Before the fight
Boxers Baldomir and local resident Gatti hold press conference in Hoboken
By: Michael D. Mullins, Reporter Staff Writer 07/21/2006
PUT ’EM UP – Carlos Baldomir (left) and Arturo Gatti (right) compare fighting stands at Wednesday’s conference.
Hoboken's City Bistro was filled to capacity Wednesday with cameras, promoters, and raw machismo as the World Boxing Council's Welterweight Champion Carlos Baldomir and three-time Welterweight World Champion Arturo 'Thunder" Gatti squared off in their last press conference before Saturday night's bout in Atlantic City.
The two opponents traded compliments during the 45-minute conference, which took about the same amount of time to get underway, causing one of the promoters to joke that the reason City Bistro was chosen was because it was 500 yards away from where Gatti lives - and still he managed to make everyone wait.
Gatti moved to Jersey City in 1991 and now lives in Hoboken. He was born in Italy and raised in Montreal, Canada.
He has joined the ranks of many other celebrities and athletes who call Hoboken home.
"There's no other place I would rather live," said Gatti. "Hoboken's great."
The former champ thanked Baldomir for giving him a chance at the title and assured him that he would live to regret it.
"You might have won the bout in New York City, but you're going to lose the battle in New Jersey," said Gatti in reference to Baldomir's winning the title from Zab Judah in January at Madison Square Garden.
With the exception of Gatti's predictions, the two veterans, who have 28 years of professional boxing between them, were anything but antagonistic to one another, exchanging respect for each other's abilities as they planned to paint the canvas with the other's blood in the coming days.
'Cinderella Man' takes on the 'Thunder'
By the manner in which the two were treated by most at Wednesday's conference, it was difficult to distinguish between the champion and the contender. Although Baldomir had won the title just seven months earlier, there was a feeling that an even greater challenge was before him.
In an attempt to bring the fight into perspective, one of Baldomir's promoters, Scott Woodworth, the vice president of Sycuan Ringside Promotions, described the humble boxer as a modern day "Cinderella Man" who, like the former heavy weight champion James Braddock, was an underdog who shocked the world after defeating the heavily favored champion.
"He's our modern day Cinderella guy, he's the guy that goes in and fights a lot of guys in their hometown," he said. "Watch out for him."
Coincidentally, Braddock spent most of his life just miles away from the conference, living both in West New York and North Bergen.
In June of 2005, Director Ron Howard brought Braddock's life story to the big screen with the film Cinderella Man, which recaptured his astonishing defeat of Max Baer in the summer of 1935 to attain the title of heavy weight champion of the world.
In contrast to his opponent, Gatti was anything but understated, sporting a large, glimmering, jeweled crucifix and tinted sunglasses.
Kerry Davis, senior vice president of programming for HBO Sports, which will be broadcasting the fight, described Gatti as "a warrior with a rock star's charisma."
Gatti has fought on the network over 20 times, where many regard him as the world's most exciting boxer. "He's a TV programmer's dream," added Davis in regards to Gatti's aggressive style in the ring.
Commissioner of the New Jersey Athletic Control Board Larry Hazzard said, "Gatti has carried the boxing industry in the state of New Jersey for a couple of years now. This will be one of the greatest fights of the year."
Boxers Baldomir and local resident Gatti hold press conference in Hoboken
By: Michael D. Mullins, Reporter Staff Writer 07/21/2006
PUT ’EM UP – Carlos Baldomir (left) and Arturo Gatti (right) compare fighting stands at Wednesday’s conference.
Hoboken's City Bistro was filled to capacity Wednesday with cameras, promoters, and raw machismo as the World Boxing Council's Welterweight Champion Carlos Baldomir and three-time Welterweight World Champion Arturo 'Thunder" Gatti squared off in their last press conference before Saturday night's bout in Atlantic City.
The two opponents traded compliments during the 45-minute conference, which took about the same amount of time to get underway, causing one of the promoters to joke that the reason City Bistro was chosen was because it was 500 yards away from where Gatti lives - and still he managed to make everyone wait.
Gatti moved to Jersey City in 1991 and now lives in Hoboken. He was born in Italy and raised in Montreal, Canada.
He has joined the ranks of many other celebrities and athletes who call Hoboken home.
"There's no other place I would rather live," said Gatti. "Hoboken's great."
The former champ thanked Baldomir for giving him a chance at the title and assured him that he would live to regret it.
"You might have won the bout in New York City, but you're going to lose the battle in New Jersey," said Gatti in reference to Baldomir's winning the title from Zab Judah in January at Madison Square Garden.
With the exception of Gatti's predictions, the two veterans, who have 28 years of professional boxing between them, were anything but antagonistic to one another, exchanging respect for each other's abilities as they planned to paint the canvas with the other's blood in the coming days.
'Cinderella Man' takes on the 'Thunder'
By the manner in which the two were treated by most at Wednesday's conference, it was difficult to distinguish between the champion and the contender. Although Baldomir had won the title just seven months earlier, there was a feeling that an even greater challenge was before him.
In an attempt to bring the fight into perspective, one of Baldomir's promoters, Scott Woodworth, the vice president of Sycuan Ringside Promotions, described the humble boxer as a modern day "Cinderella Man" who, like the former heavy weight champion James Braddock, was an underdog who shocked the world after defeating the heavily favored champion.
"He's our modern day Cinderella guy, he's the guy that goes in and fights a lot of guys in their hometown," he said. "Watch out for him."
Coincidentally, Braddock spent most of his life just miles away from the conference, living both in West New York and North Bergen.
In June of 2005, Director Ron Howard brought Braddock's life story to the big screen with the film Cinderella Man, which recaptured his astonishing defeat of Max Baer in the summer of 1935 to attain the title of heavy weight champion of the world.
In contrast to his opponent, Gatti was anything but understated, sporting a large, glimmering, jeweled crucifix and tinted sunglasses.
Kerry Davis, senior vice president of programming for HBO Sports, which will be broadcasting the fight, described Gatti as "a warrior with a rock star's charisma."
Gatti has fought on the network over 20 times, where many regard him as the world's most exciting boxer. "He's a TV programmer's dream," added Davis in regards to Gatti's aggressive style in the ring.
Commissioner of the New Jersey Athletic Control Board Larry Hazzard said, "Gatti has carried the boxing industry in the state of New Jersey for a couple of years now. This will be one of the greatest fights of the year."
