On March 23, 1996, in The Theatre at Madison Square Garden, a packed New York City crowd would witness a remarkable event. Larry Merchant would go on to say, “People will never forget this fight. It’ll be showed over and over and over again. That is a remarkable achievement by this young, Junior Lightweight champion.”
Arturo “Thunder” Gatti was often referred to as the epitome of a “blood and guts warrior” in boxing. In a five year career and at the young age of 24, Gatti had fought 25 times (24-1, 20 KOs). Just three months before, he had beaten Tracy Harris Patterson to win the 130-pound Junior Lightweight title.
On this night, Gatti would face a stiff test going up against an experienced, slick boxer. Born in the Dominican Republic and living in Spain, Wilson Rodriguez (43-7-3, 24 KOs) was what many fans and boxing connoisseurs referred to as a “hot” fighter.
Although largely unknown to American boxing fans, this being his first fight in the United States, Rodriguez had won his last five fights and 21 of his last 22. His only loss in that time frame came against cagey veteran John John Molina.
HBO would televise the fight live in only the second edition of their new, late night boxing program titled “Boxing After Dark.” Merchant, Jim Lampley, and Roy Jones Jr., regarded as the pound-for-pound best fighter on the planet, were all ringside to call the action.
The evenings first televised event saw “Poison” Junior Jones win a split-decision victory over Orlando Canizales in a 12-round Junior Featherweight bout.
Shortly after Merchant interviewed the fighters in the ring, Rodriguez began the short walk from his dressing room to the ring. Nicknamed “Black Label”, Rodriguez wore all yellow with black trim. He entered the ring with a significant professional experience advantage over Gatti, having fought over 300 rounds to Gatti’s 86.
The champion then entered the ring wearing all white with blue trim. Born in Italy, raised in Montreal, now living in nearby Jersey City, NJ, the crowd reaction seemed to signify that there was somewhat of a home court advantage for Gatti.
Michael Buffer provided the introductions and referee Wayne Kelley issued a quick recap of the rules to the combatants at center ring. Both fighters looked to be in superb condition and as the fight began, Rodriguez tried to use his seven-inch reach advantage by boxing, moving and sticking a stiff left jab into the face of the champion.
As the opening round unfolded, Gatti bounced on his toes and tried to match jab-for-jab as he pursued Rodriguez. Less than two minutes into the fight, signs of swelling began around Gatti’s left eye. Lampley summed up the first three minutes of action, “Gatti getting a boxing lesion here in Round 1.”
Round 2 saw Gatti begin to attack the body of Rodriguez. Rodriguez continued to use his legs and circle, pounding Gatti with jabs and dropping straight right hands. As Jones pointed out that Gatti’s right eye was now beginning to swell, Merchant added, “I think Gatti is in real trouble unless he can do something dramatic guys.”
Photo by The Ring Magazine/Getty Images
Gatti continued to attack and landed a vicious left hook. He was now visibly blinking and noticeably bothered by his rapidly swelling eyes. With one minute to go in the second, Rodriguez dropped Gatti with a right, left, right, a sizzling three punch combination.
The champion rose, taking the standing eight count from Kelley. Undeterred, Gatti again went on the attack. After being warned for hitting Rodriguez low, Gatti opened up standing toe-to-toe with Rodriguez who fired back matching punch-for-punch. As the bell sounded, Kelley separated the fighters after the fierce exchange.
Both men seemed to be beleaguered as Merchant hollered over the crowd, “And both fighters seemed to go to the wrong corners after that exchange!” The crowd stood and applauded the intense action.
In the corner as cut man Joe Souza went to work on the swelling, Gatti’s team implored him to go after Rodriguez and to go specifically to his body.
As the bell sounded for the third, Gatti charged after Rodriguez like a wild man prompting more energy from Lampley, “Hard right hand by Gatti as he comes out swinging for the knockout! It’s going to take some drama to rescue Gatti’s star status here!”
As Jones pointed out, Gatti was going for broke, selling out and throwing bombs. Rodriguez, to his credit, stood in and took what Gatti dished out and gave as good as he was getting in return. As the action intensified, the crowd began chanting “Gatti! Gatti! Gatti!”
The swelling around Gatti’s right eye had also intensified and the eye was now nearly closed. As the round ended, he returned to his corner where Souza was already in the ring waiting to go to work on the swelling. As Souza applied the end-swell to control the inflammation, the ring doctor wanted to take a look for himself.
As the doctor tried to squeeze through the ropes to look at Gatti, he attempted to push Souza back. Souza held his ground and shouted, “I’m working here!” The ring doctor continued to muscle his way in and fired back at Souza, “Back off. I said back off!”
An agitated Souza angrily growled, “Don’t push me, damn it! I’m working here!”
