4. Lightning Conquers Thunder
Mayweather set his sights on Arturo Gatti in his bid to become a three-division champion on June 25, 2005 at Boardwalk Hall in Atlantic City, New Jersey. Playing out before a crowd of 12,675, it went as most expected. Mayweather in his first turn as a pay-per-view headliner overwhelmed the Italian-born knockout artist with speed and skill, forcing a corner stoppage after six rounds to claim the WBC super lightweight championship. Gatti was never a threat, as he was victimized by a knockdown in the first round and spent the majority of the fight eating multi-punch combinations. Mayweather connected on 57 percent of his total punches and outlanded his counterpart by a staggering 168-41 margin, per CompuBox. The loss snapped Gatti’s five-fight winning streak, which included back-to-back 10-round decision victories over Micky Ward -- the rival to whom he will be forever linked.
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