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"The Word" with Micky Ward By Ryan Songalia PhilBoxing.com Mon, 05 Mar 2007  For pure enjoyment and entertainment value, few fighters have meant as much to the sport of boxing as "Irish" Micky Ward. The pride of Lowell, Massachusetts, Ward engaged in some of the most memorable fights in recent years, including Fight of the Year picks with Emmanuel Augustus and the legendary trilogy with Arturo Gatti. With unsurpassed toughness and tenacity, Micky Ward's legacy is not predicated on his wins and losses, but rather his ability to outwill and outrun his own limitations as both a fighter and a man. I had a chance to speak with the now retired Ward, who holds a record of 38-13 (27 KO). We talked about the good times, the bad times, and all that fell in between. Ryan Songalia: What was your fondest moment as a professional? Micky Ward: "Signing with Lou Dibella (laughs). Probably winning a world title in London, England with Shea Neary. That was when I won the WBU world title in London, England and no one thought I was going to beat him. I was over there in a hostile environment when I beat him." Songalia: You endured a rough stretch in your career early in the '90s when you lost four fights in a row. What kept you in the game during that stretch? Ward: "I just knew I was better than what I showed. Perserverance and just wanting to win and knowing what you could do with it. That's all that matters and in my heart I knew I could do better and that's what I did." Songalia: You had your big opportunity later when you were matched with then-prospect Zab Judah. What are your memories of that fight and do you think after seeing how he's fallen short in his professional career that you could've beaten him that night? Ward: "No, let me tell you something. Zab is a friend of mine. He's an opponent of mine first and foremost, but he's my friend. When I fought Zab Judah, that was the real Zab Judah. Whoever was Zab Judah after that wasn't the real Zab. I mean, Zab was always real but Zab's a great fighter and everyone puts him down for the things he did. Zab is my friend and a great guy and a great fighter. Everyone that talks about Zab...that's not true. Zab's a good friend of mine." Songalia: You fought four former professional champions early in your career before stepping in with Arturo Gatti. You lost those four fights. Did that disappoint you and make you feel like you were limited as a fighter? Ward: "It actually showed me fighting those guys that I had what it took to last with those guys. But I wasn't happy lasting with them guys, I wanted to beat them guys. That's why when I fought Gatti and I went out and won the title in England, I knew once I beat the guy in England that I belonged with these guys. These guys were no better than me. It just was the cards weren't there for me. You know what it is, I kept with it. I stuck with it and look what happened." Songalia: You have stated that fighters who move up in weight are lazy guys who don't want to work as hard as previously to stay in shape. Do you feel that to be true still? Ward: "Most definitely. How's this? If at 17 years old, you make 147. At 19, you're 147. At 20, 147. And you're going to be 147, if you change, you're gonna change. Listen, the guys that sit around and get heavier and lazier, they wanna make more money at different weight classes. I dunno, I don't know how other people are but with me, I fought at one weight." Songalia: Let's go back to where people remember you most by. In the first Arturo Gatti fight, it was an incredible war. Talk about that fight, what do you remember most about that night? Ward: "Just winning it and how tough it was. All three of them were. Arturo is a good friend of mine now. I didn't know how special it was until I seen it after. When you're actually involved, you don't realize special it is. When I looked at it after, they were probably the three best fighters in the history of boxing, they say. I'm glad about that." Songalia: Early in the fight, it appeared that Arturo was outclassing you and was too quick on his feet for you. Were you thinking that this guy is too fast... Ward: "Oh, not at all. I just kept pressuring him. I knew if I pressure him, it would take it's toll. I'll tell you, if he stood and fought with me all three fights, I'd win all three fights. But he got smart and boxed and he beat me." Songalia: "In the ninth round of that fight, which Emmanuel Steward called "The round of the century", you knocked him down and had him finished. Do you think that fight should've been stopped? Ward: "(Interjecting) I do, I do because Buddy McGirt was on the ring apron and was going to throw the towel in and he walked down. Once you go on the ring apron, you're supposed to stop the fight. But you know something, Arturo Gatti is Arturo Gatti. This guy is like Jason from Halloween. You kill him and he pops back up. That's him, you can't beat him. That's my man, Arturo I love him and he's Jason." Songalia: The second fight in Atlantic City, was all Gatti all night... Ward: "Oh yeah, because you know something. He caught me with a right hand on the back of my ear and busted my ear drum and my equilibrium. I'll tell you, I don't know how he lasted. I don't remember one bit of that whole fight. All I remember is going to the ring, him hitting me, pounding my chest when he hurt me, and then all of a sudden after that there were very few things I remember about that fight." Songalia: After you pounded your chest, he hit you with a... Ward: "(Interjecting) A better right hand! A better one! That woke me up! I swear to God Almighty!" Songalia: In the third fight, it was similar in many ways to the first fight. You had your moments in that fight, you knocked him down again. Your brother Dick Eklund said (Impersonating Eklund's voice poorly) "This is the last fight of your career, you gotta fight hard!" Take us through that fight and what you recall about that encounter? Ward: "What happened in that fight is that I had eye problems. I got hit in the seventh or sixth round and my brain shifted in my skull and hit the back of my head so hard I had to get double-eye surgery after the fight. I couldn't see straight. I seen four Arturo's and they said go for the middle and I didn't know what the middle was (laughs). I'm joking, but he hit me very hard. He won, he beat me fair and square, he's a great fighter and I love the guy. But hey, it happens in life. You go out there and give it your all. I got hit with a good shot and my brain got shifted and I had eye surgery a year after on both my eyes. The main thing is that I'm fine now and everything's healthy." Songalia: Are any of those issues with your vision still bothering you? Ward: "No, now it's fine. It'll never be perfect. When I look up, I still see double but I'll never get that back. I just gotta keep my head up." Songalia: You were the Jimmy Braddock of your time. Your career meant more than wins and losses because of your tenacity and will. What is the message you want to send through your experiences as a fighter? Ward: "I want to tell everyone, go out there and give it all you got. Never walk back in that dressing room thinking you didn't give it your all." Songalia: After your trilogy with Gatti, you both became the best of friends. Describe your friendship with Gatti, do you find it ironic after those three fights? Ward: "Well you know why it's ironic because we're both the same person. I know he's different, I'm different. What the bottom line is that we're great friends. We both have heart and balls and guts and we give it everything we got." Songalia: What do you want to say to the young kid who is in the gym right now. Thinking about being a fighter, not the most talented fighter in the world but has all the balls in the world. What advice do you have for him? Ward: "Give it all you got. That's all you can do is give it all you got." Any questions or comments? Send them to me at mc_rson@yahoo.com . Click here to view a list of other articles written by Ryan Songalia.  |
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