RSSArturo Gatti
Monday, July 16, 2007
Goodbye to Gatti the Great, Again
Arturo is probably my favorite boxer active today. What tremendous fights he has given boxing fans. The trilogy with Mickey Ward and his wars with Wilson Rodriguez and Gabe Ruelas, etc… He is a warrior in every sense of the word.
As much as I like Arturo I feel he has without a doubt reached the end of the line after being defeated by Alfonso Gomez. This was a fight that Arturo was not supposed to lose..Gatti could expect a tough fight but he was expected to go out a winner. To me Gomez is a naturally talented boxer with a great personality. He really won over the fans on the “Contender” show. Still I thought he had limitations and I really didn’t think he could beat Arturo Gatti. Not even a fading version of Gatti. Whatever Gomez could do, Artuto could do better. Every match up, jab, hand speed, power, defense and ring generalship all favored Arturo. This is not a knock against Gomez who can be quite a clever boxer when he chooses to. Gomez also has some sting to his punches and is better defensively then he is given credit for. He just does not do these things as well as Arturo. Or so I thought. I also thought Gatti had the edge in heart because of his proven track record against world class opposition. Gomez though had shown great heart in his performances too.
Continue reading "Goodbye to Gatti the Great, Again"
Wednesday, July 11, 2007
Gatti-Gomez Conference Call Quotes
The following is a summary of the media conference call that took place earlier today discussing the upcoming bout between Arturo Gatti and Alfonso Gomez on July 14th at Boardwalk Hall in Atlantic City, NJ courtesy of Main Events.
Featured on the conference call are Gatti, Gomez, Main Events CEO Kathy Duva, and Executive Producer of The Contender, Jeff Wald.
Continue reading "Gatti-Gomez Conference Call Quotes"
Permalink
Friday, June 22, 2007
Baldomir and Forrest Collide for Interim Belt July 28 on HBO’s Boxing After Dark
Former world champions and current top-rated contenders Vernon Forrest and Carlos Baldomir collide for the World Boxing Council interim super welterweight title, Saturday, July 28. Promoted by Gary Shaw Productions, in association with Brian Halquist Productions, the Forrest-Baldomir title tilt will be broadcast live from the Emerald Queen Casino in Tacoma, Washington, on HBO Boxing After Dark, beginning at 10:15 P.M. ET/PT (delayed on the west coast.)
“With 81 victories between them, these two warriors know a little something about winning,” said Gary Shaw. “Not only have they been world champions, they became world champions by beating the best in their divisions to win those titles. They are two of the most competitive fighters I have had the privilege to work with. The fans at the Emerald Queen Casino and the viewers watching on HBO are in for a terrific night. It’s now or never for Vernon and Carlos and that’s exactly how they are going to fight each other on July 28.”
Continue reading "Baldomir and Forrest Collide for Interim Belt July 28 on HBO’s Boxing After Dark"
Permalink
Thursday, April 26, 2007
Welterweight Mania!
Woooooooooooo!
HBO will be televising a split-site tripleheader on July 14th. What? Yeah, I’ve never heard of such a thing either but here goes nothin’…
Three welterweight bouts will be televised on HBO that night:
The opening bout will be Kermit Cintron defending his IBF Welterweight Title for the first time against Walter Matthysse from Boardwalk Hall in Atlantic City, NJ. The second bout will feature the uber-popular Arturo Gatti, fighting for the ninth straight time in Atlantic City, in a 10-round affair against former Contender star Alfonso Gomez.
The final bout of the night will be Antonio Margarito making the 8th straight defense of his WBO Welterweight Title against mandatory challenger Paul Williams. A location for Margarito-Williams has not yet been selected but officials have stated that the possible location has been narrowed down to two sites: The Home Depot Center in Carson, CA or the Gibson Amphitheater in Universal City, CA.
Apparently Gatti’s camp was very picky over who his next opponent would be and it caused quite the delay in getting a deal between HBO and Main Events completed:
HBO and Main Events had spent the last few weeks locked in a disagreement over Gatti’s opponent. The network had pared its wish list down to having Gatti fight either former lightweight titlist Paul Spadafora, who is 2-0 on a comeback, or Steve Forbes, another former “Contender” star and former junior lightweight titlist who lost a highly controversial decision to Demetrius Hopkins last month in an exciting fight.
