Articles

Here’s What Micky Ward Would Like You To Take From “Gatti-Ward” on HBO

Published

7 years ago

October 17, 2013

I know I adored HBO’s “Legendary Nights: The Tale of Gatti-Ward,” which debuts Saturday night, during a Wednesday night screening at HBO headquarters in NYC.

But I decided that rather than first share my perceptions of the treatment of the Arturo Gatti-Micky Ward thrillogy, I’d instead show deference to a man who is a role model for me, for his heart, willpower and humility, Micky Ward.

The boxer attended the screener, along with Gatti’s manager Patrick Lynch, trainer Buddy McGirt, promoters Kathy Duva and Lou DiBella, and others who were touched so immensely by the courage shown by the two men in the ring, and the touching nature of the bond forged in an unlikely crucible, the square ring.

I asked Ward, now 48, what he’d like viewers to take from the film, which was adeptly helmed by Bentley Weiner, the lady who heads up HBO’s 24/7 series, and so skillfully touched all the right buttons, including awe, shock, sadness, hopefullness, sadness and the anger that the film and the sport inspire.

“How great friends we were,” said Ward, who stepped away from the ring after his third battle with the Italo-Canadian brawler who made the International Boxing Hall of Fame this past summer. “How great a guy he was, and that you can fight the fight, without the trash talking. You can fight your hardest without trash talking. There’s too much BS in this world. You don’t need it. Just go in there and try to win.”

Other standouts in the film include HBO play by play man Jim Lampley, who gets extremely emotional thinking about the rivalry, and the immensity of heart of the two men who gave so much of themselves in their quest to win, and to entertain us. Ward’s wife Charlene steals a scene or two, as when she quips that her guy is “sick” for his ability to withstand punishment and refuse to lose. The ref for the first Gatti-Ward bout, Frank Cappucino, will draw chuckles on Saturday when he explains why he didn’t pull the plug on the bout when it appeared to many that too much savagery was on display.

Ron Borges, of TheSweetScience.com, does a bangup job talking about why this rivalry will live on, long past the exploits of men blessed with more talent in the ring, but less of a willingness to risk parts of themselves for the fans, and to satisfy their urge for victory.

Gatti’s manger Pat Lynch, it is clear, still struggles with the notion that Gatti might have committed suicide. I asked him after the screening how the film touched him. Was he left feeling wistful, or happy? “Happy,” he said. It was good to see Gatti doing what he does best, confounding experts and defying expectations of valor in the athletic arena, he said.

I chatted with Weiner after the screener. She thinks viewers will watch the film and be left with varied emotions. “We all really wish Arturo were here to tell the story himself,” she said. She told me that a feature film on Gatti, involving Mark Wahlberg and Mike Strahan, is in the works, and that will continue to build on the legacy of a man taken from Earth too soon. “What these guys gave and the sacrifice they made is amazing,” Weiner said. “They sacrificed for us, for the fans, and I’m so happy the fights will be celebrated, after they gave so much of themselves.”

I asked Ward what he would say to little Sofia, Arturo’s seven year old daughter if, in ten years, she asked Micky about her dad. “I’d say, I knew him very well,” Ward said, “and he was a great guy, and he loved you very much and he was a Hall of Famer boxer, but more than that, he was Hall of Fame man.”

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Michael Woods

Articles

2015 Fight of the Year – Francisco Vargas vs Takashi Miura

Published

5 years ago

January 4, 2016

The Sweet Science

The WBC World Super Featherweight title bout between Francisco Vargas and Takashi Miura came on one of the biggest boxing stages of 2015, as the bout served as the HBO pay-per-view’s co-main event on November 21st, in support of Miguel Cotto vs Saul Alvarez.

Miura entered the fight with a (29-2-2) record and he was making the fifth defense of his world title, while Vargas entered the fight with an undefeated mark of (22-0-1) in what was his first world title fight. Both men had a reputation for all-out fighting, with Miura especially earning high praise for his title defense in Mexico where he defeated Sergio Thompson in a fiercely contested battle.

The fight started out hotly contested, and the intensity never let up. Vargas seemed to win the first two rounds, but by the fourth round, Miura seemed to pull ahead, scoring a knock-down and fighting with a lot of confidence. After brawling the first four rounds, Miura appeared to settle into a more technical approach. Rounds 5 and 6 saw the pendulum swing back towards Vargas, as he withstood Miura’s rush to open the fifth round and the sixth round saw both men exchanging hard punches.

The big swinging continued, and though Vargas likely edged Miura in rounds 5 and 6, Vargas’ face was cut in at least two spots and Miura started to assert himself again in rounds 7 and 8. Miura was beginning to grow in confidence while it appeared that Vargas was beginning to slow down, and Miura appeared to hurt Vargas at the end of the 8th round.

