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Arturo Gatti is a boxing star in every sense of the word. He went from an average fighter, to a decent slugger, to an entertaining boxer and now a whole new boxer with improved skills while training under former champion, Buddy McGirt. I used to watch Gatti fights with major concern, due to Gatti being easily cut over the eyes, hindering his eyesight |
and placing him in potential danger from a powerful punch. At one point in time, Gatti had to rethink his whole approach on boxing. He was a slugger giving his all, and this proved evident in his three straight losses, one to Angel Manfredy and two in a row to Ivan Robinson. He was overtly outmatched when accepting a fight with Oscar de la Hoya and with that loss, many fight fans thought Gatti’s better days were all said and done. It is clear now that Gatti accepted that fight with intentions of making it big and was not thinking intelligently, because if he had waited, he would have had a better chance of beating De La Hoya. Yet, you have to pay attention to the inspiration within Gatti; a light is inside of him, one dating back to his loss to King Solomon in 1992. That loss came as he entered his seventh professional fight, but the loss did not hamper Gatti, as he progressed and continued on his quest of becoming a respected fighter.
In 2002, you would really see Gatti’s inner strength as he fought an all out war with Mickey Ward. This fight was packed with exciting and gut wrenching punches. At the time, you thought both of these fighters were going to collapse and a director was going to yell “cut;” that is how much drama this fight had, making you think it had to be a movie. Ward came out the winner, but they both were treated as brave warriors. Any new fight fan should retrieve a copy of Gatti vs. Ward I. This fight would guide two more fights, with Gatti winning both the second and third fights. Add a top-notch trainer and a new burst of traditional textbook boxing and you have a Gatti with a WBC light welterweight belt and a pound-for-pound elite Floyd Mayweather Jr. on the path of claiming Gatti’s crown.
On paper, this fight seems one sided. Boxing records can be a misrepresentation of a boxer’s heart and passion. Some fighters slack off in training, personal problems get in the way, business issues boil over into their training regime and so on. Gatti has lacked motivation and wasted a couple of opportunities on making it to the next level. A victory over Floyd Mayweather Jr. will surely replace any lost opportunities we may feel Gatti took lightly. Mayweather is a tremendous talent in all of boxing and can convince you to believe in him, before the opening bell. Understand this sport and realize the logic behind boxing is anybody can win if he is determined enough.
Could Gatti really be the one to present a real challenge to Mayweather? If Gatti can get into Mayweather’s strong mind, the amount of freedom to out-box Mayweather will present itself. We do not know if Mayweather can truly take a punch. Also, we don’t know if Mayweather’s reactions towards the pressure of being down on the judges’ scorecards. We do know that Mayweather trains with stimulating conviction and his speed makes you miscount his punch output. In no way, shape or form would I dare misjudge Mayweather’s abilities, but, I am a man who can fathom a blueprint towards beating Mayweather.
As I bring into retrospect the misrepresentation of a boxer’s record, I have to point to the ups and downs of Gatti’s career. We are well aware that Gatti’s self-confidence is one that could reside on the mountaintop of courage and continuity. Even if he loses to Mayweather, I have a strong inclination that Gatti will regroup and be right back in the gym, training for another fight and constructing another plan on landing a championship fight. This fight has one major ingredient and if you can answer this question, you can come up with a logical answer for which fighter comes out the winner. Which boxer, Gatti or Mayweather, has more to lose? If you can answer that question, you will have a winner.
Shaun Rico LaWhorn can be reached at filmmaking_mentality@msn.com
