GATTI LEAVES BEHIND THUNDEROUS MEMORIES

Posted on | September 3, 2007 | 2 Comments

THANKS FOR THE MEMORIES “THUNDER”

Tribute to Arturo Gatti – Boxing’s Blood & Guts Warrior

By Tony Penecale

The Boardwalk Hall in Atlantic City is now quiet. Where once the thunderous chants of “GATTI… GATTI… GATTI” shook the arena, as sellout crowd after sellout crowd cheered on hometown hero Arturo “Thunder” Gatti, all that is left now is silence… and memories.

There is an old saying that “All good things must come to an end”. Recently that adage proved true as the career of Arturo Gatti, boxing’s equivalent to a roller coaster, came to an end in his own backyard of Atlantic City. Now that it is over, it is fitting to give tribute to Gatti, whose career provided a number of thrills over an excitement and drama-filled 16 years.

Known for his determination and resiliency, Gatti carved a niche for himself coming back in situations that seemed to be impossible, whether it was in a fight that he was hurt or losing badly, or after a loss that would seemingly derail his career. Friend and former opponent Mickey Ward once likened Gatti to horror movie villain Jason Voorhees from the Friday the 13th series, saying that no matter what happened to him, he would always keep coming back. It is ironic that the night that Gatti ran out of sequels happened to fall on Saturday the 14th.

As we say good bye to a favorite, it is easy to see why the fans felt such a connection to Gatti. While he was not as talented or dominant as pound-for-pound greats such as Roy Jones Jr. or Floyd Mayweather Jr., Gatti was a blue-collar fighter that despite his vulnerabilities, would always give maximum effort, whether win or lose. It would be easy to envision Gatti pictured in a black-and-white broadcast, with Howard Cosell or Don Dunphy, calling the bout. He was definitely a throw-back fighter from another era.

It seemed that Gatti was on borrowed time for nearly a decade now. After three straight defeats in 1998, it looked like Gatti was on the downswing. But he rebounded with four straight wins, including a knockout of former titlist Joey Gamache and a blood-soaked decision over fringe contender Joe Hutchinson. This opened the door for a bout with superstar Oscar De la Hoya, which saw Gatti fight hard but succumb to the superior size and power of “The Golden Boy”.

While the loss to De la Hoya surely seemed to be the end of the road, it was a rejuvenated and reinvented Gatti that returned 10 months later, working under the tutelage of Buddy McGirt. After an impressive win over former titlist Terron Millet, a bout with popular New England slugger Micky Ward was signed. Often bouts look good on paper, and this one certainly did, but what happened in the ring certainly exceeded expectations, and their subsequent rematches, with Gatti winning the final two bouts in the series, forever linked them together in one of boxing’s greatest trilogies. The second bout also marked the start of his run as the main attraction at Atlantic City’s Boardwalk Hall, where he would compete nine straight times, including eight sellouts.

Gatti parlayed his wins over Ward into another title run when he defeated Gianluca Branco for the WBC junior welterweight title, registering two defenses. From there it was on to a lucrative Pay-Per-View showdown with the vastly talented Floyd Mayweather. While most boxing scribes predicted a dominant Mayweather victory, there were a few that figured Gatti would give him Hell as long as it lasted. That prevailing hope once again brought the Gatti faithful to Atlantic City. However, in the end, it was Mayweather’s supreme talent and speed that rendered the bout a mismatch before McGirt pulled the plug in the corner after six one-sided rounds.

While the drubbing by Mayweather certainly seemed like the end for the popular Atlantic-City icon, Gatti was able to resurrect one more time. Six months after the defeat, Gatti, moving up to welterweight, returned to a sold out Boardwalk Hall to take on Thomas Damgaard, who was sporting a perfect 38-0 (28) coming into the bout.

If every great warrior has one great war left in him, this was Gatti’s. Damgaard never knew what hit him. Gatti boxed well from the outside and slugged toe-to-toe when he needed to. Damgaard’s face would show the effects of the battle after each round, before he was finally rescued by the referee in the 11th round, as a final Gatti right hand had him staggering around the ring.