The doctor had Gatti cover his left eye with his glove, asking him how many fingers he had up. As he covered his left eye, he quickly removed his glove, telling the doctor, “I’m alright.” Refusing to back off, the doctor screamed at Gatti, “I said cover your left eye or it’s over!”
As this drama unfolded, Gatti was able to identify how many fingers were held up. As the doctor stepped away, Souza leaped back in and reapplied the end-swell. Everyone at ringside and at home watching knew Gatti was in real danger.
Round 4 began with Merchant telling viewers, “This is world class stuff folks.” Jones responded, “This is World War 3 folks.”
Gatti was down two rounds to one on Harold Lederman’s unofficial scorecard, down three points with the knockdown included. Although he had been down and was swelling badly, he fought with increased desire and desperation, landing a series of thunderous blows that drove Rodriguez back.
The crowd again began chanting, “Gatti! Gatti! Gatti!” As the chant continued to pick up steam, Lampley pointed out, “Much of the crowd on its feet for all of this round.” As Gatti moved in Rodriguez fired and connected on a hellacious seven-punch combination badly hurting Gatti.
As Gatti refused to give in and fired his own thunder back, Merchant asked, “What is keeping these guys up?” At that moment, Rodriguez again blistered Gatti with a series of punishing blows, crippling Gatti into the corner. Clearly hurt, Gatti blasted back, prompting Lampley to scream over the crowd, “Gatti fighting back with the left hook! And Gatti finishes the round by pulling it out from nowhere!”
As the round ended, Souza again was ready to go to work on Gatti’s swelling eyes. Clearly in agony on his stool, the ring doctor again checked Gatti, asking him to say how many fingers he was holding up.
As Gatti answered the ring doctor’s questions, Merchant asked how much longer Gatti could go given the brutal exchanges and horrendous swelling.
Incredibly, drama was now unfolding in the Rodriguez corner where they were telling him to stay away from Gatti, to push him off and away. Rodriguez seemed to be grimacing on his stool.
As Round 5 started, Gatti again banged away at Rodriguez’s body. Rodriguez, upon advice from his corner, was now circling, pumping his left jab at Gatti and occasionally following the jab with straight right hands.
The champion continued to press, constantly applying pressure and trying to work inside. With just 30 seconds to go in the round, Gatti landed a devastating left hook to the body sending Rodriguez down to one knee.
Clearly hurt to his rib cage, he rose at seven as Kelley administered the count. An animated Lampley shouted, “Tide has turned! Tide has turned! Body blows did it! Here comes Gatti!”
An equally excited Merchant asked, “Can you believe this kid?”
Rodriguez then fired a vicious combination and responded like a true, world class fighter, hurting Gatti and momentarily putting him in reverse. As the bell sounded to climax the action, both fighters nodded and touched each others gloves, demonstrating respect earned from each warrior.
The Rodriguez corner begged their fighter to keep his distance and keep away.
Gatti’s corner urged him to keep pounding the body while they feverishly worked on his swollen eyes. The ring doctor did not interfere, simply checking him again right before the bell sounded to begin the sixth.
Photo by The Ring Magazine/Getty Images
Gatti immediately went on the attack, doing exactly as his corner asked, trying to hurt Rodriguez to the body. Rodriguez, following the advice of his corner, jabbed and moved, desperately trying to avoid toe-to-toe exchanges with Gatti.
With just under a minute to go in the round, Gatti banged away at Rodriguez’s body with a left hook. As Rodriguez tried to move back, Gatti went into a crouch and fired upward with his legs and turned his hips, unleashing his trademark left hook. It was a beauty and landed flush on Rodriguez’s face sending him sprawling to the canvas.
“Down goes Rodriguez!” Lampley, and the crowd, was in a frenzy. “What a left hook!” As Kelley reached the count of 10, Lampley finished, “Arturo Gatti! You’ll never see better drama!”
Jones agreed. “That is my new nominee for fight of the year!”
Gatti’s team picked him up and carried him around the ring on their shoulders, his arms raised over his head. He indeed rescued himself as we later learned that he was behind on two of the three judges’ scorecards and in danger of losing the fight.
The champion survived. He got up when he went down and had retained his title.
Equally as important, this fight marked his first major comeback that he would so often make in future fights, many viewers both at home and in person couldn’t wait to see Gatti fight again.
Rodriguez, still on the canvas, remained there for several minutes before being able to rise with the help of his corner and the ring doctor.
Buffer then took the microphone at center ring. “Ladies and gentleman, in the tradition of the great championship bouts here at Madison Square Garden, the defending champion gets off the canvas to comes back to win. The winner, by knockout victory, Arturo…Thunder…Gatti!”
In being interviewed after the fight, Gatti was asked if he knew if he had the stuff in him to do what he did. Smiling, he answered, “I have the heart and I have what it’s got to be champion. And I did it.”
A star was born.