Gatti’s team didn’t like either style for him and preferred lesser opponents such as Dmitriy Salita or Edgar Santana, neither of whom HBO would approve.
HBO gave Main Events a tentative OK on Gomez earlier this month and it made a deal with his handlers. But a few days later, on April 7, “Contender” first-season runner up Peter Manfredo—who had lost a rematch to Gomez on the series—was wiped out in three rounds by super middleweight champion Joe Calzaghe. That loss gave HBO second thoughts about using another untested “Contender” boxer against Gatti in the final fight of his HBO contract.
However, when the Margarito-Williams fight came together and Cintron-Matthysse, another potentially explosive fight, was pitched for the telecast, HBO agreed to take Gomez. With Gatti’s HBO contract coming to an end, Main Events also agreed to give HBO the right of first negotiation and a matching right on his next fight.
I’m not surprised that they were so selective of Gatti’s foe. If he loses one more time, he’s pretty much done fighting-wise and HBO most likely won’t sign him to a new deal.
Permalink
Sunday, April 22, 2007
Ward to Train Gatti for July 14 Bout
Yes, the title is correct people…
Micky Ward, the man that Arturo Gatti went to war with on three separate occasions, will train Gatti for his return bout on July 14th in Atlantic City.
The change comes months after Gatti fired his previous trainer Buddy McGirt as part of the aftermath of Gatti’s brutal knockout loss to WBC Welterweight Champion Carlos Baldomir in July of last year.
In a recent interview with the Atlantic City Press, Ward stated that he was completely shocked when he got the call to train Gatti. He also said that he thinks he will be able to do a good job since he knows Gatti’s style so well:
“I was a little shocked when he called to ask me to come on, but I’m looking forward to it. It’s a good match because we both give 110 percent at anything we do. I’m trying to give the same effort at training that I gave in the ring,” Ward said. “I know Arturo’s style. I know what makes him tick. I think Arturo has something left, more than he showed in his last fight (vs. Baldomir).”
“Nobody understands that we became pretty close friends after trying to kill each other in the ring. We have great respect for each other and a good friendship. Arturo’s a great guy and a great fighter and I’m just hoping to help get him back on track.”
Monday, March 19, 2007
Ndou Calls Out Gatti
Reigning IBF super lightweight world champion Lovemore “Black Panther” Ndou is issuing the challenge and putting the boxing world on notice that he is ready to face Arturo “Thunder” Gatti. “I understand that HBO, Gatti’s promoter Main Events and his manager are meeting this week to decide on his next opponent,” he said. “The only name they have to consider is Lovemore Ndou.” Born in Transvaal, South Africa and now a citizen of Australia, 35 year-old Ndou (45 wins, 8 losses, 1 draw, 30 knockouts) is currently rated No. 4 by The Ring magazine at super lightweight..
“This fight will be about two warriors going toe to toe,” he said. “It will be a hell of a battle and all the fans live in the arena and watching at home on HBO will get their monies worth. Our styles suit each other perfectly. The fans will be asking for more. This fight will be such a great battle that this will end up being a trilogy.
“I have great respect for Arturo Gatti and what he has achieved. He is the people’s champion to the fans because of what he gives in the ring. If there were more fighters like him, boxing would be in much better health. You only have to look at the crowds he attracts to show what he means to his fans.”
Ndou says that HBO can do the sport of boxing a favor by making Gatti v Ndou.
“If the decision were solely up to Gatti, I know he would take the fight like a man,” said Ndou. “If HBO want to give the fans what they love to see, make this fight. I’m not a runner. I love to go toe to toe. We are very similar in that we enter the ring with only one goal in mind – victory.”
Friday, February 09, 2007
Gatti-Corrales Rumor Killer
Apparently there was a huge rumor floating around that Arturo Gatti would be taking on Diego Corrales in his July 14th farewell bout. I’ll tell you the truth, I didn’t even know this rumor existed until now…
Gatti’s publicist, Don Trembley, stated earlier today that even though their are multiple possible opponents being discussed, Corrales is not one of them:
“We have a meeting coming up with HBO to discuss the details of Gatti’s next fight. There are a few different names being discussed (for Gatti’s opponent), but I can tell you that Diego Corrales is not one of them,” Tremblay said.
