GATTI DEFEATS BRANCO
WINS BY DECISION

Round by Round Commentary - by Anne Vitello

ROUND 1
The fighters square off at arms' length. Lots of long jabs fly back & forth, but the most noteworthy punch of the opening moments is a left hook from Gatti. Branco is not afraid of Arturo, and trades jabs pretty evenly with him. Branco's hooks glance off; Gatti's seem to stick. The new & improved Arturo is busier with his feet: stepping in, delivering a punch or combo then stepping away. By the end of the round, Branco's back is brushing against the ropes.

ROUND 2
Branco chops downward with a lucky right on one of Gatti's lunges. Otherwise, his lesser hand speed is looking like a significant handicap. Arturo is taking his time, working is jab regularly (as does Branco, with partial success). Branco is hanging in there. He's still spending a little too much time on the ropes, but he has managed to connect with a couple of hooks. In the closing moments, Branco absorbs 2 quick combos from Gatti, and responds by signaling for Gatti to give him more. Arturo smiles.

ROUND 3
More aggressive now, Gatti swings for the moon on one uppercut. Arturo has geared up; the pace of the fight picks up. Branco manages to counter with a right, after taking another from Gatti. He is now more often on the ropes than not, but the man is a fighter. Though he seems a little awkward, often twitching when Gatti feints, he is definitely not star struck. The still new & improved Gatti is doing a clean job of out-boxing his opponent thus far tonight.

ROUND 4
Branco walks straight in behind a few jabs; Gatti stands there, completely unaffected. Shortly after that, Gatti makes contact with a double hook - downstairs/upstairs. The first really promising sign for Branco emerges: swelling on Gatti's face. Thunder cuts and bleeds, his opponents see that & take heart. ...Then Gatti's heart takes over. For now, it's more like Gatti's jabs and combos. With every round Branco gains confidence, even though he is not dominating.

ROUND 5
Gainluca Branco charges in. His jabs don't hurt, and Gatti's counters have some success. But Branco connects with a power shot, a right. Both fighters are loosening up, and Branco is rising to the occasion - being a real nuisance to Arturo. Gatti is occasionally on his toes, and he does attack with bunches of punches; Gainluca is smiling a lot now. He has traded pretty evenly, taken Gatti's punches, and seems to be enjoying the bout! Not something anyone would have expected at this point (except maybe some happy fans in Civitavecchia!).

ROUND 6
Where's the Thunder? Gatti is dancing, still probably on top of the fight. But he has been more than a little frustrated tonight, it seems. Branco has broken through the US radar with a very respectable performance so far tonight. He is spending less time on the ropes now, even as he doesn't necessarily come out on top of their exchanges. At this rate, the fight will go the distance.

ROUND 7
Branco is physically fit, and he will need his legs & lungs to continue into the second half of the fight: His bouts usually stop at 6 rounds. Branco is having a problem with illegal punching, habitually throwing a rabbit punch on a clinch. And now it seems Gatti's right hand is bothering him again. What's the story there? He decides to let it fly again in the final minute, but in general he has been favoring it - throwing jabs upon jabs. Also, Arturo's left eye is showing more & more swelling. Hmmm. Gianluca has every reason to feel confident; though presumably down on the scorecards, he has become only stronger, looser and more successful with this round.

ROUND 8
Gatti lands a left hook inside; Branco lands a right. This fight has become decidedly interesting. With his right hand somewhat neutralized, Arturo relies on jab after jab. Branco is clearly hitting his stride. He trades evenly with Gatti, and will make him earn tonight's championship, every inch of the way. It's strange to see another fighter pushing Arturo Gatti into a brawl! Gatti connects, Branco bounces off the ropes and comes back with a nice power shot. Gatti ends the round with a hook, Branco with his tongue stuck out.

ROUND 9
Gatti is making sure he accumulates those jabs. He is still comfortably ahead, though the hand and the swelling can make his position seem more tenuous. It's feasible that the Italian judge sees a different fight. Branco lands a big right. Moments later, Gatti grits his teeth and fires his right a couple of times. Branco is walking in more, looking more aggressive, but connecting less. And there's a stiff right from Branco! Gainluca is having a good night. He follows up shortly afterward with another hooking right. Gatti retaliates, but this round is definitely looking more like Branco's!

ROUND 10
So much for an easy night's work. Gatti gets down to work, pasting Branco with a short right. Gianluca comes back, stepping in behind jabs. But now Gatti comes back more immediately and is mixing it up more, throwing uppercuts into the combos. Branco is still thrown off when Gatti sets up his combos with head movement. And in another close combo, Gatti comes up with one of his famous late round bombs! Branco is floored by a stinging little left hook! Gainluca Branco hangs on. He had traded nicely with Gatti, but then he got caught.

ROUND 11
Now Gatti is dancing away. He circles Branco, backs up, mugs, tangos. Branco is frustrated and not quite himself as of yet. Gatti is looking very sharp, but not attacking with more bombs. Rather, Arturo is sticking to the game plan, jabbing away, keeping his distance. Gatti connects very nicely with a hook off his jab. In the final minute, we get a glimpse of Branco's heart! Gainluca hammers with a big right, and makes his own play for a kayo. For a guy who won most of his fights by 6-round mismatches, this fighter is more than up for the task -- even if he can't quite deliver.

ROUND 12
Now Branco is bleeding. Gatti quickly circles on the outside, and whenever he stands still, Branco lunges out to trade with him. Gatti is hunting for that big punch, and has not stopped looking dangerous to the slightly out-classed European. Branco is still coming forward to fight! Both men are showing wear & tear, and what was a boxing match with some phone booth action thrown in has become punctuated by more & more short power shots. Gotta give a lot of credit - and perhaps an apology - to Ginaluca Branco! He came to fight, and he did a great job. It's a pleasure to watch my prediction contradicted by such a forthright boxer. He didn't win, but he made a hell of an impression in going the distance.

POST-FIGHT COMMENTS:
In response to Larry Merchant's observation that he seemed less than completely elated with his new title, Arturo Gatti admitted to some imperfections in his performance tonight. "Things were not coming out right tonight. I felt sluggish." He broke his right hand again, but believed that his heart & boxing helped him come out on top. Naturally Coach McGirt was given plenty of credit for Gatti's ability to win by boxing (even though the knockdown did in fact insure his victory tonight) From my point of view, the 30 rounds spent with Micky Ward were not necessarily the reason that Gatti did not dominate tonight. He did not seem diminished, only a little flummoxed at times by a somewhat awkward and decidedly fearless opponent. Hats off to Gianluca Branco; there isn't an Italian fight fan on either continent who wouldn't be proud of our mutual genetics. He rose to the occasion with an arsenal that was not as limited as many supposed, and he delivered beyond expectation.