Boosted so she could reach the
microphone and speak on a most special day for her late father, 7-year-old
Sofia Gatti beamed.
“Thank you from my dad,” she
said Sunday as Arturo “Thunder” Gatti was inducted into the International
Boxing Hall of Fame.
On a day that included six
deceased inductees, Gatti remained fresh on the mind of everybody, especially
his longtime manager Pat Lynch.
“It’s a tremendous
accomplishment for Arturo. This little girl here shall have this memory
forever,” said Lynch, who fought back tears when he spoke. “It was so great to
see his mom and all of them come down to celebrate such a brilliant career. It’s
a truly deserving award for him. I know he’s looking down with a big smile on
his face.”
Also inducted were: Virgil “Quicksilver”
Hill, a five-time world champion who won a silver medal at the 1984 Olympics
and defended his light heavyweight title 20 times over his two reigns; two-time
light flyweight champion Yuh Myung-woo of South Korea; lightweight Wesley Ramey
and middleweight Jeff Smith in the old-timer (posthumous) category; 19th
century Irish boxer Joe Coburn in the pioneer category; referee Mills Lane,
whose “Let’s get it on” prefight chant endeared him to boxing fans; ring
announcer Jimmy Lennon Jr.; manager Arturo “Cuyo” Hernandez; cartoonist Ted
Carroll; and journalist Colin Hart.
Inductees were selected by the
Boxing Writers Association and a panel of international boxing historians.
Born in Calabria, Italy and
raised in Montreal, Gatti moved to Jersey City, N.J., as a teenager. He retired
in 2007 with a record of 40-9 with 31 knockouts and won titles in two
divisions.
Gatti died at age 37 in Brazil
in July 2009. His body was found at an apartment that he had rented with his
wife and their infant son in a seaside resort. Police initially held Gatti’s
wife as a suspect, but eventually released her and concluded Gatti hung himself
from a staircase railing using a handbag strap.
He was selected for the Hall
of Fame in his first year of eligibility.
“He always used to say to us, ‘Do
you think I’m going to be in the Hall of Fame?’ “ Lynch said. “I said, ‘Of
course. They can’t stop you from being in the Hall of Fame. You’re deserving.’
It’s just a great celebration.”
“Irish” Micky Ward had three
memorable bouts with Gatti. Ward won his first junior welterweight fight
against Gatti, blood streaming down his face as he captured a majority decision
in May 2002. Gatti avenged the loss in Atlantic City, N.J., knocking down Ward
in the third with a punch that shattered one of Ward’s eardrums and sent him
face-first into a stanchion. Gatti broke his right hand in the fight and won a
unanimous 10-round decision.
Gatti triumphed over Ward with
a 10-round decision in the rubber match in June 2003, and it was another brutal
slugfest. It wasn’t a title fight but had that feel as a raucous sellout crowd
of 12,643 _ the largest ever for a non-heavyweight fight in Atlantic City _
packed Boardwalk Hall.
Gatti was in control for most
of the bout, outpunching Ward and never allowing him to get close enough to
throw one of his signature left hooks to the body. Bleeding from an early
pounding, Ward rallied after Gatti reinjured the right hand he’d broken seven
months earlier.
Over the last four rounds the
exhausted fighters stood toe-to-toe, teeing off on one another. After the
fight, the two shared a bottle of water and hugged, then went to Atlantic City
Medical Center, where they lay side by side in the emergency room while being
treated.
Small wonder that Ward was
touched on this day.
“It’s funny how I became great
friends with him,” said Ward, who spoke briefly. “Even though he beat me, I
miss him to death every day. I know he’s here. I’m just happy for his family. I’m
proud of him like you wouldn’t believe. With the people being here and his
family and friends and his daughter being here, it made it worthwhile.”
The 76-year-old Lane, who
suffered a stroke in 2002 that left him partially paralyzed and unable to
speak, was helped onstage by his two sons. Lane, who refereed the infamous “bite
fight” between Mike Tyson and Evander Holyfield, waved triumphantly to the
crowd, holding aloft his new ring and smiling broadly.
“This is the happiest I’ve
seen him, which is so important,” Tommy Lane said. “We’ll treasure this the
rest of our lives. Let’s get it on!”
Touched, too, by the moment,
Lennon credited his dad, a ring announcer for nearly a half-century, with his
success. Lennon, who began his career as a backup to his father at the Olympic
Auditorium and the Forum in Los Angeles before moving to Showtime in 1991, said
it felt odd getting inducted before his dad and made a pitch for that to
happen.
“He used to tell me what I did
well instead of what I did wrong,” Lennon said. “When his health was failing
and he was in the hospital and not able to get the fights on TV, he would be on
the phone with my mom on the other end holding her receiver up to the
television so he could at least hear me announce.” (Source)
