Did Arturo Gatti Deserve IBHOF Spot?

[OctoberRed]

There has been a lot of debate of this between veteran observers.

Some feel he does because of his action packed fights and ability to always please the fans on a fight by fight basis. There was never a boring Gatti fight.

Others disagree because he just about always lost big fights, his wars were usually against boxers who were mid-tier fighters and he serious outweighed opponents in numerous fights. They feel his inclusion lowers the standards of who gets in.

[Sadiqkingofko]

How do you enter than hall of fame without a hall of fame resume???

[ShoulderRoll]

He didn't deserve to get into the Hall of Fame. And his inclusion has definitely lowered the standard to get in now.

In my opinion the Hall should be reserved for truly great fighters. Which he wasn't.

[W1LL]

Arturo Gatti was a character, not a Hall of Famer.

[GhostofDempsey]

Based upon resume no. Based upon entertainment value and his trilogy with Ward, it's not beyond reason. If they have room on the wall for Sly Stallone and Jim Lampley who never shed a drop of blood for this sport, there is room for Gatti.

[billeau2]

This thread is like my grandma's whitefish used to be... done to death. It gets bandied around and then it explodes, people get butt hurt and Its always going to come down to what Ghost of Dempsey alluded to: Gatti was a huge presence, a real working class hero, he was exciting and his fights with Ward were incredible because they were so well matched. Gatti may have not been A side talent but when he fought Floyd Gatti was the draw!

now ask oneself the following; what are the standards for the hall of fame? they are not ATG thats for damn sure, so we can at least start this debate with the understanding that we are not saying Gatti was an ATG because he was HOF.... With that said it comes down to whether the relative talents of Gatti were sufficiently lacking that his entry is con****ious.

Gatti did more for boxing than a lot of guys who had more talent than he had thats for sure. Finally in Gatti's case his lack of talent was in a sense what made him such a sensation...he got by on piss, vinegar and guts, everyone could relate to his situation because he had no real finesse, defense to Gatti was what the neighbor had between his house and the yard... ya know da-fence!

[OctoberRed]

Adding to this, I believe Gatti might be the only boxer to sign a "lifetime" contract with HBO.

[The Old LefHook]

If it helps his poor widow raise some money I am all for it. Gatti's young 'un needs shoes and whatever else they get 'em down in Brazil at this age.

[Willy Wanker]

This thread is like my grandma's whitefish used to be... done to death. It gets bandied around and then it explodes, people get butt hurt and Its always going to come down to what Ghost of Dempsey alluded to: Gatti was a huge presence, a real working class hero, he was exciting and his fights with Ward were incredible because they were so well matched. Gatti may have not been A side talent but when he fought Floyd Gatti was the draw!

now ask oneself the following; what are the standards for the hall of fame? they are not ATG thats for damn sure, so we can at least start this debate with the understanding that we are not saying Gatti was an ATG because he was HOF.... With that said it comes down to whether the relative talents of Gatti were sufficiently lacking that his entry is con****ious.

Gatti did more for boxing than a lot of guys who had more talent than he had thats for sure. Finally in Gatti's case his lack of talent was in a sense what made him such a sensation...he got by on piss, vinegar and guts, everyone could relate to his situation because he had no real finesse, defense to Gatti was what the neighbor had between his house and the yard... ya know da-fence!

Very good post. I just made my case a few months ago in a different thread on how Gatti deserves it. I don't know how other sports handle their Hall of Fame, but the boxing HOF is for people who have made great contributions to the sport one way or another. "Fame" being the keyword. You don't have to be an ATG to get in. If referees, trainers, and commentators are eligible, then why not a blood and guts warrior who drew a lot of interest for the sport?

If people think only ATGs should get in, we need to go back in time and rewrite the rules for who is eligible.

I've had friends that became boxing fans because of Gatti's fights. He got the benefit of being featured on HBO, but too many fighters of his caliber go unrecognized. It's a shame that many fighters with much more talent haven't been inducted yet, but there should be a spot reserved for someone like Gatti.

For a guy with such limited skills, he still became a multi time world champion and was an opponent for some top names. He was an overachiever in almost every sense, but he showed that heart, grit, and determination can overcome more skilled fighters.

Gatti is boxing.

[TheReadyTimeBoy]

People really underestimate Gatti's skills. He was extremely hittable and limited skillwise compared to ODLH, Floyd etc (some of the best fighters ever) but he was still a very, very good boxer in his own right with well developed skills and a good kit of punches. Not to mention serious pop and decent handspeed.