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by David P. Greisman - This will not be a popular article. There will be many angered by what is written within, and understandably so.
This is not my intention. I am no attention-seeking contrarian. I am just a boxing writer who was a fan of Arturo Gatti before I ever confronted my first deadline, and I remained enamored with the man who truly earned and epitomized his nicknames.
He was “Thunder” with both hands. He was a man for whom the description of “blood and guts warrior” was always appropriate and never hyperbolic. He was a beloved hero who often sacrificed style in favor of substance, cast off defense in favor of offense, and became the “Human Highlight Reel” as a result.
I am a writer who could never truly stay objective when it came to Gatti.
I am a writer who will not be voting for him to enter the International Boxing Hall of Fame.
This is the decision being debated over the next few weeks by members of the Boxing Writers Association of America and other voters, all of whom received their ballots in the mail last week. Those voting can select up to 10 names from the “modern” category. The fighters with the top three vote totals will be inducted into Canastota in 2013; the winners will likely be announced by the end of this year.
The most recent class of modern inductees included Thomas Hearns, Mark “Too Sharp” Johnson and, posthumously, Cocoa Kid. The three new names added to the ballot this year were Gatti, former light heavyweight champion and cruiserweight titleholder Virgil Hill, and former light heavyweight titleholder Henry Maske. [Click Here To Read More]
This is not my intention. I am no attention-seeking contrarian. I am just a boxing writer who was a fan of Arturo Gatti before I ever confronted my first deadline, and I remained enamored with the man who truly earned and epitomized his nicknames.
He was “Thunder” with both hands. He was a man for whom the description of “blood and guts warrior” was always appropriate and never hyperbolic. He was a beloved hero who often sacrificed style in favor of substance, cast off defense in favor of offense, and became the “Human Highlight Reel” as a result.
I am a writer who could never truly stay objective when it came to Gatti.
I am a writer who will not be voting for him to enter the International Boxing Hall of Fame.
This is the decision being debated over the next few weeks by members of the Boxing Writers Association of America and other voters, all of whom received their ballots in the mail last week. Those voting can select up to 10 names from the “modern” category. The fighters with the top three vote totals will be inducted into Canastota in 2013; the winners will likely be announced by the end of this year.
The most recent class of modern inductees included Thomas Hearns, Mark “Too Sharp” Johnson and, posthumously, Cocoa Kid. The three new names added to the ballot this year were Gatti, former light heavyweight champion and cruiserweight titleholder Virgil Hill, and former light heavyweight titleholder Henry Maske. [Click Here To Read More]
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