Micky ‘Irish’ Ward was a true competitor throughout his entertaining 18-year career as he shared the ring with top talent.
Facing the likes of Arturo Gatti, Antonio Diaz, and Jesse James Leija, Ward’s 51-fight journey was filled with both highs and lows.
Despite having a record of 38-13, Ward was only finished once, as he was known for his impressive durability.
Finishing his career with an incredible trilogy with Gatti, who once fought Floyd Mayweather, Ward began the rivalry with an epic performance in 2002.
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Micky Ward won his first meeting with Arturo Gatti in 2002
Following a loss to Leija in January 2002, Ward would be paired up with former Oscar De La Hoya foe Gatti.
The headline bout would be contested over 10 rounds, on May 18th, 2002, as Ward went into the fight with a 37-11 record. As for Gatti, the Canadian boasted a record of 34-5.
Despite there being no title on the line when the two competed, the fight would be one of the most entertaining brawls of all time. The slugfest would be razor close as the fight would go the distance.
Although the fight was filled with huge punches being dealt and received, the decisive moments of the bout came in rounds four and nine.
Round four would see Gatti penalized for a low blow on Ward, costing him a point deduction. He would then suffer another point-based penalty in round nine. Gatti was knocked down by a left hook to the body from Ward, however, he would recover to see out the round.
As well as recovering from the knockdown, Gatti would rally in the round, beginning to punish Ward with stinging shots. However, unlike Gatti’s comeback against Wilson Rodriguez, he could not stop Ward.
The bloody brawl would come to an end with both men exhausted and beaten. However, it would be Ward who claimed victory over his new rival. The fight would be named Ring Magazine’s ‘Fight of the Year’ for 2002.
Despite one judge scoring the bout a draw, the other two scoring officials scored the bout in favor of Ward, who won via majority decision. Due to the epic nature of the bout, the two would rematch later that year.
Arturo Gatti would win his fight series with Micky Ward
Despite being victorious in their first meeting, Ward could not earn a second victory over Gatti in their famous trilogy.
Their second meeting would come six months after their first in November 2002. In a fight that would be less eventful than their first meeting, Gatti would get his revenge via decision, knocking Ward down in the process.
Tied in their fight series at one win apiece, a third bout would take place in January 2003. Fighting in Atlantic City, the same location as their second meeting, Gatti would earn successive wins.
In another ‘Fight of the Year’ brawl, Gatti would again win a 10-round decision, closing out one of the greatest rivalries of all time.