GATTI-LEIJA ROUND BY ROUND ANALYSIS

January 29, 2005 - by Anne Vitello

ROUND 1
Gatti is first out of the starting blocks, and pumping multiple, crisp jabs. Leija plants himself in the center of the ring, and looks for moments to get into the action. When he steps forward he steps into a Gatti uppercut. But he's still composed. The round is typified by a brisk pace, but a holding pattern of Leija in the middle, Arturo circling on the outside. Again when Leija comes forward, he takes some punishment. Gatti's uppercut lands again, with a bit more authority. Arturo out landed him in this round, but certainly Leija is in the game.

ROUND 2
Gatti's jab starts flicking moments after the bell. The new boxer/puncher Gatti is on his toes and circling again. Leija can't seem to reach him. On two occasions, however, he does just that - successfully connecting with his right. Leija is in motion now, starting to cut off the ring just a little bit, and moving laterally. Thing are getting more interesting, a very give & take round. Gatti finds an opportunity and lands a hard, short right to Leija's head. Leija manages to time his jab, and is landing much more effectively now. It still might not be enough.

ROUND 3
Again at arms-length, Gatti also lands a long hooking left. Otherwise the jabfest resumes, now with plenty of defensive maneuvers from both fighters. The action heats up: Gatti's jab is followed by a pounding right and Leija absorbs a couple of those. Consummate professional, Leija keeps his head and then manages to land a right or two of his own. James is most often on the defensive, but he seems determined to hold his ground and figure out a way to get to Gatti. Arturo's size advantage is apparent, as his is new technical-based strategy.

ROUND 4
Leija ducks a few punches and steps inside. He gets a 2-punch combo off, but it doesn't accomplish much. Back at the end of Gatti's punches, he is hanging in there and showing plenty of aggression. But he's not going to win any rounds this way. Arturo's fight game is tight, and it is effective. He is scoring both with jabs and with power shots (markedly the uppercut), and he is keeping the action at a comfortable distance. Definitely Leija gets a solid punch in here & there, a left hook that is his best of the round. But otherwise, it's the Gatti show tonight. At least so far.

ROUND 5
The Gatti jab resumes its pumping again, but WOW! Out from behind Arturo's left comes a short, vicious right hand that Leija never saw coming. And it sets him straight back on the canvas. With much of the round still ahead, Leija is on his feet and furiously digging deep to retaliate (or land a lucky punch). But Gatti simply switches gears to his old habits: and in a slugfest, he can and does prevail. Bunches of punches later, after a very final left hook Leija is down again. He gets to one knee, and starts to pull himself up, but the ref deems it over (appropriately so). Arturo Gatti dominated, and is again going home from a fight without stopping at the hospital first.

POST-FIGHT COMMENTS:
Another sold out night for Arturo in Atlantic City. And it turned out that, for now, this fight will be viewed in and of itself rather than as a stepping-stone to a Mayweather match. Though it still might take place, Gatti-Mayweather was not officially announced due to Mayweather's failure to appear, either at ringside, or in court. Floyd's pending legal matters served the worthwhile purpose of re-focusing attention on tonight's action. Arturo was his typical courteous and amenable self.

He reassured Larry and fans that the Thunder Gatti of old "is still in there, and I can bring him out if I need to." Surely his newly-adapted technical style has given him a new lease in the business, and an excellent new skill for his pugilistic arsenal.

In addition to the sweet science, the laws of physics clearly were at work tonight, and Jesse James Leija was on the wrong side of the law. He got beaten by a bigger, younger, harder-hitting guy. At some point that will happen, even to a prizefighter who is a true professional, who went toe-to-toe against some of the greats, and who still has some snap in his punches and enough energy & skill to make use of his great amount of ring experience. He was denied a "last hurrah" tonight, so chances are he will surface again.