Gatti earns foe's disrespect
By JOHN C. COTEY
Published June 28, 2005
Floyd Mayweather was accused of having little class and criticized before Saturday's fight with Arturo Gatti for running his opponent down, calling him a C+
fighter.
Turns out, Mayweather was being generous.
Gatti's grade Saturday was an F. He came out and tried to outbox Mayweather - surely trainer Buddy McGirt had a better plan than that - and was pummeled for six rounds before the fight was mercifully stopped.
The chasm between their talents couldn't have been wider. Mayweather proved himself arguably the world's best pound-for-pound fighter with a dazzling performance that embarrassed Gatti.
Gatti, meanwhile, saw his bubble burst. On the basis of thrilling wins over fellow C+
fighters Gianluca Branco , Micky Ward , Leonard Dorin and James Leija , he had become one of boxing's most popular stars. In a bad career move Suzanne Somers would be proud of, he decided to take on one of boxing's A+
fighters.
Few boxing experts gave him any chance to win, but few foresaw the performance he laid out. Everyone expected Gatti to go down fighting, bloody but unbowed, by answering Mayweather's skills with the full measure of his power.
He could have lost but walked away with his reputation intact. Instead, he fought (okay, threw a few harmless punches) from a distance and will be remembered for his six rounds as a punching bag, his lack of response and the meek manner in which he went out.
This was the great warrior?
Mayweather's role in Saturday's performance should not be understated. He was brilliant, delivering as sound a beating as you will see. Like Winky Wright , Mayweather's boxing skills may have been undersold, while Gatti's power (and in Wright's case, Felix Trinidad 's) was overplayed.
Mayweather now lays claim to being the world's best pound-for-pound fighter. His only competition is Bernard Hopkins , who will have to be awfully impressive July 16 against Jermain Taylor to blunt Mayweather's claim.
To witness the carnage of Mayweather-Gatti, check out HBO at 10 p.m. Thursday for a replay, as well as 11 p.m. Saturday, 9:30 a.m. Sunday and 10:30 p.m. July 5.
MONEY CHASE HITS DEAD END? Wright told the world after he beat Trinidad that he was now a pay-per-view fighter. But in order for promoter Gary Shaw to make such a fight, he needs two things:
Winky Wright. And an opponent.
Oscar De La Hoya now says he never intended to fight Wright. Hopkins still insists he won't. Fernando Vargas ' people have declined to even negotiate with Shaw. Don King has yet to make a visit to Puerto Rico to talk Trinidad out of retirement for a rematch (Shaw said he and Wright will visit Trinidad as well).
As far as big pay-per-view fights, that leaves only Taylor, but he would need to beat Hopkins and do so impressively. Shaw also is contemplating a run up to light heavyweight, as Wright could carry the extra weight and perhaps land a fight with Roy Jones Jr. or Tampa resident Antonio Tarver .
While Wright and Shaw look around, a likely interim destination may be back to 154 pounds. Shaw said Wright will definitely fight again this year and may pursue a bout for the WBC title, which is vacant.
Either way, Wright is expected to sign a multifight deal with HBO soon, which may not be the big fight he wanted but will keep him busy until then.
IN THIS CORNER: Former NBA star Kendall Gill made his professional debut Saturday, crushing Trevor Ryan Biley (0-2-0) by first-round knockout. Gill, fighting as a cruiserweight, had a 7-inch height advantage over Biley. He knocked him down three times in the round, winning at the 1:58 mark. Gill has said he wants to fight a few times to fulfill a childhood dream but hopes to return to the NBA next season. ... Though protests are in the works, a male-female professional fight beween Anne Wolfe and James Johnson is set for Aug.20 in Biloxi, Miss.