Photo courtesy of The Ring Magazine via Getty Images

Thunder makes a loud noise but it's the quiet sky that lasts.

It’s been a little over ten years since Arturo “Thunder” Gatti passed away. On the occasion of this anniversary, it felt good to see people remembering him. It also allows younger generations to learn about someone they never knew before. That’s why we tell stories, so that we never forget. Boxing history is rich and full of unique characters that deserved their life to be remembered for what they did inside and outside the ring.

There are many people way more educated on this and more talented for writing those, but if there’s one boxer whose tragic passing I don’t need an anniversary to remember, it is Arturo Gatti. That’s why I decided to write a series of three articles about the career of the late action fighter.

Since the first time I saw him fight on TV when I was eight years old I never stopped talking about Arturo. For years, I would bring up Arturo in every conversation possible. Of course, people were often sick of it, and they stopped listening, so I stopped talking about him. But I never stopped thinking about him.

Well, to be completely honest, I just never managed to let him go. Because even if it is the quiet sky that lasts, you can never forget about the loud noise of the Thunder.

THE ORIGINS OF THUNDER

Arturo Gatti was born in Cassino, a little commune a hundred miles up north from Naples. He and his family would move to Montreal when Arturo was still young. Arturo’s older brother, Joe, was also a professional boxer. Joe’s nickname was “Lightning”, he fought twice for a world championship (once in 1993 and the second in 2002). Joe retired from boxing in 2002 with a record of 30 wins (22 KOs) and 8 losses. Joe was much bigger than Arturo and competed most of his career around 147 to 154 pounds. The best opponent he shared the ring with was Terry Norris. So If Joe was lightning, Arturo would be Thunder. And Thunder’s career would completely eclipse Lightning’s.

Arturo Gatti was a member of the Canadian National Team and was training for the 1992 Summer Olympic Games. Even though Arturo was a good boxer even early in his life, the amateur style definitely didn’t seem to suit him very well. Arturo fought Wayne McCullough at 105 pounds. Arturo was 16 years old. He would lose that fight in round 1 (after two standing counts, Arturo’s corner threw in the towel). Even at this age and in this short fight, you could see the heart of Arturo and the will to make it a war. The 16-year-old showed he had fast hands but his overly offensive mindset cost him against the more experienced and crafty boxer at the time. Arturo landed a few good combinations but he was countered many times by the young Irishman when he struck back instead of circling away. Arturo refused to back up in any exchanges and got his head snapped back several times.