One Last War for Ward

By Phillip Przybylo

06.06 - He has had fans on the edge of their seats, writers scrambling to a thesaurus for different words for courage, and opponents confident of victory right before they are knocked out.  But on June 7, Mickey Ward (38-12) will have had enough.

Ward's third straight bout with Arturo Gatti (35-6) in a series of fights that may rank among the best trilogies in boxing history, will be, according to Ward, his last.  The fight at the Boardwalk Hall in Atlantic City, NJ, will mark the end of a career built on dauntlessness and mettle.

"I think I've done enough in my career," Ward said to Eastside Boxing this week, "I just want this fight.  I know I can win this fight.  I know the public wants to see it.  I want to put on a good show one last time and end it."

A win would make him the frontrunner in the Kostya Tszyu sweepstakes, but that does little to entice the Lowell, Mass., native, who is only thinking about himself, loved ones, and his future.  "For one," said Ward, "I'm 37, which is no big deal, but by boxing standards, it is pretty old.  Two, I've been in a lot of tough fights the last five or six fights.  They've been all out wars.  I don't want to be in there for one punch too many.  I don't want to be in there too long.  So, I'm done--that's all I can say.

"All it takes in boxing is to get hit with that one good shot and then you're done.  It can change your life around.  I want to be healthy after this."

The anticipated rubber match with Gatti has been ballyhooed by boxing publications everywhere, Sports Illustrated, and even TV Guide as a must-see event.  Purists may cringe at the notion of two proclaimed "blood and guts" fighters receiving so much attention.  But a closer look at the fighters reveals more heart than guts, as they ARE the sport of boxing in its most honest and raw form.

A closer look at Ward provides a moral of sorts:  persistence does pay off.  If one keeps at it, eventually, one will have at it.

A brother, an uncle, a brother-in-law--name it--they were all boxers.  It was only a matter of time before the seven year old Ward took up the trade himself.  After 30 years, 12 professional losses, and countless dramatic moments in the ring (most of which were displayed before a national audience in 34 televised bouts), has made it into the world of seven figure paydays and can leave on his own terms.

By 1991, an ending this happy was not as obvious.  After an impressive start and a not so impressive middle, the then 26 year old was slumping.  He went on a string of losses, four in six bouts, that essentially forced him into semi-retirement.

"I was getting in there with the top guys in the world in my division," stated Ward.  "I was on a losing streak.  I was losing, fighting a tough guy, losing, fighting a tougher guy, etc., instead of taking a little time off, fighting a couple of easier fights, getting my confidence back. 

"I just said, 'To hell with that, I'm not going to be a stepping stone for nobody.'  So, I gave it up.  It was the best move I did.  Because when I came back, I came back better than ever."

"I took the two and a half years off, but I knew I was going to come back.  I just didn't know when.  I just needed that time to get the desire back.  When I took the time off, I started missing it more.  I started thinking, if I'm gonna try I'm gonna try it now instead of when I'm 37, 40, 41."

The comeback began in 1994, and Ward defied odds and common sense by extending his prime boxing years well into his 30's and producing moments that will live on in boxing folklore for decades to come.

Mickey Ward's Greatest Hits 

4-12-97: Alfonso Sanchez KO 7

The 5'8" slugger's first exposure to mainstream sports fans came on the undercard of the Oscar De la Hoya-Pernell Whitaker pay-per-view bout.  Losing practically every round for six rounds, Ward turned the fight around with his trademark left hook to the body, effectively ending the fight. 

"I went in there with Alfonso Sanchez knowing he was a strong guy, but I didn't know he was THAT strong.  That kid could punch.  I started out fighting defensively.  I fought so defensively, I couldn't get out of that style.  It was like I was behind the 8 ball.  I got way behind, and he dropped me.  I just fought a horrible fight tactically.  I was running away from him.  I told myself, 'I gotta sit down and throw something.'  So, I sat down on my left hook to the body.  And that was it."
-Mickey Ward

10-1-99:  Reggie Green TKO 10

Losses to Vince Phillips and Zab Judah within a year had put Ward's status as a contender on the ropes.  The first seven rounds of his fight with Green did not help.  He found himself beaten and trailing on the scorecards.  Once again, he stepped up the intensity, stepped up the body attack, and stopped Green with twenty seconds remaning in the 10th and final round.

