Gatti Ready to Take a Shot

Smash him with a right hand that splits an eyebrow, causing blood to pour down his face.

Crush him with a body shot that caves in a rib.

Pound him until his legs become too shaky to support his body.

Arturo Gatti will accept all that stoically, without malice.

He always has, knowing it’s part of boxing, the cruel and, for Gatti, often painful sport in which he makes a living.

Just don’t ignore him, dismiss him or show him a lack of respect.

That, he can’t accept.

And that’s why the days leading up to tonight’s welterweight fight against Oscar De La Hoya have been tougher for Gatti to handle than anything De La Hoya will do to him tonight at the MGM Grand Garden Arena.

Gatti has been the invisible man in the much-heralded return of De La Hoya, who’s ending a nine-month hiatus from boxing preceded by two losses in three fights. In the publicity blitz, Gatti has been noticeably absent. De La Hoya, a 27-1 favorite, is clearly the headliner, Gatti the lounge act.

Gatti stormed off the dais at Wednesday’s final news conference and stopped talking to reporters as he was shoved farther and farther from De La Hoya’s spotlight.

All that’s left for Gatti now is the faint hope that motivates every outclassed slugger who ever puts on a pair of gloves, that he can somehow land the lucky punch that can shatter a jaw and a dream.

“It is an honor for me to be in the ring,” said Gatti before he stopped talking. “I will show the world that I am not just a bleeder. De La Hoya will not intimidate me. When he is in the ring with me, he is just a guy like me.”

A guy who dreams big. De La Hoya sees Gatti as a mere steppingstone on the way back to the top, a human punching bag on which to sharpen his skills before he exacts revenge on the men who have defeated him, Felix Trinidad and Shane Mosley.

Ticket sales for tonight’s fight, sluggish at first, have improved. As of noon Friday, 8,800 had been sold for an arena scaled to hold 13,200.

Nine months after he angrily left Staples Center after losing a split decision to Mosley, his pride as bruised as his face, De La Hoya returns, claiming to be a new man, his threats of retirement no longer uttered, his brief flirtation with a singing career on hold.

There certainly is plenty new about the man who won an Olympic gold medal and championships in four weight divisions.

Gone, for instance, is Bob Arum, the promoter who made De La Hoya $125 million in the ring and millions more in endorsements, replaced by self-made billionaire Jerry Perenchio.

Gone too is Robert Alcazar, the trainer who had been with De La Hoya from the beginning, replaced by Floyd Mayweather Sr.

“Everybody in this town knows who the best trainer is,” Mayweather said, obviously speaking about himself. “I am not like the other trainers, or so-called trainers. I am a teacher.

“Oscar ain’t learned nothing yet. I’m amazed that a guy could go this far on his own without any help [from his previous trainers]. But he’s learning everything about boxing now. Maybe he can’t get it all the first fight, or the second fight. Rome wasn’t built in a day. I’ve got too much to teach. But he is learning something from me every day.”

No argument from De La Hoya.

“Floyd Mayweather is a master of the game,” De La Hoya said. “That’s something I’ve been missing all these years. I’m finally learning off somebody who knows what they are talking about. Other trainers say they know everything, but they never show it. [Mayweather] says it and I believe it because I see it every day in the gym.”

Tonight will be the first test, and it figures to be an easy one. A 27-1 betting favorite is about as close as one can come to a sure thing in boxing.

At 32-2 with 26 knockouts, De La Hoya has lost only to the two fighters generally considered the best in boxing, pound-for-pound, on a majority decision and a split decision.

Gatti (33-4, 27) lost to a fighter named King Solomon on a six-round decision early in his career, was knocked out by Angel Manfredy and lost a pair of decisions to Ivan Robinson.

But even when he has won, Gatti has lost. He is known for the punishment he absorbs, the blood he leaves on the canvas, and for the inevitable loss of brain cells over the years.

Robinson connected on 586 punches in their two fights.

How long will Gatti last tonight?

As long as De La Hoya wants him to. The East Los Angeles fighter is expected to shake off the rust acquired in a recording studio by trying all of the new weapons and tactics Mayweather has taught him.

And at some point, probably within five rounds, probably with Gatti’s blood smearing his gloves, De La Hoya will put the Canadian-born fighter out of his misery.

And once again have the stage to himself.

FIGHT FACTS

* Going for gold: Oscar De La Hoya is unhappy that former promoter Bob Arum hasn’t returned his 1992 Olympic gold medal. D13

* Kelly is top Player: Non-winner on PGA Tour has some of the world’s best chasing him in a key tuneup for the Masters. D13

* Brown out: Dodger ace Kevin Brown left an exhibition start against the Mets in the third inning because of tendinitis in his right Achilles’ tendon and will have an MRI exam today. D17