is a HOF because he bring excitment and one of the most exciting fighter in the 90s. any there is many HOFers and names that most people dont know them. He was the best out there but he had the biggest heart

Its disgusting that people call Gatti a bum since hes done so much for the sport. Also a bum is someone who fights twice a month for a couple hundred bucks against other unknowns or some rising prospect in their backyard to buff up their record. Bums dont fight for titles He was very well guided to his title and the opponets picked were perfect, except somtimes they back fired. I'll give him props for beating Ruelas and winning his title from Tracy Patterson.

Putting Gatti in there shall mute dissent on the nomination of Jesse James Leija. But that is not a situation that I find ideal. I like both Gatti and Leija and, like anyone who loves fighters who bring everything they have to the ring everytime, treasure their feats. But I just can't think of them as occupying rarefied niches in the IBHOF, notwithstanding the knowledge that Leija has two victories and a draw against a Hall of Fame inductee, Azumah Nelson. I won't push for Leija even though he has a win over Ivan Robinson to whom Gatti lost twice in epic battles. Leija was KOd in the 5th by Gatti in his last career fight, but he was 40 years old and had strung together 57 pro campaigns, losing only 7 to the likes of Mosley, De La Hoya, Tszyu, Lascano, Nelson, etc. One final note: BOTH WERE NOT BUMS. Losing to immortals cannot make them lesser men. If anything, the way they lost (with inordinate courage) helped highlight the special men they are. I aggrree I wouldn't call them bums. Though Leija did beat the better fighters. I hate to say this but he actually beat Lazcano and surprising he didn't get killed or run over by Tszyu inside 1-2 round towards the later career it seemed like he was on a cutting streek, Camacho, Ward, Lejia he was a good fighter and i belive he like Ruelas should have gotten the W in each of there first fight with Nelson. Credit to Nelson, he still came back and got a win over both of them and clean wins. Ruelas v. Leija was a very good fight, i still remember what Leija said in an interview they showed on the ppv before his fight with Ruelas, credit to Leija he ducked no one, wasn't the best but good fighter. Gatti just never beat an elite fighter. But i'll give him much credit for beating Ruelas, though that wasn't the same Ruelas before the Garcia fight, before the Garcia fight, Ruelas wouldn't even have thought about getting about but would have been able to get up. The death of Garcia really messed with Ruelas but he was a good fighter i'll always remember for the toughness he brought into the ring aswell as the excitment. I never really respected Gatti, cause of the fighters he lost too and the hype he got. But he showed me his toughness against Delahoya, and after that he got my respect. Tough guy no doubt.

Putting Gatti in there shall mute dissent on the nomination of Jesse James Leija. But that is not a situation that I find ideal. I like both Gatti and Leija and, like anyone who loves fighters who bring everything they have to the ring everytime, treasure their feats. But I just can't think of them as occupying rarefied niches in the IBHOF, notwithstanding the knowledge that Leija has two victories and a draw against a Hall of Fame inductee, Azumah Nelson. I won't push for Leija even though he has a win over Ivan Robinson to whom Gatti lost twice in epic battles. Leija was KOd in the 5th by Gatti in his last career fight, but he was 40 years old and had strung together 57 pro campaigns, losing only 7 to the likes of Mosley, De La Hoya, Tszyu, Lascano, Nelson, etc. One final note: BOTH WERE NOT BUMS. Losing to immortals cannot make them lesser men. If anything, the way they lost (with inordinate courage) helped highlight the special men they are.

and the fact that hes held 2 world titles at 2 different wieghts , never ducked nebody in hes life and always entertained no matter what means he should not get what is rightfully hes and that been a hof spot yah he might be a "bum" but if i could achieve half as much as him and get called a bum from arm chair fans id be the happiest bum in the world those shots were given to him since he was an exciting fighter

Its disgusting that people call Gatti a bum since hes done so much for the sport. Also a bum is someone who fights twice a month for a couple hundred bucks against other unknowns or some rising prospect in their backyard to buff up their record. Bums dont fight for titles

Whether you like him or not, Gatti was far from a "bum". It really annoys me when the word "Bum" is attached to any above average fighter, especially one who was easily Top Ten during his era. It denotes jealousy of his popularity. Was Gatti the best? No; but he was far from "the worst".

he's not that good and people got WAAAY overrated for beating him(robinson, manfredy, baldomir), but he did provide LOTS of memorable fights...

I don't know if he should be in the HOF but he is definently not a bum.

This isnt a knock on Gatti, this a knock on ODH for fighting a smaller man,,look what happen to ODH when he went to middle to fight Bernard.. ONE BODY SHOT! dummy Both Gatti and DLH had it coming in terms of getting beaten by a bigger guy, since they fought smaller guys. But at least Gatti didn't go down from the softest looking body shot KO ever.

Well for one Ken Norton did less then what Gatti he got in over one win. No. Norton beat other HW contenders around that time. Such as Jerry Quarry (horrible beating), Duane Bobick, Jimmy Young, Tex Cobb (when Norton was old).....as well as fighting very close at age 35 against a prime Larry Holmes. .Who did Gene Fullmer beat other then a over the hill Ray Robinson ? Paul Pender, Benny Paret, Carmen Basilio, Florentino Fernandez.