GATTI-WARD TRILOGY IS COMPLETE
GATTI WINS BY DECISION

Round by Round Commentary - by Anne Vitello

ROUND 1
And they're off! Ward and Gatti start out boxing, of all things. It's almost a full minute of jabbing by the 2 warriors. Ward is the one to go to the power shots first, with a short right and single hook to the body. A minute later, Gatti fires off the right. A welt has appeared on Ward's forehead. They both look loose, both responsive. Gatti is just a bit more fluid, but Mickey Ward is with him every step of the way. Impressively technical round!

ROUND 2
Now toe-to-toe, the fighters scuffle with some short punches, no heavy damage. But now there's a scrape on Ward's cheek; some evidence that Gatti is beating him to the punch. Gatti is quick on his feet, making Ward chase him and miss. Mickey is starting to stand in front of him, waiting to get a shot. Not an advisable strategy. Gatti is in constant motion, having some success with hooks downstairs, also sticking that jab in Ward's face. Mickey Ward is all intention, if not completely successful on actually connecting. At one point, Gatti limps off - evidently a low blow. Ward's nose starts bleeding as another busy round closes.

ROUND 3
Arturo Gatti is using lots of head movement, frustrating the heck out of Ward. Mickey is chasing, but Gatti is happy to stop & exchange too. And when they do, Arturo goes first, goes faster, and counters well. Gatti is teeing off now... Mickey, backed up into the ropes at one point, seems to be having trouble keeping up with the pace, and in fact in keeping his punches coming. He just can't catch Gatti, and when he does get in there, he takes 3 in order to give one. This was the most lop-sided round thus far. Gatti is having a good time in there.

ROUND 4
At one point Ward catches Gatti on the ropes with that trademark vicious hook to the body. Gatti retaliates, and now there's a change in him. He grimaces, not just from the blows but perhaps from a right hand injury. And Arturo is now throwing only lefts, looks like that right hand could be broken. He's got a long way to go in this fight, a fight that has looked like his up to this point. Wow! In a phone booth shoe shine, Ward delivers almost a half a dozen uppercuts to the iron chin of Thunder Gatti. Gatti is doing an incredible job of holding Mickey Ward at bay with nothing but a busy left and a curled up right arm. Good grief, here we go again.

ROUND 5
So. Mickey Ward has caught a lucky break - said break being in the bones of Gatti's right hand. Arturo does quite a good job for a guy in survival mode. He's working on that cut above Ward's left eye, and making the most out of his now fluent jabbing skills. Never a disappointment, these men deliver quality prize-fighting under any and all conditions. Maybe that right has become a little numb? Gatti starts throwing it again in the last minute of the round. And he gets a hard left hook in there too! Ward has had a chance to catch his breath, and regain some ground.

ROUND 6
Mickey Ward has caught a lucky break - said break being in the bones of Gatti's right. Gatti does quite a good job for a guy in survival mode. He's working on that cut above Ward's left eye, and making the most out of his now fluent jabbing skills. Never a disappointment, these men deliver quality prize-fighting under any and all conditions. Maybe that right has become a little numb? Gatti starts throwing it again in the last minute. And he gets a hard left hook in there too! Ward has had a chance to catch his breath, and regain some ground.

ROUND 7
Standing and trading at the center of the ring, a convenient arrangement for Mickey Ward. And he capitalizes!! Arturo Gatti is hurt! In serious trouble, Gatti recedes, looking to regroup . And now he retaliates! This is like watching highlights from Round Nine of Gatti-Ward I! It is just breath-taking, masterpiece prize-fighting. Ward is hurt by a brutal Gatti left; Gatti heroically follows up with the right. Ward is bleeding ,Gatti is staggering. I really do not have words that can adequately describe the kind of raw, courageous pugilism these men are delivering.

ROUND 8
Both showing the effects of the last round, Gatti and Ward now seem to remember that they came here planning to include more boxing in tonight's bout. Mickey Ward is digging deep, trying to make use of this advantage. And yet, Arturo Gatti is digging deeper, apparently denying what could be radiating pain from his right hand. It is phenomenal that he is not only still in the fight, but looking like he can pull it off! Mickey Ward is not busy enough, looking every one of his 37 years old at the moment. He is six minutes from retirement, and he has been down a long road. Can he come up with something in the final rounds?

ROUND 9
Mickey Ward is firing away with a chopping right, but he misses the mark. Arturo Gatti really seems to have adapted to a one-armed handicap! With Ward's back on the ropes, he also gets in a long straight (but careful) right. Irish Mickey Ward just hunkers down and throws single punches. Arturo's head movement alone is a very effective weapon in frustrating Ward and setting up his (Gatti's) punches. Arturo has re-composed himself. Ward seems faded, unable to put it together tonight. But make no mistake: He has delivered just fine. Enough is enough. He is losing, but has nothing to be ashamed of.

ROUND 10
So this is it. Gatti is mixing it up, just not capable of sticking 100% to the technically-accented style he has adapted in his re-invented career. But that's why we love him. And here's Mickey's last stand. With a GREAT left hook, Ward makes a statement, and a moment later punctuates it with a hard right. ...And that's why we love him too. Putting in the final round of his career, Mickey takes a deep breath, and lets go with some perfectly respectable parting blows. Arturo is firing back, however, and doing so with authority. The last minute is a symphony of boxing: a rousing blur of power shots -- all heart and exhaustion, toe to toe slugging, 2 men summoning strength from God knows where, and the backdrop of a screaming crowd on it's feet. Beautiful.

POST-FIGHT COMMENTS:
A few years ago, Kevin Kelley said about boxing: "When you fight a guy, your soul's kind of touch." The Gatti-Ward trilogy has been a profound demonstration of that. In their post-fight remarks, both fighters were typically respectful - effusively praising each other. Ward emphasized that he had been hurt early, "He caught me early in the fight with a good right hand, and I didn't have my legs under me after that." Ward had no illusions that his late knockdown of Arturo would keep Gatti down: "I knew he'd come back from it. That's what he's about." Ward is one of the few fighters who can be counted on to make good on his declaration of retirement. He was humble and dignified, thanking HBO and fight fans. And now Arturo Gatti moves on to the next chapter. He didn't name any names as to who might be next on his dance card. Rather, Gatti said he would defer to his management. What has been made wonderfully clear is that Gatti truly has been transformed, and still has a promising career ahead of him.