Friday, January 26, 2007
Gatti’s Farewell Fight - July 14th
Eurosport is reporting that the always excitign Arturo Gatti will return to the ring one last time before retiring on July 14th at Boardwalk Hall in Atlantic City, New Jersey.
Gatti originally stated that he probably would be calling it a career after a devastating loss to Carlos Baldomir over the summer. However it seems that he has changed his mind and wants to lace up the gloves one last time.
An opponent for Gatti has not yet been named but the bout is most likely to broadcast on HBO which would be completing the contract they have with Gatti…
Sunday, December 17, 2006
Greatness and Gameness
The Greatness of Lennox Lewis and Floyd Mayweather Jr and the Gameness of Shannon Briggs and Arturo Gatti
I had the great treat of watching replays this weekend of Lennox Lewis vs Shannon Briggs and Floyd Mayweather Jr. vs Arturo Gatti.Within the realm of these bouts I saw and respected two things. Tremendous talent and equally tremendous courage.
LEWIS-BRIGGS
Lennox was the cream of the heavyweight division but Briggs had just come off a disputed victory over George Foreman who was, by all rights the linear heavyweight champion.George had beaten Moorer who had beaten Holyfield who had beaten Tyson. Case closed.
Lennox knew that by beating Briggs he would solidify his status as being the best heavyweight of his era. Briggs started fast and late in the first round he rocked Lennox on a couple of occasions. After that Lennox took over and he dominated Briggs flooring him on several occasions. Finally the fine referee Frank Cappuccino had seen enough and ended the battle in round five.
I’ve never been a big Lennox Lewis fan but he showed great size, physical condition and talent. Was he the best heavyweight of all time ? No...But he would have been a very serious opponent to any of the past greats.
Briggs who is now the WBO titleholder and that shows us how weak the division is. I have little doubt that if Lewis would step out of retirement now he would whip Shannon. I don’t care how big Briggs has become. His gain in size has diminished his best asset, speed. He stands like a statue in the ring. Lewis didn’t miss too many right hands back when Shannon could move. Lennox wouldn’t miss any now. To Shannon’s credit he showed the heart of a true champion against Lewis. He took some monster shots. He went down but he kept getting up. I will always have a healthy respect for the grit and heart of Shannon Briggs.
MAYWEATHER JR-GATTI
Who’s the best fighter pound for pound in the world today ? That’s a no brainer...Floyd Mayweather Jr. He is the Sugar Ray Leonard and Roy Jones Jr. of the era. I am just in awe of his talent. Against a dead game Arturo Gatti it was target practice. In this bout three things stuck with me. Of course the tremendous talent of the gifted Mayweather. The never say die courage of Gatti and last but not least, the compassion of Gatti’s trainer Buddy McGirt. Buddy was a fine fine fighter in his own right in his day. He won titles in two weight divisions. Now he has to be considered among the elite of today’s trainers. What impressed me was how he stopped this hopeless crusade Arturo was waging against Mayweather. Buddy knew there was no quit in Arturo. He was willing to go out on his shield. McGirt showed the love for his fighter that the great Eddie Futch showed for Joe Frazier in Manila. I will always have high regard for Mr. McGirt.
Sunday, July 23, 2006
Gatti Done?
World Boxing Council (WBC) welterweight champion Carlos Baldomir (left) celebrates his ninth-round TKO over Arturo Gatti Saturday in Atlantic City. One of three world champions promoted by Sycuan Ringside Promotions, Baldomir, who beat Zab Judah to take the WBC crown in January, continued to stake his claim for “Fighter of the Year” in 2006. Photo courtesy of Marty Rosengarten - Sycuan Ringside Promotions.
Video from ESPN 360: Arturo Gatti’s Gotta Go: Baldomir wins by KO
2 swift knockdowns end the fight in the 9th
USA Today: Baldomir KOs Gatti to retain WBC welterweight belt (AP article), Gatti may call it a career after loss
Fox Sports: Baldomir solidifies his welterweight position
ESPN: Baldomir dominates Gatti by 9th-round TKO
BBC: Baldomir overpowers brave Gatti, Gatti defeat is a blow to Hatton