Saturday, June 7, 2003 marks the trilogy between Arturo "Thunder" Gatti and "Irish" Micky Ward. We have had the pleasure of witnessing two epic battles between two true warriors of the boxing world; the first fight an unforgettable war that had all the makings of a Rocky movie, as there was a see-saw battle of give and take by Gatti and Ward. Just when you thought Gatti was about to run away with the victory, Micky Ward found the will and determination to turn the tables, as he landed his signature left-hook to the body that sent Gatti to the canvas and enabled Ward to take control in the later rounds and steal the victory from Arturo.

The second fight was just as entertaining but with a bit of a more predictable outcome, as Gatti appeared to reach back and find the boxing skills that made him champion in the first place against Tracy Harris Patterson. However, this time around with the emergence of James Buddy McGirt in his corner Gatti is a lot more polished and appears to do a lot more thinking in the ring, most importantly he is able to stick with his fight plan until the fight came to an abrupt end.

In the third fight I think Gatti prevails again, this time within five rounds. Gatti has learned to make the necessary adjustments not only to earn a win but to not sustain the punishment he endured in the first fight. Ward is not going to change his style this late in the game, and he has already made it clear that at 37 years of age his time has come to hang them up. So with that in mind I see Ward trying his best to bring the fight to Gatti with reckless abandonment and finding himself running into some very big shots early and being hurt early in the fight and Gatti finishing Micky off within five rounds.

I think both guys are great for the sport and are lucky enough to have found one another, enabling them to pocket a lot of cash, to get the most bucks for their talent. Ward will have earned more money than a lot of current world champions without ever owning a world title. Micky is a guy that has always given his all in the ring and will be able to retire with dignity and feeling good about how his career turned out in terms of his value.

Every fighter has a fighter out there, that one challenge, that makes them dig deep from within and find that something special they never even knew was in them because they never had to reach so far and push their heart, their skill, their desire and will to the limit. It is safe to say that when the final battle comes to an end these two fighters lives will be forever linked.

Arturo Gatti has always been 'Sixty Thrills a Minute,' a guy that when you tuned in to see him you knew you were going to get your money's worth, probably even more; it would be give and take. Ward was almost the complete opposite, he would be getting beat so badly that it would be like Batman reaching for his Utility Belt... When -and if- he could land that potent left hook, though, you knew he still had a chance to steal victory from any man standing in front of him on any given night.