It was the end of an era last night at Boardwalk Hall in Atlantic City as ex-two weight world champion Arturo Gatti was beaten over seven rounds by former Contender star Alfonso Gomez at welterweight. Also on the bill, Kermit Cintron defended his IBF Welterweight title by belting out Argentine puncher Walter Dario Matthysse within two rounds.

Performing at the same venue for the ninth straight time, the torrid past of the 35 year old Gatti, 40-9 (31), caught up to him in a big way. Facing a younger, bigger man in the form of 26 year old Alfonso Gomez, Gatti was rarely in the bout.

Unable to outbox or outpower his opponent, Gatti made it to the seventh round on sheer toughness alone but when Gomez finally caught the native Montreal man on the ropes in the seventh, the Mexican unloaded a frightening barrage of leather.

Gatti crashed to the canvas after fielding a perfect combination but did manage to beat referee Randy Neumann's count, only to find the fight stopped a short time later by New Jersey's Commissioner of Boxing, Larry Hazzard, at 2:12 of the seventh.

Gatti, 40-9 (31), announced his retirement after the bout and brings a close to one of the most exciting careers of modern day boxing. Gomez, 17-3-2 (8), has now won three straight.

In other action on the card, IBF Welter Champ Kermit Cintron, 28-1 (26), won a battle of knockout artists with Walter Dario Matthysse, 26-2 (25). Cintron proved simply too fast for the South American and had Matthysse on the floor at the end of the first.

The Argentine still hadn't recovered by the start of the second round and Cintron made short work of the challenger, producing a KO off a lashing combination at :029 of the second.

There was a raft of New York/New Jersey area prospects on the undercard with middleweight Giovanni Lorenzo and light middles Pawel Wolak and Henry Crawford all winning their bouts within the distance.

Click to read more boxing articles by Richard Eberline

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