Carlos Baldomir stopped Arturo Gatti in nine rounds on July 22, 2006, at Boardwalk Hall in Atlantic City to retain his WBC and Ring Magazine welterweight titles. The technical knockout victory halted Gatti’s bid for a world championship in a third weight class.
A record non-heavyweight crowd of 12,763 fans filled Boardwalk Hall, generating a notable purse where Baldomir earned $1.4 million and Gatti took home $1 million. Baldomir controlled the contest from the opening bell. He proved physically superior at close quarters, pushing Gatti back with heavy right hands and targeting both head and body. Gatti attempted to respond with fast combinations, but Baldomir absorbed the incoming shots and maintained relentless pressure. Swelling appeared beneath Gatti’s right eye in the middle rounds, accompanied by a cut around his mouth. Referee Wayne Hedgepeth let the fighters work on the inside, which favoured Baldomir. All three ringside judges scored the bout for Baldomir through eight rounds, with cards of 78-74, 77-75, and 79-73.
The stoppage arrived in the ninth round. Baldomir trapped Gatti against the ropes and launched a heavy assault. A left hook scored the initial knockdown. Gatti rose to beat the count, but Baldomir immediately forced him back, landing another combination that sent him down for a second time. Hedgepeth waved off the contest at 2:50 of round nine. Final punch statistics revealed Baldomir’s dominance, landing 267 total punches to Gatti’s 161, including 226 power shots compared to 116. In the final round alone, Baldomir connected on 40 of his 80 power attempts.
The victory solidified Baldomir’s status as genuine champion following his previous upset win over Zab Judah. The result earned him an even larger opportunity against Floyd Mayweather Jr. For Gatti, the loss marked the conclusion of his peak era in Atlantic City. Speaking in his post-fight interview with Larry Merchant, Gatti reflected on his career, stating: “I had a good time doing it.” He fought once more in 2007 before retiring, while Baldomir earned the defining win of his professional career.