"He was very sharp.  He was ranked like third in the world at that point.  He had a good left hook.  He threw one of the best left hooks I got hit by ever.  I believe it was in the third round.  That was a war."

3-11-00:  Shea Neary TKO 8 (wins the WBU junior welterweight championship)

Off the heels of his crossroads win over Green, Ward traveled to England to take on the undefeated Neary.  Ward, a slow starter, lost the first two rounds, but traded rounds from there on out in a phone booth battle.  Ward was stunned a few times, but reverted to boxing basics and, eventually, a body attack to chop Neary down.

"The proudest moment of my career was winning that title, and going to a different country to win it.  And I tell ya, over there in London, they accepted me pretty well.  They weren't hostile or none of that.  There are some real fans over there." 

"That was a tough fight, too.  That went the same type of way...back and forth.  I was behind again.  But I finally came back to knock him out. 

7-13-01:  Emanuel Augustus W 10

2001's fight of the year looked like a blow-out after the first round.  Ward had Burton against the ropes and treated him like a heavy bag.  Burton saved his strength for the upcoming rounds.  By the fifth and sixth round, commentator and trainer Teddy Atlas compared the outpouring of guts and strength to that of Ali and Frazier in their "Thrilla in Manila."  Ward assured himself victory by--what else--a left hook to the body that forced Burton to take a knee in the ninth.

"He was a tough veteran, I tell ya.  He was crafty.  He knew how to get out of the way of punches.  It was decided on heart alone.  It was a very tough fight.  I think I threw almost 1,200 punches in 10 rounds.  It was a rough fight, but it was incredible."

5-18-02:  Arturo Gatti W 10

Fans had been clamoring for it for years, and the two warriors did not disappoint.  High drama hit the Foxwoods Casino with Ward losing rounds only to consistently throw out freakishly brilliant combinations, temporarily stopping Gatti and changing the momentum of the fight.  Round nine is simply...round nine.  Ward won the see-saw round and, because of it, won the fight.

Two fighters, mirror images of each other in terms of heart, put on 2002's fight of the year. 

"Our first fight was incredible.  He caught me, and then I caught him.  He caught me again, and I caught him again.  It went back and forth the whole fight.  In that ninth round, I caught him, he went down, I thought he was out, he came back, and then I came back at him.  I thought they were gonna stop it at the end of the ninth round.  He was out as far as I was concerned.  But then again, he comes in the tenth and wins that round.  He's like Jason (from the "Friday the 13th" series)--you can't kill him.

"I thought they had stopped it in his corner (in the beginning of the 10th round).  I couldn't even jump up and down.  I was like, 'Thank God it's over.'  And then I hear, 'Oh no, there's another round.'  And I was like, 'Ah shit. Here we go again.'"

The Final Chapter

For any fighter, the wars can add up.  For someone like Mickey Ward, the wars would take too long to add up.  The wars have become a part of him, for better and for worse.  He feels equal parts sadness and relief as he closes the book on his career as an active boxer.

Ward said:  "What am I going to come June 8?  I'll be on the airplane. <laughs>.  I don't know what I'm going to do.  One part of my boxing career will be over.  And I'll be honest--it'll be sad.  But I look forward to it, though.  I really look forward to it because I don't want to get hurt.  And I realize the situations and consequences I put myself in.  I'll actually be relieved that it's over.  All those days, training in the gym, killing myself.  I'm going to be 38.  And, with the way I fight...geez...

"I've been doing this for 30 years.  I'll need the break for my sanity.  Even though I'm not boxing everyday, it's always on your mind.  And it really wears on you mentally.  I need to get away."

"Irish" Mickey does not plan on overlooking his last fight, though.  He may have already made his statement to the boxing world, but there is still the important punctuation mark waiting to be placed.  With that in mind, changes in strategy are in store for Gatti.

"You're gonna see a different style of fighting from me," Ward said.  "Everyone's used to me sitting in there taking punches and giving punches.  Just walking straight in, not using the jab, covering up to get in there.  You're gonna see some hand speed, footwork, and more movement."

The result of the match is simple enough, according to Ward.

"I predict a tough, honest effort.  I'm confident I can win the fight.  I know Arturo's a great fighter.  He's proven it time and time again what kind of fighter he is.  It's just good to be in there in this stage of the game to be in there with a great fighter and getting a chance to redeem myself.  The bottom line is people can expect me to give it my all."

Ward's last fight will not be any different from every single previous one.