Gatti-Ward “Legendary Nights” Debuts Oct. 19

LEGENDARY NIGHTS: THE TALE OF GATTI-WARD, AN ALL-NEW INSTALLMENT OF EMMY^®-WINNING BOXING DOCUMENTARY SERIES, DEBUTS OCT. 19 ON HBO

HBO Sports, winner of nine George Foster Peabody Awards and 33 Sports Emmys^® for documentaries, presents a new installment of the acclaimed LEGENDARY NIGHTS boxing documentary series this month when THE TALE OF GATTI-WARD looks back at one of boxing’s greatest rivalries, spotlighting the three-fight slugfest between Arturo Gatti and Micky Ward. Blending archival footage and new material shot this summer, the exclusive HBO presentation debuts SATURDAY, OCT. 19 (midnight-1:15 a.m. ET/PT), exclusively on HBO, immediately following “World Championship Boxing: Mike Alvarado vs. Ruslan Provodnikov,” which begins at 9:45 p.m.

Other HBO playdates: Oct. 21 (9:15 a.m.), 24 (5:10 p.m., 12:05 a.m.), 26 (11:00 a.m., 4:45 a.m.) and 30 (1:00 p.m., 1:00 a.m.), and Nov. 3 (7:55 a.m.), 7 (9:00 p.m.) and 15 (7:30 p.m.)

HBO2 playdates: Oct. 23 (6:00 a.m., 10:00 p.m.) and 29 (11:30 p.m., 4:50 a.m.), and Nov. 2 (2:45 p.m.), 10 (8:45 a.m.) and 12 (4:30 p.m.)

The special will also be available on HBO On Demand and HBO GO.

“2013 marks the tenth anniversary of the third fight of the landmark Gatti vs. Ward trilogy, so now is the ideal moment to revisit this classic rivalry,” says Ken Hershman, president, HBO Sports. “This retrospective will offer new perspectives and deliver revealing insights on the two ring warriors who produced this all-time great moment in boxing history. Combined with the ‘World Championship Boxing’ presentation from Denver, this ensures a memorable night of boxing programming on HBO.”

LEGENDARY NIGHTS: THE TALE OF GATTI-WARD revisits the unforgettable three-fight trilogy authored by junior welterweights Arturo Gatti of Jersey City, NJ and Micky Ward of Lowell, Mass. Over the course of 13 months, these two throwback sluggers engaged in 30 electrifying rounds of action, with Gatti winning both Atlantic City bouts (Nov. 23, 2002 and June 7, 2003), following Ward’s dramatic triumph in the opener (May 18, 2002) in Uncasville, Conn. The film also documents Ward’s journey this past June to Canastota, NY for Gatti’s posthumous induction into the International Boxing Hall of Fame.

The first 2002 battle was named Fight of the Year by the Boxing Writers Association of America, and the three fights have been widely celebrated as one of boxing’s greatest rivalries.

THE TALE OF GATTI-WARD features HBO Sports’ acclaimed blend of new interviews and thrilling fight action, highlighted by previously unseen archival footage and new material shot in summer 2013. All three fights aired live on HBO, featuring the ringside commentary of Jim Lampley, Larry Merchant and the late Emanuel Steward on the first and third fights. Lampley, Merchant and George Foreman called the second bout.

In a remarkable twist, Ward wound up being Gatti’s trainer for his final pro fight, against Alfonso Gomez in July 2007. Gatti fought 21 times on HBO in his pro career, while Ward appeared six times on HBO.

Interview subjects include: HBO Boxing host Jim Lampley; boxing commentator Larry Merchant; referee Frank Cappuccino; promoters Lou DiBella and Kathy Duva; Micky Ward and his wife, Charlene; former fighter Dicky Eklund; Gatti manager Pat Lynch; trainer Buddy McGirt; and writer Ron Borges.

Celebrating the most memorable fights in the network’s 40 years of presenting the sweet science, LEGENDARY NIGHTS captured the Sports Emmy^® Award for Outstanding Edited Sports Series when it debuted in 2003.

LEGENDARY NIGHTS: THE TALE OF GATTI-WARD is executive produced by Rick Bernstein; directed by Bentley Weiner and Gabriel Spitzer; senior producer, Dave Harmon; creative director, Bill McCullough; editor, Fernando Villegas; writer, Aaron Cohen; director of photography, Thom Stukas; original score composed by Jose Cancela & Amy Beauchamp; narrator, Mark Wahlberg.

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