All Things Must Pass: Mickey Ward Chats On-Line
Ron DiMichele
23.12 - "Irish" Mickey Ward provided fans with a rare treat Friday night when he spent two hours in an on-line chat session sponsored by Ring99.com. Fans from the United States and as far away as Great Britain peppered the junior welterweight from Lowell, Ma with a wide variety of questions and comments about his professional career and beyond.
The year 2002 brought new levels of fame and fortune to Mickey Ward. He emerged victorious by majority decision in an epic battle with Arturo Gatti which will surely receive fight of the year honors. Later in the year, Ward dropped the rematch with Gatti by a decision. Mickey Ward was recently presented the 1st Ted Williams Globe and Anchor Award by the Semper Fidelis Society, comprised of former United States Marines. The award goes to a non-Marine whose commitment and dedication to excellence, as well as hard work and guts, mirrors that demonstrated by Ted Williams in his life.
In the chat session, Ward fielded queries about his boxing future ("One more fight with Gatti and that’s it.") boxing style, patented left hook to the body, training regimen, favorite boxing movies and diet. He mostly bobbed and weaved around fight predictions, especially for Ruiz-Jones Jr., despite relentless prodding from chat-line participants. Throughout the session Ward was unfailingly accommodating and gracious. He is so authentic, and such a sportsmen, you want to climb the nearest rooftop and sing his praises. But instead, you’d rather ask him not to fight, to give up what he loves the most.
That isn’t easy. When Mickey Ward fights, he climbs through the ropes, goes to the center of the ring, rips open his chest and leaves his heart beating on the canvas. How do you tell him there shouldn’t be a Ward-Gatti III? Mickey Ward has won the hearts of boxing fans, especially those in New England, who have followed his career every step of the way. They have believed in him, sharing his many ups and downs. Now they’re going to ask him to stop? No. They’re more likely to predict he’ll take Gatti out in the next match and ride the wave of that incredible victory off into ring retirement. But is that scenario really likely?
Ward-Gatti I was a close contest. Ward-Gatti II was not. In their second bout, Gatti decked Ward with a hard right to the ear in the third round, and except for some spirited skirmishes towards the end, controlled the rest of the fight. Arturo Gatti won the second bout with Mickey Ward in a convincing enough fashion to eliminate the need for Ward-Gatti III. Would a 3rd bout generate public interest? You bet. Would it be a hit at the box office? Absolutely. Should it happen? No. In Ward-Gatti II, Gatti adjusted his style to a more distant boxing approach. He utilized his advantages in youth and speed and this strategy worked. Is he going to abandon this successful style in Ward-Gatti III just to give the fans the war they want? Doubtful.
Mickey Ward is 37 years old and has been in some rough scraps. He’s still as tough as nails and keeps himself in top shape, but he’s lost a little something, mostly speed. He should retire now, or at most, fight a goodbye bout in New England against a respectable, but beatable opponent. There is no need to go back in there with Arturo Gatti, who is seven years Ward’s junior and has the speed and style to handle Ward.
It is ironic that Mickey Ward has achieved his peak of public acclaim and earning capability at this late stage of his career. But boxing is rife with these types of ironies. Think about this: Boxing is the only sport where a lack of skills can have a positive effect on a fighter’s marketability. No punch? No defense? No movement? No chin? NO PROBLEM!!! Step right this way, my man, we’re holding a spot for you against this young up-and-comer. Where’s the safety net? There isn’t one. Can’t fight in Nevada? Hmmm, let’s check out Memphis, Tennessee…
This isn’t the case with Ward. But what Max Kellerman said the other night on ESPN2 regarding Evander Holyfield also holds true for Mickey. Nobody is saying he can no longer fight. He can still fight, but he shouldn’t be fighting. He’s been in there long enough, and as much as we hate to see him go, it’s time. Lose a foot off your fastball in baseball and you’ll likely get knocked around a bit, eventually called into the manager’s office, and handed your walking papers. Not so in boxing. Nobody gets cut from the team. The athlete decides when it’s over. And as we’ve seen time and again over the years, they’re not always the first to know.
Muhammad Ali fought too long. Everyone could see it. Towards the end of Ali’s career a reporter asked his legendary trainer, Angelo Dundee, if he felt Ali should still be fighting. Dundee answered, "No." But he made it clear that if Muhammad Ali entered the ring, he would be right by his side.
Bravo for Mickey Ward! What guts, heart, ability and character. And there are few among us who wouldn’t tune in to a third match with the other man of great heart, Arturo Gatti. But another bout isn’t necessary. Mickey Ward does not have a thing left to prove.