In hindsight, this would have been the perfect night for Gatti to walk away, victorious in front of his loyal following. But with a title shot looming with the solid-but-unspectacular Carlos Baldomir on the horizon, Gatti would glove up again and challenge for the Argentine fighter’s title. Gatti couldn’t cope with the physically stronger Baldomir, who was making his first defense, and was gradually worn down over the course of the bout, before finally succumbing in the 9th round.

One year later, on July 14, 2007, Gatti looked to reinvent himself one more time, this time against a former star of the “The Contender” reality show, Alfonso Gomez. While Gomez was seen as a light-punching opponent with average speed, he had competed against natural middleweights on the show, including a victory over highly-regarded Peter Manfredo, Junior.

It was evident from the early going that the Gatti that inhabited the ring was not the same Gatti that wowed opponents and fans throughout his career. Gomez landed every punch in his arsenal from the start. And when Gatti would fire his punches, Gomez had no problem in landing counters, primarily landing repeated right hands over Gatti’s jab. In the past, Gatti would march through the punches and bloodshed to unleash his attack. On this night, he was unable to march through and unable to unleash a sustained attack. All that remained from Gatti’s prime was his heart.

Sensing it would be the last time they would chant his name, the crowd ramped up the “GATTI” chants in hopes of one more miracle. That miracle was dashed in the 7th round. With Gomez winning the first six rounds, he looked to close the show in the 7th, landing a volley of punches against a weakening Gatti, who tried in vain to fire back. A brutal right hand sent Gatti slumping to the canvas, his upper lip ripped open, where referee Randy Neuman started the count. Before he could complete it, New Jersey Commissioner Larry Hazzard Jr. immediately entered the ring and halted the contest. In the end, Gatti went out on his shield, in the way that many warriors before him had.

After the bout, longtime HBO color commentator, Larry Merchant, broadcasting from Los Angeles, gave tribute to Gatti, speaking like he was delivering a eulogy. Delivering a classic comment, he spoke on how Gatti’s hourglass had run out and as a collector of artwork and glass, he would have loved to have “Gatti’s hourglass” in his collection.

Back in Atlantic City, HBO analyst Max Kellerman was in the dressing room to interview Gatti who was still leaking blood through the bandages on his cut lip. While the dressing room was a somber place, with several, including Kellerman, holding back tears, it was a smiling Gatti who thanked his fans for their support over the years and announced his retirement, citing an inability to make 140 lbs anymore and his ineffectiveness at 147 lbs. Realizing it was time to call it a career, Gatti said “Hasta la Vista, Baby”, before giving a final thumbs up and then hugging his team, including Micky Ward, who served as his trainer for the bout. Paraphrasing the popular quote, Gatti fought his career so that when he finally said Goodbye, he was the one smiling while everybody else was crying.

As I watched Merchant’s tribute, followed by Gatti’s interview, I felt it appropriate to put my own tribute together, including some of my favorite memories. Being a Gatti fan was like being in a cult. When he fought, the world stopped. And you felt like you were in there with him, enjoying the highs and suffering through the lows. And now that he is retired, Boardwalk Hall is silent. There will be other fighters and big fights there, and hopefully there will be a new star soon to capture the fan’s imagination, but there is only one Gatti and the atmosphere he provided in Atlantic City and on HBO will be sorely missed.

Personal Memories:

“Thunderstruck” Artruro Gatti vs Joe Lofantant(5-15-92) – It was the 2nd preliminary bout on my first live PPV card (and the first card I attended since I slept through a title fight when I was five). The catchy ACDC classic “Thunderstruck” blared over the loud speakers as a skinny, bushy-haired 20-year-old Italian kid, with a 5-0 (5) record, made his entrance. I remember my dad smirking at me as I sang along with the classic tune and saying “I guess you’ll be rooting for this kid!” And I was. Gatti certainly did not disappoint, attacking Joe Lafontant from the opening bell and punishing him over six rounds, winning a unanimous decision in the process. I became a fan that night!

