JULY 11, 2009 was a day like any other in so many ways but for boxing fans, and those close to boxing legend Arturo Gatti, a day unlike any other. On July 11th, 2009 Arturo Gatti died at the age of 37 while vacationing with his wife and child in Brazil. Retired for two years and very much out of the boxing limelight, Gatti was presumably off living the life many of us hoped he would be able to after retiring; following a final beating at the hands of "Contender" runner-up Alfonso Gomez. As sad as that final fight was, the final years in Arturo's life were by some accounts equally as sad. Much mystery and controversy surrounds the day Arturo died and nearly two years later, many unanswered questions remain, yet somehow, someway, his passing was on my mind that day even before I got the news that he had died.
Let me explain.
The morning of July 11th was a typical sunny and bright summer day in the Boston area. Over my morning coffee, I was flipping through some old boxing magazines from my collection. One magazine in particular stood out and that was the October 1990 issue of The Ring commemorating the passing of Rocky Graziano.
"Thanks for the Memories" proclaimed the cover and as I read that and looked at the old fashioned illustration of Graziano, I began to think about the comparisons between Graziano and Gatti as fighters, and then it occurred to me that someday in the future I would probably hold a similar boxing magazine in my hands commemorating the passing of MY generation's Rocky Graziano, Arturo Gatti. Little did I realize just how soon I would hold that fateful magazine in my hands, approximately two weeks later.
Some time after lunch on the 11th, an old boxing friend emailed and broke the news of Gatti's death to me. I immediately recalled thinking about Gatti and Graziano while looking at that magazine over coffee that morning and it seemed like too much of a coincidence but I was sure that when I pondered his death earlier that day, I had no way to know that Arturo may have already been dead, or dying. The shock took over and as a boxing fan and as a huge fan of Gatti's, I like many, mourned his passing and began to celebrate his amazing boxing career in my mind, thinking immediately about all those amazing fights through the years. I threw in a few VHS tapes of his fights (Gatti-Ward I Round 9 came first, followed by his incredible fight with Wilson Rodriquez) and I began to share with people the strange premonition I had had earlier in the day.
Most people thought I was crazy and I'm not sure everyone believed me but it's the truth, and I stand behind it as such. On the day Arturo Gatti died, I seemed to be aware of it before being told of it and I don't fully understand why this is the case. Perhaps we receive and communicate information in ways we don't fully understand. Perhaps it really was just a strange coincidence. Or perhaps the giant void suddenly left behind by Arturo Gatti's passing was just too big not to notice immediately. In any case, a true boxing legend passed away that day and I think it's fair to say we are all still in grief and shock about it. Arturo Gatti was the most spectacularly exciting boxer of his generation and with his incredible heart and determination, he far exceeded his own limited skill set and in doing so joined in the elite company of boxing legends like Rocky Graziano.
Thanks for the memories Arturo.
Jeffrey Freeman is a freelance boxing writer from Massachusetts and can be reached at fitefansho@hotmail.com
Shane
