Arturo Gatti vs. Gomez - Fight Preview and Bodog Odds

On Saturday, July 14th, former world champ Arturo “Thunder” Gatti will once again step through the ropes. This time around, his opponent will be young slugger Alfonso Gomez. The fight will take place at the Boardwalk Hall in Atlantic City, New Jersey and be shown on HBO. In the same evening, HBO will also broadcast Kermit Cintron versus Walter Matthysse and WBO welterweight champion Antonio Margarito versus Paul Williams.

ARTURO GATTI

Gatti has a record of 40 wins and 8 losses with 31 KOs. He hails from Jersey City, New Jersey via Montreal, Canada. He is 35-years-old, 5’7 ½” and 140 pounds. He is trained by Buddy McGirt. While most of his career has been spent as a relentless brawler, Gatti has transitioned into more of a boxer-puncher in recent years, thanks to his tutelage under McGirt.

Gatti has waged epic wars in the ring, and his opponents read like a who’s who of the boxing world. He’s notched wins over previously undefeated Thomas Damgaard, Gabriel Ruelas, Tracy Patterson, Mickey Ward, Terron Millett and Jesse James Leija. He has also fallen to the likes of Mickey Ward, Carlos Baldomir, Floyd Mayweather Jr., Angel Manfredy, Ivan Robinson (twice) and Oscar De La Hoya.

Strengths

Gatti has recently moved up to welterweight, and this seems to have helped him. He was struggling to make weight, and the move should allow him to slug it out at his more natural size (while retaining his strength).

As anyone who has seen one of his fights will tell you, Gatti is the epitome of the gutsy boxer. In fact, he’s about the closest thing out there to a real-life Rocky Balboa. He can absorb shot after shot and just keep coming. While he’ll probably end up with brain damage, it does make for a damned exciting fight.

Weaknesses

Gatti bleeds on the way to the ring. Well, not really, but you get the point. He’s been cut a ton over his career, and now he tends to bleed in the ring without much provocation. That’s never a good thing. He also has recurring problems with his right hand, and it seems to get injured at some point in most of his fights.

Gatti has also struggled in the past when faced with fighters who have superior speed. Ivan Robinson and Angel Manfredy come to mind.

ALFONSO GOMEZ

Gomez has a record of 16 wins with 3 losses and 2 draws, with 7 KOs. He fights out of Whittier, California by way of Guadalajara, Mexico. He’s 26-years-old, stands 5’9” and weighs 151 pounds. He is trained by his father, Alfonso Gomez Sr..

This boxer-puncher likes to keep pressure on his opponents, but he lacks big-time power. He’s on a roll lately, and his last five bouts have resulted in four wins and one draw.

In his young career, Gomez has never fought anyone in the upper echelons of the boxing world. In fact, he’s never been in a fight which went past eight rounds. He has wins over Martin Concepcion, Carson Jones, Ahmed Kaddour and Luciano Perez. He’s lost to Jesse Feliciano - one of three fights between these two men (Gomez won one and the other was a draw).

Strengths

Gomez is good at landing volleys, and he’s quick enough to counter jabs thrown halfheartedly. He likes to keep the pressure on, and he’s skilled at turning fights into brawls, something which might be foolhardy against Gatti.

Weaknesses

He’s never faced an elite level of competition, and he’s never been past eight rounds. The crowd in Atlantic City will be decidedly pro-Gatti.

BODOG ODDS

At the moment, here are the current betting lines according to Bodog. The maximum bet for either of these is $500.

Who will win the fight?

Arturo Gatti -205

Alfonso Gomez +165

How many rounds will the fight last?

Over 9 ½ -270

Under 9 ½ +210

DARE TO GAMBLE PREDICTION

Expect Gatti to dominate this one. Gomez may have nothing to lose, but he’s never faced a fighter like Gatti. No matter how many shots he lands, Gatti will just keep coming. Gomez likes to turn fights into brawls? Pal, there’s nobody better at brawling than Arturo Gatti. We’re predicting a TKO win for “Thunder” in the 7th round.

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Arturo Gatti vs. Gomez - Fight Preview and Bodog Odds