“BAD” Arturo Gatti vs Wilson Rodriguez (3-23-96) – I was lucky enough to be one of the few in my dorm to have HBO access, and I had just gotten back from boxing an amateur tournament to tune in to the Boxing After Dark telecast of Gatti’s first defense of the IBF super featherweight title he had won from Tracy Harris Patterson three months earlier. Fringe contender Wilson Rodriguez was not expected to pose much of a threat but apparently he did not read the script. Rodriguez attacked Gatti early and had him bloody and swollen by the time the 1st stanza had completed. The assault continued with Gatti going down in the 3rd and his face looking like Rodriguez was assaulting him with a bat instead of his fists. When things seemed bleakest, Gatti started to uncork a vicious body attack, slowly sapping the strength from a fading Rodriguez. And when it seemed like the cuts and swollen eyes were going to force the doctor to intervene, Gatti saved his title, destroying Rodriguez with a highlight reel left hook. With the cheering in High Hall Room 112, it felt like we were there at Madison Square Garden watching it live.

“Homecoming Brawl” Arturo Gatti vs Gabriel Ruelas (10-4-97) – It was Homecoming at my college and I knew I would be enjoying the festivities. Long before the days of TIVO and DVR, I was able to set my VCR on timer so I wouldn’t miss Gatti’s defense against a resurgent Gabriel Ruelas. So, at 2:00 am, I put the tape in and a roommate and I sat together and watched the 1997 Fight of the Year. Gatti was in control early before Ruelas badly staggered him in the 4th round and continuing the assault in the 5th. From there, it was time for another miracle as Gatti launched a right hand that broke several ribs and took the air from Ruelas, opening him up for a massive left hook that ended the bout.

“Dueling Parties Declined” Arturo Gatti vs Micky Ward (5-18-02) – On this beautiful May evening, I had been invited to two college graduation parties, one for a cousin, and one for a former roommate. Also on this night was a bout that I had been salivating over ever since I saw it signed, Arturo Gatti vs. Micky Ward. Graduation parties come all of the time but Gatti-Ward only comes once (or three times… but I didn’t know that) so I declined both parties, using “the other party” excuse. I did make a guest appearance at my cousin’s party, staying about an hour, and racing home at 100 mph just in time to catch the HBO broadcast. It was well worth it. Some fights you watch in a recliner, some fights you watch on the edge of your seat. This fight I watched on my feet. It was that amazing. Even though Gatti was on the losing end of a close decision, the spectacular action was a definite highlight. I felt bad about skipping the parties but I know that I made the right decision.

“A Friendly Wager on the Rubber Match” Arturo Gatti vs Micky Ward III (6-7-03) – When they announced the rubber match between Gatti and Ward to be in Atlantic City, I knew that I had to be there. The day tickets went on sale, I scoped up four of them and went to the show with my dad, my neighbor, and his brother-in-law. I also made a side wager with a friend of Irish descent at a local fitness center. If the Italian (Gatti) won, he would wear a red, white, and green hat all night. If the Irish fighter (Ward) won, I would work out all night in a Leprechaun hat. I’ll never forget the feeling in the seats that night. There was a buzz immediately following the main undercard bout. That buzz intensified when Ward made his way to the ring. And when Gatti appeared the buzz became pure electricity. The bout had a series of momentum shifts with Gatti boxing well early before breaking his hand and absorbing a pasting from Ward. Just when Gatti was reclaiming control, a Ward right put him on the canvas. But in true Jason Voorhees form, Gatti was up immediately and ready for more, outboxing and outslugging Ward over the final four rounds to win the decision and cap off their amazing trilogy. It was such a great fight, that upon leaving I was exhausted and covered in sweat myself! And my friend did hold up to his end of the bet, wearing the Italian colors all night.

“A Friend’s First Fight” Arturo Gatti vs Carlos Baldomir (7-22-06) – This fight certainly does not stand out for the result but for the opportunity to take a life-long friend to his first boxing match. I had been friends with Mike for over 20 years and he was always a quiet and generally reserved guy. He had always been a Gatti fan and had never attended a live fight, so I got him a ticket to attend this bout with a fight fan’s group, including my dad, my neighbor, and another friend (and former opponent) from my amateur days. All during the bout, it was Mike’s chants that were the loudest. As Gatti was falling behind, it was Mike that kept chanting and yelling encouragement. After the bout was finally stopped in the 9th round, we were all understandably dejected, but Mike, while disappointed, was still exhilarated. He had seen one of his favorite fighters engage in a slugfest live. He later confided in me that it was an awesome experience and he was hoarse for days. Even though our hero had lost, I am glad that my friend took a great memory from it.