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HBO Commentator Jim Lampley finished up his initial remarks during his pre-fight commentary with “(Gatti is) one horror movie from oblivion” in contrast to some analysis offered from his colleague Larry Merchant during HBO’s broadcast of Arturo “Thunder” Gatti (40 – 7 – 0 / 31 KOs) vs. Thomas “Lionheart” Damgaard (37 – 1 – 0 / 27 KOs) on Saturday, January 28, 2006 in which Gatti stopped Damgaard in the 11th round with a furious (damaged) right hand that forced the referee to step in and stop the destruction. Damgaard was on queer street and the ref made the right decision. What Jim Lampley and many others out there fail to recognize or acknowledge about Arturo Gatti is that while there are those who wish to berate and try to belittle the accomplishments of this generation’s reincarnation of the younger memories of Tony Zale, Rocky Graziano, and Jake LaMotta, there are so many more of us who believe in him as a fighter, a man and an athlete. The sheer heart that Gatti brings with him to every fight is nothing short of amazing and is something that most of us have been blessed to be a part of and will most likely never see again in our lifetimes. Arturo Gatti is so much more than any news headline or story. He is a part of us all. Arturo represents the common man and shows the kind of willpower that the rest of us merely aspire to possess in our daily lives. Disparaging comments are par for the course when writers put word to paper concerning boxers and their abilities or shortcomings. Gatti will go down in the lore and legends of boxing as one of the best and no one can dispute that no matter how hard they try to. Even when he loses he’s still a winner in all of our eyes. Who else can inspire such heartfelt support as Arturo “Thunder” Gatti has in us all?
The general media and boxing public was highly doubtful leading up to this re-emergence of Arturo Gatti and how this fight would play out. Not much was known of the durable Dane from across the seas in Thomas Damgaard and few out there were willing to back Arturo after the loss he suffered against Floyd Mayweather last year. There was not much in print concerning Gatti’s return to the ring that wasn’t laced with mention of retirement, possible loss, diminished skills or loss of hand speed. One article in particular that caught my eye was one inappropriately titled “Final Bell for Arturo Gatti”. Trash like this is common when you refer to boxing journalism and you get used to reading it after awhile, especially seeing as most writers don’t feel comfortable with their writing unless they are criticizing a fighter or raking their reputations across the coals. It’s how they get readers to read their fodder in the first place. Usually when a herder directs his sheep they fall in line and this circumstance is no different. I won’t offer up this frustrating piece’s contents in their entirety, but I would like to outline some of the things that were written by one Adam Carpenter Lawrence. Mr. Lawrence suggests the following, “In the ring, Gatti’s reflexes have diminished, and his formerly flashing fists have slowed. Once capable of delivering speedy combinations to the head and body, he is now far more likely to throw one ponderous punch at a time.” Tell that to the durable but now beaten fighter in Thomas Damgaard who suffered his first loss ever against Gatti’s “ponderous punches” as you put it Mr. Lawrence. Damgaard deserves all the credit in the world however, and although he didn’t possess the power that Arturo does, he did show up to win and hung in there like a trooper. Thomas Damgaard is one tough son of bitch there’s no denying that. Put two tough fighters in the ring together and anything is bound to happen.
Another ridiculous line from Adam Lawrence’s assault on Gatti suggests, “That Gatti continues to fight implies a level of denial in his camp matched only by that of his rabid fan base and the betting public.” He continues on to say, “Gatti’s condition is so questionable that he shouldn’t be favored against any skillful lightweight, let alone a plausible welterweight”. Rambling on nonsensically he states, “Look for Damgaard to back Gatti up, work the body, and either stop him late from an accumulation of blows or emerge with a unanimous-decision victory. Anyone feeling guilty about profiting from Gatti’s loss could certainly consider donating the proceeds to the Retired Boxers Foundation.” Looks like Mr. Lawrence got his prediction right with a late round stoppage, too bad for his all pride arrogance and ignorance he picked the wrong guy. Guess it’s hard to stop from putting your foot in your mouth and wiping all the egg off your face over and over again. There’s nothing wrong with constructive criticism but what from the following that was offered by Mr. Lawrence had anything constructive to offer? Nothing, that’s what. This is all too common when referring to boxing writing as everyone and their mother feels the need to slam boxers who suffer one loss or ten losses. People like Mr. Lawrence and all the other negative press out there who contribute to the slow destruction of our sport from the inside out need to find another venue to write about because it’s fairly clear they have no true affinity or respect for the art of boxing.
Manny Steward put it best on Saturday when he summed up Arturo Gatti with some of the most brilliant and poignant words to ever come from such a great trainer and true connoisseur of boxing. He said sincerely, “Blood, cuts, broken hands or broken ribs. When everyone else thinks they’re a warrior they’re only second to him (Gatti). He’s a warrior”. Arturo Gatti is a true warrior in every sense of the word. I’m sure there will be people who will make Gatti’s recent victory out to be anything but a blown up victory over a foreign lesser and unknown opponent and unfortunately we will have to read this among the writing surrounding the bout. But for the rest of us, the real fans of boxing, we will continue to acknowledge and support the great fighter named Arturo Gatti who has given us 15 years of great and memorable fights. And whether he wins or loses is irrelevant because he always shows up to fight and win and proves to us all that the power of will is stronger than any defeat or obstacle in life. The fact that he came back after his loss against Mayweather so successfully is a testament to his importance in the scope of pugilism.
Things need to change in boxing if our sport is to survive. With legends like Arturo Gatti giving us his all as well as many other boxers, don’t you think it is time for us as spectators and fans to give something back to them? I have written time and time again about how the corruption and negative press and crooked judging and poor decisions in boxing have polluted the discipline for too long now and there needs to be a stop to these practices. If we want to continue to celebrate great fighters and great fights then we need to give back to those who put their lives on the lines daily for our entertainment and reverence. The time is now for boxing to make a comeback in a big way. This is a new year and with more good fights on their way we need to join together and do what is right for boxing. I am not afraid to take a stand and neither should you be. Take Arturo Gatti’s life long example of pure heart and courage as your guide if you doubt things can change. Because they can.
Gatti’s return to the ring gives me and I am sure several others the hope that they need to continue to support boxing and its fighters. There were the haters and doubters that wrote of Gatti’s wished demise with relish and little victories of their own, but they were wrong. His popularity will always overshadow anything someone who has never been challenged as mentally or emotionally challenged like professional prizefighters are throughout their careers ever writes. These “men” are nothing more than egotistical writers who feel as though they are up on high judging “lesser” fighters with their “expert” analysis’. Anyone can write something about boxing or boxers. It takes an honest person who cares about the sport and its fighters to write from the heart and speak the truth. That’s what sets things apart. Hopefully one day these people will realize that all of their criticisms and fault finding does is ruin our sport and force fans to turn away that much farther.
So for the doubters of Arturo “Thunder” Gatti and the art of boxing in general I have to ask you a question here. Can you hear the “Thunder”? There’s a storm coming your way and nothing you do or say is going to be able to stop it. Congrats Gatti on a well executed fight and hopefully we’ll see you in the mix against Carlos Baldomir this year or in the near future. Like a sign that has been prominently shown in the crowd at nearly all of Gatti’s fights that have been aired on HBO, it says “YOU GATTI BELIEVE”. We believe Thunder, we believe. Welcome back.
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© Copyright / All Rights reserved: Doghouse Boxing 1998-2006
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By Jason Petock (January 29, 2006)
