Saturday, June 25, 2005
Copyright © Las Vegas Review-Journal

WBC SUPER LIGHTWEIGHT TITLE FIGHT: Mayweather plots early exit

Challenger promises flashy ring entrance, to stop Gatti before fight goes full 12 rounds

By KEVIN IOLE
REVIEW-JOURNAL

Floyd Mayweather Jr., above, known for his defensive skills, doesn't think Arturo Gatti, below, will be able to hit him tonight when they tangle for Gatti's title belt.

ATLANTIC CITY -- Floyd Mayweather Jr. will be carried to the Boardwalk Hall ring tonight in an entrance he vows will be "bananas."

When someone joked that he would be carried in and WBC super lightweight champion Arturo Gatti would be carried out, Mayweather nodded excitedly.

"There may be a lot of truth to that," said Mayweather, a 4-1 favorite to win his third world title. "They think I'm going to box and run, but I'm going to give the people a show. I'm not going to do anything stupid, but believe me, this fight won't go 12 rounds. There's no chance."

The unbeaten Mayweather -- widely regarded as one of boxing's two best, along with middleweight champion Bernard Hopkins -- has repeatedly berated Gatti in an attempt to spur pay-per-view sales.

Mayweather has boasted of his talent and compared himself to the legendary Sugar Ray Leonard.

Although he concedes Mayweather is talented, Gatti trainer Buddy McGirt takes exception to that comparison.

"It's an insult to Ray Leonard for him to compare himself to Ray," said McGirt, a two-time champion. "It's a plain insult. But all this talk he's doing, that's what he has to do to build up his confidence. I've been around and I know this: When a guy talks like that, they're talking to you, but they're really trying to convince themselves."

Mayweather was relaxed and jovial after weighing in Friday at 139, a pound under the limit. Gatti weighed 140 and immediately left the showroom to get something to eat.

He has purposefully avoided Mayweather to prevent a brawl that might cause the bout to be postponed.

Mayweather crashed a Gatti media appearance in New York on Wednesday and taunted the champion by grabbing a plate of food. As Mayweather lifted his T-shirt to show his well-defined abdominal muscles, Gatti stormed from the room.

"Mayweather, I'm going to knock you the (expletive) out," he said as he left.

On paper, the fight pits Mayweather's speed, defense and boxing skills against Gatti's power. But McGirt said Gatti will be able to box with Mayweather.

Former world champion Pernell Whitaker, a left-hander who had many of the same boxing traits as Mayweather, agreed. He said Gatti's strategy should be to box, not slug.

"He can't bang with him," Whitaker said of Gatti. "He has to keep him in the center of the ring and concentrate on being the better boxer. He should jab him to the chest and don't worry about the head. If anything, he should think about the body because I know Arturo is a real good body puncher. If he keeps going to the body enough, eventually he'll catch him with something."

Mayweather scoffs at the idea Gatti will even be able to hit him. Mayweather has frequently stood in front of an opponent and managed not to get hit, using his quick reflexes to block punches and duck out of the way.

But McGirt said Jose Luis Castillo and DeMarcus Corley were able to hit Mayweather and that Gatti will be able to as well. When that happens, McGirt said, the fight will change.

"If Castillo could hit him and Corley could hit him, I know we can touch him at least once," McGirt said. "If we touch him, then you're going to think you're at a track meet. You'll think you're in Madison Square Garden watching the Millrose Games, because he's going to haul ass and run."

Though Gatti has done his best to steer clear of Mayweather, he'll know where to find him tonight, McGirt said.

"Believe me, there will be no avoiding him around 8 o'clock (tonight)," he said. "The tables will flip."

• NOTE -- In addition to the pay-per-view broadcast, the fight will be shown live on closed-circuit TV in Las Vegas at Caesars Palace, The Orleans, The Beach, Sapphire's and the Hard Rock. The televised portion of the card begins at 6 p.m.