Gatti's transformation continues.(Knight Ridder Newspapers)

Byline: Bernard Fernandez

ATLANTIC CITY, N.J. _ This is the familiar story of the ugly duckling who dreamed of becoming a swan.

The figurative duckling in this instance _ a courageous and determined one, to be sure _ is named Arturo. Spectators by the thousands would come to the banks of the pond because Arturo churned the water more furiously than the other ducklings, and his combativeness, if not his gracefulness, was a sight to behold. Try as they might, most of the ducklings who attempted to keep up with Arturo tired and had to swim to shore, defeated. The people applauded the pluck of their favorite duck and vowed to return for his next appearance in the pond.

But Arturo yearned to add a touch of elegance to his trademark feistiness. So he paddled down to Vero Beach, Fla., and enrolled in Buddy McGirt's swan school. Arturo was determined to learn how to dip and glide so majestically that he created hardly a ripple. But for all the external changes wrought by the swanmaster, everyone knew Arturo was still a duckling and as combative as ever.

Fairy tales are made of this. The astounding transformation of 32-year-old Arturo Gatti (39-6, 30 KOs) continued Saturday night at Boardwalk Hall as the WBC super lightweight champion, jabbing and circling, spent four rounds in swan mode before reaching inside and calling upon his pugnacious inner duckling.

Result: an impressive, fifth-round knockout of veteran Jesse James Leija (47-7-2, 19 KOs) and the likelihood of a June 11 showdown at the pond with Floyd Mayweather.

"This guy, he keeps getting better and better every time out," said Carl Moretti, vice president of Main Events, Gatti's promotional company. "Please, somebody put him on the pound-for-pound list where he belongs because he truly is one of the best boxers in the world."