Should Arturo Gatti be voted in the International Boxing Hall of Fame? When I first heard this as topic of discussion I was disgusted. Why wouldn’t he get in? What are people thinking? Arturo Gatti is a poster boy for the Hall of Fame. Some people will argue he wasn’t the most skilled fighter. Which I may partially agree with, but he fought with pure heart and determination.
Heart is what boxing is all about. It is boxing’s best and most rare feature in a fighter. Something fighters in other contact sports (MMA) cannot utilize as much. In MMA once you go down you are pounded into submission. However, in Boxing, fighters like Gatti can pick themselves up from the canvas, get their standing eight count and rush back into the fight for a chance at redemption. Let us not forget Arturo also had a legendary chin, almost superhuman, as if it were forged with fused titanium and diamond. I mean that man could take a beating.
Was Gatti one of the best fighters ever? No, not at all, but he embodies what it means to be a fighter. Gatti ducked no one and never took a round off. If he couldn’t win then he went out on his shield. No one could say that his fights were boring. The style of his fights brought fans to the sport and even those who don’t like him at least respect him. Most people remember him for his trilogy with Irish Mickey Ward but he transcends those bouts. Gatti won two world championships in two different weight classes and participated in Ring Magazine’s “Fight of the Year” four times in 1997, 1998, 2002 and 2003.
Twitter has been blowing up with this topic, so I decided to ask some boxers if they would vote Gatti into the Hall of Fame. Roy Jones quickly and simply replied “eff yea!! #truewarrior #boxing.” Chris Byrd shared a similar sentiment with me on Twitter replying, “Yes, I’d vote for him. He won two titles and was involved in epic bouts with Mickey Ward #boxinghalloffame #ArturoGatti.” Don George wasn’t as certain Gatti would get in stating, “Not sure, maybe not the first few years but he might squeeze in later down the road, but of course he would get my vote if I had one 100%.” Boxers tend to agree Gatti deserves it but a lot of writers and fans feel differently.
There are a lot of boxers that take it easy in the ring. Some don’t even try their hardest each fight but you could never say that about Gatti. The boxing world could definitely use more fighters like Arturo “Thunder” Gatti. The impact he has had on the sport is undeniable. Gatti gave us all he had in the ring. He has paid his dues and now it is our turn to return the favor. Let’s put the legend where he belongs, which is immortalized in the International Boxing Hall of Fame.
Do you disagree? If so please share your thoughts and comments below.
