emanuel steward commentating on winky wright fight

There are just too many.Īt the bell, Ward taps his rival on the shoulder with the left hand that would one day be aimed at his coffin. Calling individual punches from either man becomes impossible. Passion can make anything difficult feel not difficult, including boxing when you're in pain.' 'You're soul searching with your opponent. 'If you're in there for the money, those are moments when the money isn't enough,' says former two-weight world champion Paulie Malignaggi. But, somehow, his fighter rallies and punches violently enough to the body to back Ward to the ropes. Some claim his trainer walked up the ring steps and shaped to throw in the towel. The Italian-Canadian's face is riddled with pain from a body shot as the fight's only legitimate knockdown is registered. This is even more than you can dream of.'Įarly in the ninth Gatti drops to one knee. 'Money won't help in the round of the century'įrom his co-commentary position, legendary trainer Emanuel Steward screams: 'You know, you dream of fights like this, but very seldom do they live up to the expectation. Three minutes in which more punches were thrown than some entire 12-round fights can boast. 'It was a showdown that ranks on the all-time list of just about everybody we know in the sport,' says BBC Radio 5 Live's Mike Costello as he watches the bout back.Īnd then came round nine.

Both are now cut.īefore the eighth Ward is told by his brother in the corner that he will not allow him to become 'a punch bag'. The last 30 seconds of the fifth needs its own health warning as both men land heavily. He is floored illegally in the fourth by a low blow that - crucially - sees Gatti deducted a point. Within 90 seconds of the opening bell Ward is badly cut. 'He's always with me, I know he's here.' Cuts, heavy hitting - and a decisive low blow Mark Wahlberg (right) played Micky Ward in 2010 Hollywood hit 'The Fighter' - Christian Bale won an Oscar for his portrayal of Ward's half-brother 'I miss him to death everyday,' said Ward, as Gatti's daughter stood next to him in 2012, three years after her father was found dead in a hotel room in Brazil.

There were no belts on offer or no undefeated records to protect when the light-welterweights first met at the Mohegan Sun Casino in Connecticut in 2002.įans had long thought the pair would match up well and with every every cut and stomach-churning blow, a bond was formed. He is always with me'įight fans cherish the Gatti-Ward rivalry because it showed the lengths a boxer will go to it was a rivalry that became a yardstick by which excitement and heart in a boxing ring could forever be measured.

Seven years earlier the pair spent three fights - 30 rounds in all - trading the kind of blows boxing will never forget.

Emanuel steward commentating on winky wright fight