House of Gatti

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Arturo "Thunder" Gatti moves up to welterweight to face Thomas Damgaard Saturday night at Boardwalk Hall

By Bill Gelman

Add Comment | Comments: 0 | Posted Jan. 26, 2006

Gatti, pictured here fighting Micky Ward in one of the pair's legendary Boardwalk Hall bouts, returns to AC on Saturday night.

House of Gatti

Arturo "Thunder" Gatti moves up to welterweight to face Thomas Damgaard Saturday night at Boardwalk Hall

By Bill Gelman --> After a seven-month absence from Atlantic City, Arturo "Thunder" Gatti is making his return to Atlantic City's Boardwalk Hall Saturday night to face Denmark's Thomas "Lionheart" Damgaard for the vacant IBA welterweight championship.

For Gatti, 39-7, 30 KO's, this is his first fight at welterweight. He is the former IBF Jr. lightweight and WBC super lightweight champion. Speaking from his home in Florida, where it has been too cold for golf, the former champ says he is looking forward to making his Atlantic City return.

"I should've moved up a long time ago," the 33-year-old Gatti says. "I am excited to be fighting at 147 pounds."

Main Events is promoting the evening of boxing, in association with Caesars Atlantic City and International Entertainment APS. The fight will also be televised on HBO's World Championship Boxing series beginning at 9:45pm.

Gatti enjoyed his share of success at super lightweight (140 pounds). He won the WBC super lightweight title on Jan. 24, 2004, via a 12-round decision over Gianluca Branco at Boardwalk Hall, and enjoyed two successful title defenses.

His last performance at the Jersey Shore, June 25, 2005, wasn't so memorable as he surrendered his title to Floyd Mayweather Jr. (TKO by 6). Mayweather, considered the best pound-for-pound fighter, scored a first-round knockdown, and dominated the fight. Following the completion of the sixth round, Gatti's trainer James "Buddy" McGirt instructed the referee to stop the bout.

"I had a hard time dealing with my last loss," he says. "I was going to take a year off, but I didn't want to."

Gatti-Mayweather was the highest-grossing non-heavyweight fight in Atlantic City history.

Now comes a new weight class, and a new set of challenges. Gatti says he has been training three times a day to get himself ready for the fight.

In Damgaard (37-0, 27 KO's), he will be facing a 34-year-old southpaw, who hasn't lost a fight since turning pro in 1998. Saturday night will be his first time fighting in the United States. On Nov. 3, 2000, the fighter from Markov, Denmark captured the WBU welterweight and the WBA International welterweight titles by decisioning Alessandro Duran (W 12).

"I know he can take a good punch," Gatti says of Damgaard. "He has got nothing to lose. I know he is prepared to beat me."

The European will not receive a friendly welcome, as Atlantic City is Gatti's home turf. This will be his 21st time fighting in Atlantic City and seventh straight appearance at Boardwalk Hall. Gatti's career mark in Atlantic City is 16-4, with 11 KO's.

The mark includes his July 6, 2003 and Nov. 23, 2002 epic battles against Micky Ward, both of which he won by unanimous decision. The first fight in the trilogy took place May 18, 2002 at Connecticut's Mohegan Sun. The Gatti-Ward trilogy is considered one of the greatest in boxing history. ESPN.com fans recently selected it as the second-greatest boxing trilogy behind Muhammad Ali-Joe Frazier.

Like previous Gatti fights, tickets are going fast. As of last Friday, Valarie McGonigal, director of marketing, Atlantic City Convention Center, Boardwalk Hall, says there were just fewer than 2,000 tickets remaining, with about half being $50 tickets. Boardwalk Hall will be set up to hold 12,000 fans, and McGonigal says a sellout is expected by fight night.

"This really is the House of Gatti — he is in the Boardwalk Hall of Fame and has his favorite dressing room named in his honor," McGonigal says.

If successful on Saturday night, Gatti says he will fight again in July against WBC welterweight champion Carlos Manuel Baldomir, who defeated Zab Judah via a unanimous decision to win the crown. For now, Gatti is only concerned with defeating Damgaard, and making it a memorable night for his fans.

"My fans believed in me when I lost," Gatti says. "I owe a lot to my fans. I am coming real prepared and will put on a good show Saturday."

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