Gygax

Here's a good article on Arturo Gatti and his upcoming fight, courtesy of NorthJersey.com.
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By JOHN ROWE

NEW YORK -- When Buddy McGirt decides the time has come for a fighter he trains to hang up his gloves, he says nothing. He merely hands a cigar to the boxer.

The message is simple: it's time to sit back, relax and enjoy life.

McGirt insists that time is not yet here for Arturo Gatti, the best fighter he trains.

But you might want to keep the stogies nearby, Buddy. That time is coming, and probably soon.

From his ringside vantage point last June, Larry Hazzard, a former world-class referee now in his 20th year as chairman of the New Jersey State Athletic Control Board, was concerned that Gatti was close to finished. By the sixth round, Hazzard walked around the ring and whispered into McGirt's ear that maybe it was time to put an end to the beating Floyd Mayweather was giving Gatti. At the end of the round, McGirt said enough was enough.

Having already decided that, Hazzard made a mental note that he would insist Gatti undergo additional neurological tests before he fought again in New Jersey.

"He only knows one style, to give it and take it," Hazzard said Wednesday at the final news conference for Gatti's debut as a welterweight, against Thomas Damgaard on Saturday night in Atlantic City. "We all know Arturo Gatti is the poster child for extra testing."

Because Gatti was given a clean bill of health by his doctors last week, Hazzard will be sitting in his usual ringside seat. His mind is at ease, he says, because Gatti has no "existing maladies" that could contribute to him suffering a serious injury.

"Whatever happens will happen in the ring," said Hazzard.

Noble words, but Gatti, who turns 34 in April, has been through so many ring wars that any future health problems could be an accumulation from his career, not just the night that Mayweather convinced Gatti that he was overmatched against arguably the best fighter in the world.

The people around Gatti are sincere when they say they'll know when to tell him to quit, but he's a meal ticket for a lot of people -- from long-time manager Pat Lynch to Main Events, which has been his promoter since he turned pro 14 years ago.

Plus, Gatti also likes the stardom he enjoys. Few fighters with seven defeats (in 46 bouts) have the name recognition he has. He's a throwback fighter who always puts on a good show, and he's the best television fighter of his era. Saturday night will be his 19th appearance on HBO.

Dean Chance, the former pitcher who's president of the IBA, the sanctioning body for this fight, quips that if Gatti was a baseball player he would be Pete Rose, the ultimate overachiever.

Because Gatti sells out arenas, especially Boardwalk Hall in Atlantic City, he was paid a career-high $3 million to fight Mayweather. "People who hate boxing love Arturo Gatti," said Mike Morley, Damgaard's publicist. "This guy could sell out Yellowstone Park if they put seats in there."

Whether Gatti can market himself as a welterweight with as much success as he did as a two-time champion at junior and super lightweight is to be determined. Damgaard is 37-0, with 27 knockouts, but he's never fought outside of his native Denmark, and you have to wonder if he's more Danish pastry than Grand Dane. Why would Main Events put Gatti in with an experienced welterweight in his first fight in the weight class?

"This isn't a 'Let's take him out for a spin and see how he is' fight," said Kathy Duva, Main Events' chief executive officer.

They already know how he is. Gatti needed only two weeks to get over his loss to Mayweather, says McGirt, and he's been training in Florida since mid-November. The agony of trying to make weight at 140 pounds has been eliminated by the 7-pound move up.

Gatti sounds like someone who realizes the end is near. He was much more serene Wednesday, partly because there was no need for false bravado because Damgaard was not there. He was taking his physical in Atlantic City.

"I'm really healthy for all the fights I've been through, and I'm glad Buddy stopped that fight [vs. Mayweather]," Gatti said. "I'm glad to be back in the ring. That's what I live for and that's what makes me who I am."

He's a fighter and intends to keep going.

"I'll know when it's time [to retire]," said Gatti. "It's not time now."

Let's hope he's right.