“Irish” Micky Ward was a Golden Gloves junior welterweight from Lowell, Massachusetts, always known as the underdog but with the ability to suddenly drop his opponent late in the fight. After
15 years, a string of defeats and even three years of retirement, Ward battled Arturo Gatti in 2002, and the battle was later named Fight of the Year by Ring magazine and “Fight of the
Century” by boxing writers around the country. Ten rounds of brutal action ended with Ward winning by decision, and reviving enthusiasm for a sport that had been weighted down by years of
showboating and corruption. ESPN and Boston television reporter Bob Halloran recounts Ward’s rise to hero status, his rivalry with his imprisoned brother, and the negotiations, betrayals and
drugs that ultimately shaped a wild youth into a nationally respected boxer.
