It's always a good idea to peruse library shelves, either in person or online, when searching for a book. I had no idea there was a book published about the legendary fights between Micky Ward and Arturo Gatti, but lo and behold, when I checked the online catalog of the New York Public Library, I found one. It was just as good as the fights - which I will now have to watch again. Here is my review of "Intimate Warfare."
Title/Author: “Intimate Warfare: The True Story of the Arturo Gatti and Micky
Ward Boxing Trilogy” by Dennis Taylor and John R. Raspanti
Rating: 5 of
5 stars (excellent)
Review: Boxing has had many pairs of fighters linked together throughout
its history at all weight levels – Ali-Frazier, Louis-Schmeling,
Tyson-Holyfield and so many more. One of
the most memorable pairings came in the light welterweight class between Micky
Ward and Arturo Gatti as they met in three memorable fights. Their lives and their fights are captured in
this excellent book by Dennis Taylor and John R. Raspanti.
The depth of research and number of interviews conducted are evident
in the chapters describing each man’s boxing career leading up to the first
fight in May 2002. Ward’s life and
career was a hardscrabble one in Lowell, Massachusetts with many ups and downs.
Because he was not getting high-paying bouts, he worked in construction and a
freak accident on the job nearly ended his career.
Gatti’s career was a little more straightforward with some big
paydays and even a title in the super featherweight division in 1995. As he moved up in weight classes fights
became more difficult, such as a loss to Oscar de la Hoya. By 2002, he was struggling to find an attractive
matchup and agreed to the fight with Ward.
It is here that the book switches from biography to a blow-by-blow
account of each fight, almost literally.
Even though it has been 20 years since that first fight and I have seen
all three of them on YouTube or other sites, it was still quite mesmerizing to
read about each of the three fights through the words of Taylor and Raspanti.
They not only describe the action inside the ring thoroughly, but they also capture
the heart of both fighters and the deep respect they had for each other. This respect is best illustrated by this line
from the book: “In the case of Gatti-Ward, there was no smack talk. There were
no taunts. The affection between the two men was obvious. It was all about
respect.”
By the end of the first fight (won by Ward in a majority decision)
it was clear that they were going to fight again and both of the other two fights
(won by Gatti, the second in a majority decision, the third unanimous) were
just as memorable. The first and third
fights were deemed the “Fight of the Year” by Ring Magazine in 2002 and 2003
respectively and the book vividly explains why.
Their lives after the trilogy is not as extensively covered, but
still enough that the reader will get a good look at how they lived after
boxing. In the case of Gatti, who died
in 2009 under mysterious circumstances despite the official cause of death being
listed as suicide, there is a fair look at all the questions surrounding his
demise with quotes from many people close to him, including his wife Amanda who
was cleared of any murder charges.
Boxing is a sport in which I love to read about and books like
this one are why. This passage is a perfect explanation for this love of the
sport for not only me but for any fan, fighter, or anyone else involved. “Ward had summed up what makes boxing a
mesmerizing sport: Two fighters, on a collision course, have total faith in
their own abilities and – even more important – their own will to win. Each believes he possesses a bottomless well
of determination that, when it is needed, will be there – and be enough – when he
needs it. Both have tortured themselves in training camp for weeks – sometimes months
– to prepare for this specific opponent.
Both have been honed to a razor-sharp mental edge by a team of trusted
boxing experts. Neither believes he will
lose the fight, yet one of them will.”
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