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vBookie Event: Arturo Gatti vs. Carlos Manuel Baldomir (Boxing)
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Arturo Gatti vs. Carlos Manuel Baldomir
anyone else plan on watching? my friends in NYC are all huge Gatti fans, as am I. are we going to have a vBet?
Quote:
<TABLE cellSpacing=0 cellPadding=0 width="100%" border=0><TBODY><TR><TD class=yspsctnhdln>Gatti looking for third title vs. Baldomir</TD></TR><TR><TD height=7><SPACER width="1" type="block" height="1"></TD></TR></TBODY></TABLE><TABLE cellSpacing=0 cellPadding=0 width="100%" border=0><TBODY><TR><TD>July 20, 2006
ATLANTIC CITY (Ticker) - Arturo Gatti brings to mind memorable brawls and an exciting throwback style. But most fight fans don't immediately think of him as a champion.
Nevertheless, Gatti will be going for his third different title when he steps into the ring to take on WBC welterweight champion Carlos Manuel Baldomir of Argentina.
"A victory is guaranteed," Gatti said. "Bet the house."
A reckless fighter willing to take two punches to get in three, Gatti (40-7, 31 KOs) held the IBF junior lightweight title from late 1995 until 1998. He moved up in weight class and won the vacant WBC junior welterweight crown with a decision over Gianluca Branco in January 2004.
Gatti knocked out Leonard Dorin and Jesse James Leija in title defenses before losing the belt to Floyd Mayweather Jr. in six rounds on June 25, 2005. He has fought just once since, stopping Thomas Damgaard in 11 rounds in January.
Now Gatti is moving up to 147 pounds to take a shot at Baldomir (42-9-6, 12 KOs), who surprisingly dominated Zab Judah on January 7 in New York to claim the title.
Gatti claims he has grown into a welterweight and will not be caught off guard by the champion.
"I am taking Baldomir very seriously," Gatti said. "He beat Zab Judah. Zab Judah is a much better fighter than I am, but he doesn't have the heart that I have. Baldomir won the title in New York, but he's going to lose it in New Jersey."
Trained by Amilcar Brusa - who worked with legendary Argentine middleweight Carlos Monzon - Baldomir will be making his first title defense. He has not lost a decision in 19 bouts since 1998, winning 18 and dropping one via disqualification in the 11th round.
"I'm really happy to be back in the New York area because I won the belt here. I'll never forget that," he said. "Everyone knows me and everyone knows Gatti, so I'll leave all the conclusions to you guys."
Baldomir may be familiar now, but he was a virtual unknown when he stepped into the ring against Judah, who clearly took the challenger lightly and lost all three of his titles. Baldomir only captured the WBC belt because he did not pay the sanction fees to the WBA and IBF.
"Baldomir's shirt says WBC welterweight champion, but as far as I'm concerned he's the undisputed welterweight champion," said Buddy McGirt, Gatti's trainer.
McGirt said Gatti began training early for this bout. However, the fighter said his preparation did not include studying tape of Baldomir. "I don't watch opponents on tape because they can fight differently depending on the opponent," Gatti said. "The only time I ever watched a tape was before I fought King Solomon (in 1992) and I lost that fight. So I said, 'I'm not doing that anymore.'"
