Thread Stealer
08-06-2007, 01:01 AM
Now that their careers are apparently both over, let's compare who was the more entertaining fighter. Gatti was the most entertaining fighter in the sport IMO from 1996 through 1998. Morales took over probably in 2000 and somewhere along the line, passed it along to Manny Pacquiao.
A comparison of the two and their entertainment levels:
Arturo Gatti:
Tracy Harris Patterson: both bouts were pretty good fights. The first bout had its share of drama with Gatti fading late in the fight and taking punishment, but it was too little too late for Tracy.
Wilson Rodriguez: the break-through fight on HBO for Gatti. Gatti recovered from a 2nd round KD and a swollen left eye to drop Rodriguez in the 5th and stop him in the 6th with a left hook to the head.
Gabriel Ruelas: another brawl in which Gatti's left hook enabled him to come from behind and score a dramatic KO. The 4th and 5th were great rounds.
Angel Manfredy: Gatti gets cut in round 1, dropped in the third, comes back with a body attack and shots upstairs, but the cut is too bad and Gatti is stopped on cuts.
Ivan Robinson: Gatti-Robinson I was Gatti's most consistently action filled and exciting fight to me, and 2nd on my list of best fights of the 90s (behind Carbajal-Gonzalez I). The rematch was a corker, too.
Micky Ward: Classic first fight, OK rematch, a pretty good rubber match.
And in addition to this, there was Gatti surviving a decision with a terrible cut (and some hometown cooking) against Joe Hutchinson, taking a brutal beating versus Oscar De La Hoya all the while still managing to give Oscar a bloody nose, and being in a couple of other good fights against Thomas Damgaard, Carlos Baldomir, and a highlight reel KO of Joey Gamache. The Terronn Millett KO was nice, too.
Erik Morales:
Daniel Zaragoza: A good passing-of-the-torch type fight, with Morales outlasting the old guy and stopping him to the body.
Marco Antonio Barrera: The first fight was a classic brawl, and the rubber match was another terrific bout. One of the great trilogies and rivalries in boxing history.
In-Jin Chi: Another grueling, pretty brutal fight in which Morales was ultimately too good for the tough Korean. A much better fight than the main event, R. Jones-Gonzalez.
Jesus Chavez: Morales comes back from being rocked in round 1 to drop Chavez twice in round 2, and win a tough match mainly using the uppercut.
Manny Pacquiao: Two excellent fights in the trilogy, and the rubber match was a short one that was fun while it lasted.
And then there were highlight reel KOs of Angel Chacon, Jose Luis Bueno, and other entertaining bouts with David Diaz and Paulie Ayala, among others.
A comparison of the two and their entertainment levels:
Arturo Gatti:
Tracy Harris Patterson: both bouts were pretty good fights. The first bout had its share of drama with Gatti fading late in the fight and taking punishment, but it was too little too late for Tracy.
Wilson Rodriguez: the break-through fight on HBO for Gatti. Gatti recovered from a 2nd round KD and a swollen left eye to drop Rodriguez in the 5th and stop him in the 6th with a left hook to the head.
Gabriel Ruelas: another brawl in which Gatti's left hook enabled him to come from behind and score a dramatic KO. The 4th and 5th were great rounds.
Angel Manfredy: Gatti gets cut in round 1, dropped in the third, comes back with a body attack and shots upstairs, but the cut is too bad and Gatti is stopped on cuts.
Ivan Robinson: Gatti-Robinson I was Gatti's most consistently action filled and exciting fight to me, and 2nd on my list of best fights of the 90s (behind Carbajal-Gonzalez I). The rematch was a corker, too.
Micky Ward: Classic first fight, OK rematch, a pretty good rubber match.
And in addition to this, there was Gatti surviving a decision with a terrible cut (and some hometown cooking) against Joe Hutchinson, taking a brutal beating versus Oscar De La Hoya all the while still managing to give Oscar a bloody nose, and being in a couple of other good fights against Thomas Damgaard, Carlos Baldomir, and a highlight reel KO of Joey Gamache. The Terronn Millett KO was nice, too.
Erik Morales:
Daniel Zaragoza: A good passing-of-the-torch type fight, with Morales outlasting the old guy and stopping him to the body.
Marco Antonio Barrera: The first fight was a classic brawl, and the rubber match was another terrific bout. One of the great trilogies and rivalries in boxing history.
In-Jin Chi: Another grueling, pretty brutal fight in which Morales was ultimately too good for the tough Korean. A much better fight than the main event, R. Jones-Gonzalez.
Jesus Chavez: Morales comes back from being rocked in round 1 to drop Chavez twice in round 2, and win a tough match mainly using the uppercut.
Manny Pacquiao: Two excellent fights in the trilogy, and the rubber match was a short one that was fun while it lasted.
And then there were highlight reel KOs of Angel Chacon, Jose Luis Bueno, and other entertaining bouts with David Diaz and Paulie Ayala, among others.