Vargas turned the tide again at the start of the ninth round, scoring a knock down with an uppercut and a straight right hand that took Miura’s legs and sent him to the canvas. Purely on instinct, Miura got back up and continued to fight, but Vargas was landing frequently and with force. Referee Tony Weeks stepped in to stop the fight at the halfway point of round 9 as Miura was sustaining a barrage of punches.

Miura still had a minute and a half to survive if he was going to get out of the round, and it was clear that he was not going to stop fighting.

A back and forth battle of wills between two world championship level fighters, Takashi Miura versus “El Bandido” Vargas wins the 2015 Fight of the Year.

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Articles

Jan 9 in Germany – Feigenbutz and De Carolis To Settle Score

Published

5 years ago

January 4, 2016

The Sweet Science

This coming Saturday, January 9th, the stage is set at the Baden Arena in Offenburg, Germany for a re-match between Vincent Feigenbutz and Giovanni De Carolis. The highly anticipated re-match is set to air on SAT.1 in Germany, and Feigenbutz will once again be defending his GBU and interim WBA World titles at Super Middleweight.

The first meeting between the two was less than three months ago, on October 17th and that meeting saw Feigenbutz controversially edge De Carolis on the judge’s cards by scores of (115-113, 114-113 and 115-113). De Carolis scored a flash knock down in the opening round, and he appeared to outbox Feigenbutz in the early going, but the 20 year old German champion came on in the later rounds.

The first bout is described as one of the most crowd-pleasing bouts of the year in Germany, and De Carolis and many observers felt that the Italian had done enough to win.

De Carolis told German language website RAN.DE that he was more prepared for the re-match, and that due to the arrogance Feigenbutz displayed in the aftermath of the first fight, he was confident that he had won over some of the audience. Though De Carolis fell short of predicting victory, he promised a re-vamped strategy tailored to what he has learned about Feigenbutz, whom he termed immature and inexperienced.

The stage is set for Feigenbutz vs De Carolis 2, this Saturday January 9th in Offenburg, Germany. If you can get to the live event do it, if not you have SAT.1 in Germany airing the fights, and The Boxing Channel right back here for full results.

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Articles

2015 Knock Out of the Year – Saul Alvarez KO’s James Kirkland

Published

5 years ago

December 29, 2015

The Sweet Science

On May 9th of 2015, Saul “Canelo” Alvarez delivered a resonant knock-out of James Kirkland on HBO that wins the 2015 KO of the Year.

The knock-out itself came in the third round, after slightly more than two minutes of action. The end came when Alvarez delivered a single, big right hand that caught Kirkland on the jaw and left him flat on his back after spinning to the canvas.Alvarez was clearly the big star heading into the fight. The fight was telecast by HBO for free just one week after the controversial and disappointing Floyd Mayweather Jr. and Manny Pacquiao fight, and Alvarez was under pressure to deliver the type of finish that people were going to talk about. Kirkland was happy to oblige Alvarez, taking it right to Alvarez from the start. Kirkland’s aggression saw him appear to land blows that troubled the young Mexican in the early going. Alvarez played good defense, and he floored Kirkland in the first round, displaying his power and his technique in knocking down an aggressive opponent.

However, Kirkland kept coming at Alvarez and the fight entered the third round with both men working hard and the feeling that the fight would not go the distance. Kirkland continued to move forward, keeping “Canelo” against the ropes and scoring points with a barrage of punches while looking for an opening.

At around the two minute mark, Alvarez landed an uppercut that sent Kirkland to the canvas again. Kirkland got up, but it was clear that he did not have his legs under him. Kirkland was going to try to survive the round, but Alvarez had an opportunity to close out the fight. The question was would he take it?

Alvarez closed in on Kirkland, putting his opponent’s back to the ropes. Kirkland was hurt, but he was still dangerous, pawing with punches and loading up for one big shot.

But it was the big shot “Canelo” threw that ended the night. Kirkland never saw it coming, as he was loading up with a huge right hand of his own. The right Alvarez threw cracked Kirkland in the jaw, and his eyes went blank. His big right hand whizzed harmlessly over the head of a ducking Alvarez, providing the momentum for the spin that left Kirkland prone on the canvas.

Saul “Canelo” Alvarez went on to defeat Miguel Cotto in his second fight of 2015 and he is clearly one of boxing’s biggest stars heading into 2016. On May 9th Alvarez added another reel to his highlight film when he knocked out James Kirkland with the 2015 “Knock Out of the Year”.

Photo by naoki fukuda

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