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Where, Oh Where, Has Our “Blood And Guts Warrior” Gone?
Our illustrious hero, our never say die champion, our hard hitting combatant has ridden off rightfully and honorably into the sunset. He went out just as we knew he would, on his shield. There would be no sadness or sorrow because we saw it coming; a warrior cannot bleed forever.
His last drop was shed by a seemingly lesser opponent in Alfonso Gomez, a man, that years ago, would have tasted the canvas within five rounds against our boxer/puncher, Arturo Gatti.
It was clear at that moment there would be no rally, no puncher’s chance, and no superman-like comeback that would be heralded for years to come as had happened so many times. He was defeated. Gattiʼs career was over.
It really hit me when I received my issue of “The Ring” that month that it was finally over. I saw the picture that I had seared into my brain from that night on paper. It was of our warrior slumped near the ropes, bleeding from the ghastly wound on his mouth. I asked myself whether there would ever he another quite like Arturo Gatti.
He was the type of fighter, which if you are lucky, comes around once in a lifetime. He was a fighter that you knew, for a fact, would rip out his heart and throw it on the canvas, if need be, to win a fight.
Gatti is one of the only fighters in recent memory that can lose a fight and never lose fans because of it. This is quite a phenomenon in boxing. We fans are probably among the most fickle of any sport. Yet time and time again, Gatti would fill every single seat inside Boardwalk Hall in Atlantic City. Whenever Gatti fought there, it was “his” ring. It was “his” home. It was a sight to see, this Gatti Mania.
The sport of boxing lost something special on July 14, 2007.
So where do we go from here? We look to the future.
The “Blood and Guts” quality is not one that comes easy in boxing; it takes more then a few qualities that, when put together, can forge a special fighter. A warrior of this type would have to have stamina, chin, fortitude and most importantly, heart. “The fighting heart of a lion”.
There is a fighter that embodies these qualities and has the potential to begin another Gatti-like following. He is Australian, but of Greek heritage. Greece, the same county that spawned the mighty Spartan people. He wears the star of Macedonia on his back. And he fights like a man possessed.
Michael Katsidis is beginning to earn the respect and hearts of boxing fans all around the world. In just his first pro fight, he won the Queensland State Lightweight title by brutal knockout of Danny Wilson in round three. In his very next fight, he was able to capture his second minor title by besting James Swan in their twelve round affair for the Australian Lightweight title. He has also won the WBO Asia Pacific and the IBF Pan Pacific Lightweight straps.
Michael Katsidisʼ crowning moment came February 17, 2007 when after a brutal five rounds, he was able to wrestle the Interim WBO lightweight title from tough Englishman Graham Earl. Earlʼs corner did not allow him to answer the bell for the sixth round.
Katsidis bears more than a resemblance to the way that Gatti fought, but none is more apparent than his capacity for bleeding. Katsidis cuts as easily as Gatti did. He fights through the pain just as Gatti did but Katsidis deals out an immense amount of punishment with his power punching. Of his 23 wins, 20 have come by way of knockout. Katsidis is a very exciting fighter to watch, just as his predecessor was.
If Michael Katsidis has it in his blood to give us half the action that Arturo Gatti did, his fans may find a home with a new face. A new face with the same heart. We can only hope that this is the case. Boxing needs its “blood and guts warrior” back.
Katsidis is slated to take on the Ring and WBC champion Lightweight Joel Casamayor tonight.
