ARTURO GATTI w rsf 5 GABRIEL RUELAS
October 4, 1997; Caesars Hotel & Casino, Atlantic City, NJ
APPROXIMATELY two minutes into the fourth round, Rafael Ruelas fires an uppercut at IBF super-featherweight champion Arturo Gatti that is about as perfect as uppercuts get. Gatti’s head swivels before bouncing back into position. Ruelas slams a borderline low blow into his foe but still Gatti refuses to buckle. The raids from Ruelas continue in the fifth and another uppercut scores. Gatti – bleeding under his left eye and continuing to brush off punishment – edges closer and closer. Ruelas, who beats his chest to beckon his rival on, is in ascendancy when Arturo plants his feet and ends matters with a savage left hook. The legend of Arturo Gatti is well and truly born.
DID YOU KNOW? Both fighters have to boil down to make the 130lbs weight limit. On the day of the fight, Gatti weighed 147 with Ruelas half-a-pound lighter.
WATCH OUT FOR: Gatti’s punch was no fluke. Watch him in the fifth, firing hooks in close before putting everything into the final blow.
