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Although Arturo Gatti said he was leaning toward retirement immediately following his one-sided ninth-round knockout loss to welterweight champion Carlos Baldomir on July 22, the human highlight film is having second thoughts. He probably will fight on, manager Pat Lynch told ESPN.com.
"He is definitely leaning toward fighting again," Lynch said. "He doesn't want to go out that way. He feels he still has something left. Every time he tries to bring it up, I tell him to take time off. I tell him he has his real estate deal going on up in Montreal. I tell him he has his baby daughter to watch grow up."
Gatti, a former two-division title holder, is on vacation in South America, visiting Argentina and Brazil, until Aug. 25. He is also immersed in a multimillion dollar construction project in his native Montreal, where he and a partner are building 84 condos.
However, Lynch said Gatti (40-8, 31 KOs) still hasn't gotten boxing out of his system.
"He just feels Baldomir was a big, strong guy and that he should have boxed more rather than engage him, and that his love is boxing," Lynch said. "He definitely wants to fight again. It's so hard when I think about it. Do I want to see him get hit again? No. If he came back and said he changed his mind, I would be the happiest guy in the world."
Lynch has managed Gatti, 34, since he turned pro in 1991 and counts him as a family member. Gatti was an usher at Lynch's wedding and is godfather to one of his three children.
"You don't want to walk away from him because he's a big part of the family," Lynch said. "You don't want anyone taking advantage of him, but you also don't want to sit there and see him take anymore punishment. It's a very difficult situation."
"I echo Pat's sentiments exactly," said Carl Moretti of Main Events, which has promoted Gatti for his entire career. "If he said, 'I am done,' we'll throw the retirement party. But I understand his competitiveness and his desire to go on."
Making it even tougher for Gatti to walk away is that, according to Lynch, Gatti's HBO contract has a provision calling for a seven-figure comeback bout.
"I don't even want to think about him fighting again," Lynch said.
From ESPN.
I don't know who else Gatti can fight who he can beat.
"He is definitely leaning toward fighting again," Lynch said. "He doesn't want to go out that way. He feels he still has something left. Every time he tries to bring it up, I tell him to take time off. I tell him he has his real estate deal going on up in Montreal. I tell him he has his baby daughter to watch grow up."
Gatti, a former two-division title holder, is on vacation in South America, visiting Argentina and Brazil, until Aug. 25. He is also immersed in a multimillion dollar construction project in his native Montreal, where he and a partner are building 84 condos.
However, Lynch said Gatti (40-8, 31 KOs) still hasn't gotten boxing out of his system.
"He just feels Baldomir was a big, strong guy and that he should have boxed more rather than engage him, and that his love is boxing," Lynch said. "He definitely wants to fight again. It's so hard when I think about it. Do I want to see him get hit again? No. If he came back and said he changed his mind, I would be the happiest guy in the world."
Lynch has managed Gatti, 34, since he turned pro in 1991 and counts him as a family member. Gatti was an usher at Lynch's wedding and is godfather to one of his three children.
"You don't want to walk away from him because he's a big part of the family," Lynch said. "You don't want anyone taking advantage of him, but you also don't want to sit there and see him take anymore punishment. It's a very difficult situation."
"I echo Pat's sentiments exactly," said Carl Moretti of Main Events, which has promoted Gatti for his entire career. "If he said, 'I am done,' we'll throw the retirement party. But I understand his competitiveness and his desire to go on."
Making it even tougher for Gatti to walk away is that, according to Lynch, Gatti's HBO contract has a provision calling for a seven-figure comeback bout.
"I don't even want to think about him fighting again," Lynch said.
From ESPN.
I don't know who else Gatti can fight who he can beat.
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