The financial rewards reflected the event’s importance. Baldomir earned a reported $1.4 million, while Gatti received $1 million. Baldomir bypassed other lucrative opportunities because this fight guaranteed his biggest payday to that point.
Boardwalk Hall was packed with 12,763 fans, setting an Atlantic City attendance record for a non-heavyweight boxing event. The building had become synonymous with Gatti over the previous decade, and the partisan crowd expected another dramatic chapter from their adopted hometown favorite.
From the opening bell, Baldomir made it clear he had no intention of allowing that script to play out.
Although both men weighed within the welterweight limit, Baldomir looked physically stronger once the punches began landing. He repeatedly backed Gatti toward the ropes with heavy right hands before following with hooks to the head and body. Gatti answered with combinations, but Baldomir absorbed them without changing his approach.
Referee Wayne Hedgepeth allowed the action to develop whenever possible, stepping in only when the fighters became tied up. His handling suited Baldomir, who preferred a physical fight fought at close range.
Gatti remained competitive through portions of the middle rounds despite swelling beneath his right eye. A cut around his mouth also became visible as the punishment mounted. All three judges favored Baldomir after eight rounds. Tom Kaczmarek scored it 78-74, John Stewart had it 77-75, and Hubert Minn saw it 79-73. HBO unofficial scorer Harold Lederman also had Baldomir comfortably ahead by a 78-74 score.
Any remaining suspense disappeared in the ninth.
Baldomir trapped Gatti along the ropes and unloaded a sustained attack with both hands. A left hook dropped Gatti for the first knockdown. He beat the count, but Baldomir immediately resumed the assault, driving him back once more before another combination sent him crashing to the canvas for a second time. Hedgepeth waved the fight off at 2:50 of the round, awarding Baldomir a technical knockout victory.
CompuBox statistics illustrated the difference. Baldomir finished with a 267-161 edge in total punches landed. He also connected on 226 power shots compared to 116 for Gatti. During the decisive ninth round alone, Baldomir landed 40 of his 80 power punch attempts.
The victory removed any lingering doubt surrounding Baldomir’s championship reign. He had defeated Judah in one of the year’s biggest surprises before walking into Gatti’s home arena and controlling the fight from start to finish. The performance earned him an even bigger opportunity against Floyd Mayweather Jr.
The defeat for Gatti represented the closing chapter of his Atlantic City peak. During his post-fight interview with Larry Merchant, he admitted he wasn’t sure if he would box again, saying simply, “I had a good time doing it.”
He returned once more in 2007 before retiring after a loss to Alfonso Gomez. Baldomir’s victory remains the night Atlantic City’s most beloved attraction gave way to a bigger, stronger welterweight who refused to be overwhelmed by the occasion.
Read the full article here
