Arturo Gatti fighting Micky Ward! Could a true fight fan want anything more? Well, for a start I wish we were getting the fight live down here in Australia but as Kostya Tszyu is defending his title against Ben Tackie I have two chances of seeing this bout live. Slim and none! I wonder why HBO decided to air this bout at the same time as Tszyu-Tackie? Especially when a date was freed up by De La Hoya pulling out of the Vargas bout.

All I can do is praise these men for the fights they have taken and the way they have fought throughout their respective careers. These guys appear not to particularly care who they fight, they seem not to worry about reputations or previously undefeated fighters, etc. They take a fight and the sole aim is to win! Both men have come back numerous times from the point of disaster to win with impressive and spectacular knockouts and both have at times not been able to produce the special punch to win a fight and they have subsequently lost. May I add that between them they have 16 losses, yet they are not losers! Certain guy in the same division who just recently suffered his first loss is more towards that category!

I have just reviewed my collection of bouts that contain either Gatti or Ward and I can rely on my memory for a few of their bouts that I have seen but don't have at hand. To me this is a pick 'em fight! Neither man is young and both have had more than their fair share of wars, so we don't know whether this will impact either fighter, for the fans' sake I hope not. Both men have advantages in different areas and who knows which one holds the advantages that will win the bout?

ARTURO GATTI
Gatti, I feel has the advantage in power, speed and lateral movement. At times Gatti has been a thoughtful boxer as well as a brawling madman who you would swear his life depended on winning a fight. I only saw Gatti's bout with Tracey Patterson once and I witnessed a man who utilized his jab and boxed well. We also saw some signs of thinking on Gatti's part in his last bout with Millett. We have also seen him comeback from near defeats against Gabe Ruelas and Wilson Rodriguez to score amazing KO's. I believe Gatti showed a lot of courage when he was cut by Joe Hutchison. His destruction of Gamache was impressive too regardless of other issues. Gatti has been stopped by Angel Manfredy and Oscar De La Hoya!

MICKY WARD
Ward, obviously has an advantage in the body punching department as well having a better defense (his glove positioning is very effective) not to mention he possesses a better chin and doesn't have the cut problem Gatti does.

The first time I saw Micky Ward fight was on the under card of Whitaker-De La Hoya fighting an up and coming murderous Mexican puncher Alfonso Sanchez, and Micky was running a lot and not punching. The commentators were calling for the bout to be stopped and I had stopped paying attention when I heard Roy Jones Jr. say Ward's hurt him with a body shot; one more left hook and Sanchez was down for the count and he didn't get back up. His bout with Reggie Green was just as impressive with a final round stoppage. Ward also fought well in a war of attrition against Antonio Diaz but was outworked and lost on a fair decision. To me Ward's most impressive bout was his victory over Shea Neary; to go to another country and have to deal with a very large, hostile crowd and an aggressive (but raw) undefeated opponent showed real class. Ward has only been stopped once and that was on a not too severe cut against Vince Phillips, a fight where Ward appeared to be competitive.

WHO WINS?
How will this fight pan out? If Gatti is smart he can win this fight, he has the superior hand speed, power and lateral movement and if he can maintain his discipline and not get into a slugfest, the bout will be his. If pride or instinct take over, it could prove to be disaster for Gatti. I think Gatti has power but I don't think it will be enough to KO Ward whose experience and defense should be good enough to prevent getting KO'd. I think Ward has the better stamina and Gatti who likes to throw a lot of punches tends to tire and it is easy for his opponents to see this. Gatti has a tendency to move when he is tired and that gives a clear signal to his opponents.

Ward can win this fight if he draws Gatti into a slugfest. If Gatti unloads early bombs and Ward covers up like he did against Neary this is a good sign for Micky. Gatti will expend energy and will also be open to counter punches, especially Ward's killer left hook to the body. De La Hoya had a lot of success by going to Gatti's body and it left him with much less energy for him to pull out an upset with one punch. If Ward can initiate a brawl and weather the storm whilst sneaking in power shots of his own he is in with a good chance. Once Ward has weathered the storm he should pick up the pace and fight a style like he did against Antonio Diaz, this style does not suit Gatti as it will tire him like in the two fights with Ivan Robinson. Gatti's tendency to cut could be a problem too!

I think that Gatti's new found mature attitude will be good for him and the fact that Buddy McGirt is in his corner will be a calming factor too. I think Gatti will retain his focus and come out with a win on points. It's Gatti's fight to win and I think if Ward wants the victory he will have to trigger Gatti's instincts to brawl. It could go either way but I'm swaying towards Gatti. It is going to be a battle of the wills, folks!