The Drubbing

Recent weeks haven’t been kind to the celbrity ranks. There was Ed McMahon, Farrah Fawcett, Michael Jackson, Steve McNair and most recently Walter Cronkite. Last week boxing lost one of it’s own, Arturo “Thunder” Gatti. Aside from a brief mention on SportsCenter and the replay of some of his matches on ESPN Classic, it appeared that despite the odd circumstances of his passing, the death of Arturo Gatti went largely unnoticed. Much of the sports world was steel reeling from the untimely death of Steve McNair. And the average sports fan may have never heard of Arturo Gatti.

His name doesn’t have the same ring as an Oscar De La Hoya, Floyd Mayweather, Jr. or  Bernard Hopkins. But he deserves to be discussed in the same breath. With a record of 40 wins and 9 losses, 31 of his wins coming by knockout, Gatti has a record that can hang with the other top-flight, big-name boxers. Most of his losses came at their hands, or at the hands of “Irish” Mickey Ward. One thing that Gatti proved every bout was that he never lacked heart, determination and guts. Three qualities every corner man wants in a fighter.

At this point I would be crying in my dressing room

Like most everyone else Gatti was a nobody to me in 2002, when I first found out about him. I was on hand at the Hampton Beach Casino Ballroom on July 13, 2001 when the hometown favorite Micky Ward matched up with Emanuel Burton for a fight that ended with the two of them barely standing, exchanging fierce blows in the final minutes of the 12th round before going to the judges scorecards. I had never seen two guys close out a bout purely on heart. Deservedly, that fight was everyone’s Fight of the Year. So on May 18, 2002 I was again rooting for the hometown Ward when he faced off against Arturo Gatti. I knew nothing about Gatti but expected that Ward would wipe the canvas with him as the fierce determination Ward was becoming known for would prevail. What we all saw that night exceeded anyone’s expectations and would launch one of the greatest trilogies the boxing world has ever seen.

It’s takes two very special fighters to be able to engage in a battle like that over the course of three fights. Mike Tyson put on some amazing performances, his most recent came outside the ring. But “Iron” Mike also showed us that one great fighter an epic trilogy does not make. Now Micky Ward is getting the Hollywood treatment as any favored South Boston son would these days. And Arturo Gatti got his special day on ESPN Classic. I hope that after the circumstances of his death are sorted out, Arturo Gatti will be remembered as the special fighter that he was.