ARTURO GATTI AND MICKY WARD: LEGENDARY
By Rich Mazon
PhilBoxing.com
Mon, 21 Oct 2013
How do you stamp a lasting mark of yourself in your chosen craft? How do you make people remember your name and your body of work, long after you stop doing it? And in a sport so physically and emotionally draining like boxing, how do you create your legacy, worthy to be mentioned among the sport?s greatest?
Is it all about the belts and the championships that you have garnered in your fighting career? Is it being the best of your time, in your class? Is it about the numbers in your record and your wins? Is it all about the money and the million dollar earnings alone?
To truly become special, like in any other sport, the records take a backseat by the impression you leave after every game, after every fight.
And Arturo ?Thunder? Gatti and ?Irish? Micky Ward despite not being the best of their class, despite the glaring defeats in their records, left us with plenty of lasting impressions.
HBO revisited the trilogy that is Gatti vs. Ward last Saturday in its documentary- film, Legendary Nights: Gatti vs. Ward. It was a series of fights that rivaled the other great trilogy in boxing in Muhammad Ali vs. Joe Frazier.
Like Ali-Frazier, the violence and the blood bath were there- ingredients of an exciting fight. The will to win and fight on, despite inhumane circumstances, were mixed together like a perfect blend of tragedy and triumph.
But unlike Ali and Frazier who started as good friends but parted as bitter enemies, Gatti and Ward started as rivals and ended as friends and in the aftermath- as brothers.
They say a bond is created in boxing after you fight your opponent in the ring. That, after both of you tried to maim the other, in the end, you feel for him. It may not apply to most in the violent and macho nature of the sport, but Gatti and Ward was the proof that it existed. Sportsmanship that is so rare in boxing is another thing that came naturally for them two.
Gatti as popular and as exciting as he is, is not the best of his time or division. Ward was considered a journeyman, a stepping stone for up and coming fighters. But when they met in the ring for the first time in Connecticut, their names were all that matter. Their other two fights in Atlantic City solidified their position in boxing history.
Gatti had his critics when his name was mentioned for this year?s Boxing Hall of Fame inductees. His resume and his record may not be his biggest ally when balloting was announced. His victories are rivaled by his defeats to superior fighters like Oscar de la Hoya and Floyd Mayweather Jr. while the other names he lost to, like Alfonso Gomez, Carlos Baldomir and Angel Manfredy may not ring a bell to many. And his unforgettable fights and defeats to Ivan Robinson and Ward may not be enough for the last two to warrant their outright enshrinement to the Hall of Fame.
But Gatti?s fights were what most of us crave and dream of watching. His fight with Robinson was Fight of the Year in 1998 while his first and third with Ward were not only Fight of The Year winners, they are considered as the two of the best- all time. That dramatic 9th round of Gatti-Ward I at the Mohegan Sun is considered, the Round of The Century.
But despite their flaws as fighters, them being far from being the best in their division, when Gatti and Ward fought all those wars, and they were the very definition of war in boxing, no other boxers, no other fights matter.
They sacrificed their body for us, Ward shattered his eardrum in the second and Gatti broke his hand in the last fight, but none of that affected them and the way they fought. When other mortals would take a back seat and even quit on their stool, they fought on- like the injury was not there.
They poured their hearts out in that ring, showing passion and emotion that is so pure- it is a sin not to recognize it. They bled, they hurt, they fall and they endured pain from each other?s punishments to satisfy us.
At first, it was for our enjoyment as an audience but afterwards we become witnesses to something that is truly special.
HBO captured this pureness when they revisited these ?Legendary Nights? in their film. All emotions from the fight, the friendship formed between the two protagonists, the untimely death of Gatti and his enshrinement to the Hall of Fame last summer, he was inducted in his first year of eligibility, provide a dramatic masterpiece that fans, and non-fans of boxing will love.
Tears will fall. You will get affected. You will feel an uncontrollable feeling you only get from great movies. But this one is for real, and no acting was necessary.
Ten years after they last fought, the memories that Gatti and Ward brought us in the ring, will remain with us who regard this sport highly. It is more than the arrogance, the trash-talking, the politics, the bad officiating and the greed that we see in boxing these days.
The memories of those nights will last twenty, thirty, forty years, even more. And like the title of the song that they played at the finale of the film, Gatti gave Ward, and both gave boxing- memories that will last- FOREVER.
?You inspired me truly, you did from the start
To not be afraid and to follow my heart
There's a piece of you with me they can't tear apart
Forever. ?
(Forever- Dropkick Murphys)
You can reach the author at rrmaze24@aol.com and on Twitter @Freemazon910.
Click here to view a list of other articles written by Rich Mazon .
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