BOXING Gatti wins over Ward in slugfest on HBO

Arturo Gatti battered Micky Ward to win their three-bout series, 2-1.
ATLANTIC CITY, N.J. (AP) -- HBO televised three fights between scrappy junior welterweights Arturo Gatti and Micky Ward. In retrospect, they might be more suitable for ESPN Classic.
On Saturday, Gatti triumphed over Ward with a 10-round decision in the rubber match. Fittingly, it was another bloody, brutal slugfest more notable for the heart and determination it showcased than the boxing proficiency.
"Every 20 or 30 years, you get these types of trilogies," said Buddy McGirt, Gatti's trainer. "And this one has to go down in history along [with] Zale-Graziano and Ali-Frazier."
It wasn't a title fight, but it had that feel. A raucous sellout crowd of 12,643 -- the largest ever for a non-heavyweight fight in Atlantic City -- packed Boardwalk Hall and spent much of the night on its feet, roaring its approval of the action.
Tough acts to follow
Gatti and Ward had two tough acts to follow. In their first fight, Ward had blood streaming down his face and won a majority decision in a 10-rounder on May 18, 2002, in Uncasville, Conn.
On Nov. 23, Gatti (36-6) avenged the loss in Atlantic City, knocking Ward down in the third with a punch that shattered his eardrum. Gatti broke his right hand in the fight and won a unanimous 10-round decision.
Saturday's bout lived up to its advance billing as "the final chapter" in the Ward-Gatti rivalry.
Quicker and better-conditioned, Gatti was in control for most of the fight, outpunching Ward and moving so swiftly that the 37-year-old rarely got close enough to throw one of his signature left hooks to the body.
Took a beating
Ward (38-13) missed completely on many of his punches, and he took a beating from Gatti's relentless attacks. He was bleeding from the nose and cheek by the second round, and the fight looked to be all Gatti's.
But Gatti reinjured the right hand he'd broken seven months earlier, and Ward took advantage, landing a series of body shots that turned the tide suddenly and had Gatti looking as if he might go down.
According to McGirt, the injury occurred in the second round but Gatti didn't begin favoring it until the fourth.
Gatti, from Jersey City, seemed to regain control in the sixth, his home-state fans cheering "Gat-ti! Gat-ti! as he reasserted himself. Then, just before the bell rang to end the round, Ward caught him with a right to the top of the head, knocking him down.
The last four rounds were toe-to-toe slugging, with the exhausted fighters teeing off on each other and then resting while the other fought back.
The scoring
Judges George Hill and Joe Pasquale scored it 96-93 and Luis Rivera had it 97-92. Ward didn't dispute it.
"I knew that he was coming to fight," said Gatti. "He's a great champion. Anyone else would have quit. He's got a lot of heart."
The two shared a bottle of water and hugged after the fight ended, then went to Atlantic City Medical Center, where they sat side-by-side in the emergency room before being treated.
X-rays on Gatti's hand were inconclusive, according to McGirt, although ringside physician Dr. Domenic Coletta -- who examined him after the fight -- said it was broken. Gatti, who will be evaluated by a specialist Monday, got two stitches for a cut above the left eye.
Ward got six stitches for a similar, cut but his right hand, which he thought he broke, was only bruised.
McGirt would not discuss the possibilities for Gatti's next fight.
"Right now, he's just going to get some rest and enjoy himself. I wouldn't even talk about another fight right now," McGirt said.