Arturo Gatti Phone Home

OK fellas, how about letting us in on the little secret, slipping us a clue or dropping us a hint. What is it you’re not telling us? What inside scoop do you know that’s going to turn this whole thing around, shock the world, or at least the fighting world?

You’ve got something on “Pretty Boy” Floyd Mayweather Jr., right? Picked up something none of the rest of us has seen. Maybe you discovered a flaw in his stance, or noticed a nervous twitch just before he jabs, or realized he blinks three times when you call him Pretty Boy. Something.

C’mon fellas, you can tell us.

But they won’t.

The only thing trainer Buddy McGirt and WBC junior welterweight champ Arturo “Thunder” Gatti let slip Tuesday on a conference call promoting the June 25 fight between Mayweather (33-0, 22 KOs) and Gatti (39-6, 30 KOs) was that Gatti was going to hit Mayweather in a strange place near the ear he called the magooladagotta, or something like that. Asked to actually spell it, McGirt laughed. “Call a doctor,” he said, “because I damned sure don’t know how to spell it.”

Whether it's the magooladagotta or the medulla oblongata, McGirt sounds like a guy who knows a secret.

“I don’t care what (Mayweather) tries against Gatti, it’s not going to work,” he said. “I believe in my heart Arturo is going to win this fight easier than people think. They underestimate Arturo. They underestimate him a lot. Arturo rises to the occasion of his opponent and believe me, it’s not going to be as tough a fight as people think.”

Most people think Mayweather wins going away.

The fight is on HBO Pay-Per-View and is nicknamed “Thunder and Lightning,” on behalf of Gatti’s nickname and Mayweather’s renowned hand speed. The fight will be held at Boardwalk Hall in Atlantic City, N.J., Gatti‘s home away from home.

As for Mayweather himself, Gatti isn’t a big fan. Too much mouth.

“Mayweather likes to talk a lot,” Gatti said. “We’ll see what he has to say on June 25.”

Gatti figures he'll find out early what Mayweather is made of.

“When I clip him on the chin and if he doesn't get knocked out, he'll run,” Gatti said. “We’ll see how big his balls are.”

Asked if he considered Mayweather to be a step-up in competition, Gatti fired back that he’d been fighting all his life, and, no, Mayweather wasn’t better than the other fighters he’s faced. Asked who was better, Gatti answered by saying he spent four or five years sparring with Pernell Whitaker.

“And I think he's better than Mayweather.”

While Gatti respects Mayweather’s talent, he said that if he had to spend any time around him before the fight, he was worried he’d backhand him because of his mouth.

“The only time we’ll be together is when we’re in the ring,” he said. “At the weigh-in, I’m going to be in and out. Let him do and say what he wants. Let him talk to himself.”

Gatti knows what he brings to this fight, and he’s pretty sure it’s going to be enough.

“I know the guns I have,” he said. “Mayweather is bringing his speed, but I’m bringing everything else.”

Still, Gatti thinks Mayweather can do things for him no other fighter can.

“This is very exciting for me to finally be respected after this fight,” he said. “This is my time. A lot of people are going to have to apologize to me after this fight.”

Mayweather won’t be one of them.