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Gatti remembered at D’Amato gym
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| In this 1997 photo, IBF Junior Middleweight champion Arturo Gatti, left, from Jersey City, N.J., pops a left jab to the chin of Tracy Patterson from Highland Park during their 12-round bout at the Atlantic City Convention Hall Ballroom in Atlantic City.(AP) |
By Brian Radewitz
“When two men are fighting, what you’re watching is more a contest of wills than of skills, with the stronger will usually overcoming skill. The skill will prevail only when it is so superior to the other man’s skill that the will is not tested.”
— Cus D’Amato
Arturo “Thunder” Gatti epitomized this quote from the legendary Catskill boxing trainer. He was tough-as-nails with a never-back-down mentality and no matter how far behind he was on the scorecards, there was always a chance of Gatti pulling off a surprise knockout through sheer determination.
Boxing fans want their warriors to never take a step backward, and Gatti never did. He put on a show each and every time that he stepped between the ropes, earning him a loyal mass of followers.
On Saturday, Gatti was found dead in a hotel room in Brazil, where he was reportedly on his second honeymoon with his 23-year-old wife, Amanda Rodrigues. According to reports, Brazilian police suspect Rodrigues strangled Gatti with her purse while he was sleeping after the couple had a drunken argument earlier that night.
Some of my most vivid boxing memories are of “The Human Highlight Film.” In 2000 I clearly remember Gatti brutally knocking out Joey Gamache in the second round at Madison Square Garden. His trilogy of fights with “Irish” Micky Ward earned the two fighters “Fight of the Year” honors. Gatti participated in the “Fight of the Year” for three consecutive years in 1996-1998.
“It’s such a shame,” said Catskill boxing trainer Billy White. “Arturo came here and trained a little back in the 80s and 90s. I first met him in Montreal when he was 7 or 8 years old, and even then you could see he was going to be something special.”
Gatti made his way down to the Catskill boxing gym with the Canadian bred Fighting Hilton Family, who were known to frequent the Cus D’Amato Gym in the 70s and 80s.
During one trip to the Catskills, White remembers a tale that world renowned photographer Tom Casino told.
“Arturo, Tommy and another training partner all went over to Burger King in Catskill after training one day, and Arturo only had his shorts on,” explained White. “As Gatti was ordering, the training partner went around and pulled Arturo’s pants down to his ankles. He came back and was telling everyone that Burger King named the Whopper after him because of that incident.”
There are numerous similar stories of Gatti’s humorous personality, and win or lose he rarely left the ring without a smile stretching across his face.
Inside the ring he was respected and feared by opposing fighters. There wasn’t a man that he wouldn’t face and go toe-to-toe with and he even earned the respect of other big name fighters in the game.
“I love Arturo Gatti. He is one of my favorite fighters. He’s very exciting, not necessarily the greatest fighter in the world, but you watch Arturo, he’s just exciting,” stated D’Amato-trained Mike Tyson during an interview with ESPN in 2005.
Gatti (40-9) was featured on the cover of Ring Magazine multiple times and won championship titles in the junior lightweight division and the junior welterweight division.
“Arturo is definitely going to be in the Hall of Fame in a few years,” stated White. “We here at the Cus D’Amato gym are all going to go to the ceremony in his honor and lay out a shirt for him. He carried that warrior mentality and was truly a Cus D’Amato fighter. We are all devastated and want to express our sympathies to his family.”
D’Amato once said, “Boxing is entertainment, so to be successful a fighter must not only win but he must win in an exciting manner. He must throw punches with bad intentions.”
Arturo Gatti threw every punch with bad intentions, and even though he wasn’t the most skilled fighter around, he won fights — and fans — with his heart.
— Cus D’Amato
Arturo “Thunder” Gatti epitomized this quote from the legendary Catskill boxing trainer. He was tough-as-nails with a never-back-down mentality and no matter how far behind he was on the scorecards, there was always a chance of Gatti pulling off a surprise knockout through sheer determination.
Boxing fans want their warriors to never take a step backward, and Gatti never did. He put on a show each and every time that he stepped between the ropes, earning him a loyal mass of followers.
On Saturday, Gatti was found dead in a hotel room in Brazil, where he was reportedly on his second honeymoon with his 23-year-old wife, Amanda Rodrigues. According to reports, Brazilian police suspect Rodrigues strangled Gatti with her purse while he was sleeping after the couple had a drunken argument earlier that night.
Some of my most vivid boxing memories are of “The Human Highlight Film.” In 2000 I clearly remember Gatti brutally knocking out Joey Gamache in the second round at Madison Square Garden. His trilogy of fights with “Irish” Micky Ward earned the two fighters “Fight of the Year” honors. Gatti participated in the “Fight of the Year” for three consecutive years in 1996-1998.
“It’s such a shame,” said Catskill boxing trainer Billy White. “Arturo came here and trained a little back in the 80s and 90s. I first met him in Montreal when he was 7 or 8 years old, and even then you could see he was going to be something special.”
Gatti made his way down to the Catskill boxing gym with the Canadian bred Fighting Hilton Family, who were known to frequent the Cus D’Amato Gym in the 70s and 80s.
During one trip to the Catskills, White remembers a tale that world renowned photographer Tom Casino told.
“Arturo, Tommy and another training partner all went over to Burger King in Catskill after training one day, and Arturo only had his shorts on,” explained White. “As Gatti was ordering, the training partner went around and pulled Arturo’s pants down to his ankles. He came back and was telling everyone that Burger King named the Whopper after him because of that incident.”
There are numerous similar stories of Gatti’s humorous personality, and win or lose he rarely left the ring without a smile stretching across his face.
Inside the ring he was respected and feared by opposing fighters. There wasn’t a man that he wouldn’t face and go toe-to-toe with and he even earned the respect of other big name fighters in the game.
“I love Arturo Gatti. He is one of my favorite fighters. He’s very exciting, not necessarily the greatest fighter in the world, but you watch Arturo, he’s just exciting,” stated D’Amato-trained Mike Tyson during an interview with ESPN in 2005.
Gatti (40-9) was featured on the cover of Ring Magazine multiple times and won championship titles in the junior lightweight division and the junior welterweight division.
“Arturo is definitely going to be in the Hall of Fame in a few years,” stated White. “We here at the Cus D’Amato gym are all going to go to the ceremony in his honor and lay out a shirt for him. He carried that warrior mentality and was truly a Cus D’Amato fighter. We are all devastated and want to express our sympathies to his family.”
D’Amato once said, “Boxing is entertainment, so to be successful a fighter must not only win but he must win in an exciting manner. He must throw punches with bad intentions.”
Arturo Gatti threw every punch with bad intentions, and even though he wasn’t the most skilled fighter around, he won fights — and fans — with his heart.
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