Interviews
From the Gatti-Ward Corner Sofa trilogy
“It was something you will never forget. You know what I mean? It’s just something special, and what makes it even greater is the intensity of the crowd. And then Michael Buffer makes the announcement. You can’t really explain it.”
The saying “they don’t make them like that anymore” can certainly be applied to both Arturo Gatti and Micky Ward, both fighters who threw everything in the ring a combined 100 times, including three times against each other. James Lupton revisits the pair’s notable trilogy with Hall of Famer Buddy McGirt, who coached Gatti while working on the trilogy.
The fights between the two fighters will last forever, with many considering the first fight to be the best fight ever. However, as the pair headed to the ring, no one could have expected the action that was about to unfold.
McGirt recalls standing in the corner and realizing this fight was going to be special; “[Arturo] he hit Micky Ward with that combination and Micky slammed his glove and said, “Fuck.” And I said, “It’s going to be a long night.”
Perhaps the only thing more memorable than the fights themselves are the photos and memories of Arturo lying in a hospital bed and “The Irishman” Micky Ward next to him – an iconic moment captured, frozen in time.
The pair exchanged blows, giving them a bond that remained forceful until Gatti’s death.
“I think each fight brought them closer together, not only as fighters but also as friends. And the funniest thing is that he had his last fight and Micky was training him for that last fight. McGirt told proboxing-fans.com.
When I asked Buddy why he thought these fights were fan favorites, his answer was straightforward; “because there were two guys there who were really trying… I won’t say they killed each other, but just two guys who didn’t operate anything scientific, they just go to war.”
During these fights, Gatti was part of a gym that housed substantial names such as McGirt himself, Laila Ali and Vernon Forrest within its four walls, but Arturo was a reserved figure until he gained his trust.
“Well, he didn’t trust a lot of people, but if he trusted you and liked you, he was a great guy. He was energetic and worked very demanding.”
Arturo was a fighter who liked to get into a shootout sometimes, sometimes a little too often, in Ward’s case it was often a shootout. Intrigued by the opportunity to get inside the coach’s mind, I asked McGirt if the game plan was to fight fire with fire?
“Okay, okay. I wanted him to do the same thing he did in the second fight and just blow him away. But in the third fight he broke his arm, so we had to do something different.”
“And when he got knocked down, he got up and felt it, he had to get it back. So it was quite intense.”
I immediately took a shot at Buddy and counterattacked, remembering that Gatti also broke his arm in Ward’s second fight, to which McGirt blocked me and hit me with “yeah, but he didn’t say anything in the second fight. The third fight he had.”
So now the coach found himself in a hard situation, his player reported that he had lost one of his weapons, and his hand was only fully functional. What’s next?
“Honestly, when we talked about the second fight, he said the adrenaline was flowing so much that he didn’t think about the pain.
“So I thought if in a fight I could take his mind off the hand and the way the fight was going, the intensity of the fight, the adrenaline would start flowing and he would start using it. And he did.
“The key was not to ask about his arm again after he told me it was broken.”
While McGirt believes we will soon see more trilogies in boxing “because we have a lot of good teenage fighters now”, the 57-year-old admits we won’t see anyone like Gatti-Ward again.
Buddy continues by emphasizing the importance of rematches and trilogies, recalling three trilogy contests from the past; “You have to have it because every fight should be better than the last one.
“I mean the Ali-Frazier trilogy, the first fight was the most vital because Ali was coming back.
“In the second fight, both of them were not champions. Then there was the third fight which was supposed to be over the hill but in the third fight they both put it all on the line which in my opinion was better than the first two because of the intensity and determination they both showed in the fight. this third fight at Thrilla in Manila.
“We will never see anything like this, ever.
– Not Gatti-Ward, Tarver-Jones. These two and Thrilla in Manila – you will never see such intensity and determination in a fight. Because it was a 15-round match and they put it all on the line for 15 or 14 rounds.
To end the conversation with McGirt, I asked him why don’t we see more of these types of fights, what has changed in the last 20 years?
“I think the mindset is different. I think everything is different. These were two men, Ali-Frazier, who had something extra.
“They have champions and then you have some champions who have that extra something. They had this little extra, you know what I mean? I can’t explain it, but if you watch the fight, you’ll see it.”
Lennox Lewis shared his predictions for Friday night’s fight between Jake Paul and Mike Tyson.
Paul will face Lewis’ former opponent Tyson at AT&T Stadium in Texas, where about 65,000 fans are expected to attend hit event.
Most experts predict a victory for the brash YouTuber, believing that the over 30-year age difference will be too much for “Iron Mike” to overcome.
However, former undisputed heavyweight king Lewis, who stopped Tyson in 2002, is backing his former rival to get the job done.
In an interview with Schmo“The Lion” insisted the 58-year-old “still has it.”
“I think it will be a good fight. Mike Tyson, what he does is two-dimensional, he’ll come at you and try to knock you out.
“Now you must try to stay away from him and his powers.
“I saw him practicing one day and throwing some good combinations.
“Those six-punch combos. Paul needs to make sure he doesn’t get in their way because Tyson is a real fighter.
“Tyson still has it, he can throw a punch, he can take a punch, so he’s doing something he’s used to.”
When asked about this, Lewis also had no doubts Nov 29 for his predictions.
“Mike Tyson will win.”
Even though the pair will only fight in two-minute rounds and will wear larger gloves, the fight is of a professional nature and will go down in their official records.
Many in the boxing world have expressed concerns about the health of the aging Tyson, with some even speculating that the fight scenario could have a predetermined outcome.
“MY PEN TEACHER IS COMPLETELY DISAPPOINTED” 😴@Carl_Froch‘S #PaulTyson the forecast is in 🔮
(By @frochonfighting) pic.twitter.com/G6PzMANY9K
— Professional boxing fans (@ProBoxingFans) November 14, 2024
That said, the event is expected to attract tens of millions of viewers, thanks in enormous part to its live broadcast on streaming giant Netflix.
Jaron Ennis successfully defended his IBF welterweight title for a second time, scoring points over fiery Ukrainian challenger Karen Chukhadzhian in their rematch at the Wells Fargo Center in Philadelphia on Saturday.
Ennis eliminated Chukhadzhian in the fifth round, but was forced to settle for a major unanimous decision victory.
The two met previously, in January 2023, when Ennis (32-0, KO29) won all twelve rounds on all three scorecards to capture the IBF interim title. “Boots” then knocked out Roiman Villa in ten minutes before being promoted to full champion, where he made his first defense in July, forcing the tough David Avanesyan to retire after five rounds.
Chukhadzhian (24-2, KO13) earned a rematch, becoming the IBF mandatory challenger following his victory over Harry Scarff in May.
Their second meeting was much more intense and in the opening round both were successful, with the challenger momentarily bending the knees of the home favorite with a left hook.
The Ukrainian also had a sturdy second, but Ennis quickly took up the task, cornering his man and unloading in the third before landing an uppercut in the fourth.
The 27-year-old then made the breakthrough in the fifth over with a wobbly cut from Chukhadzhian before another attack forced the visitor to a knee.
The knockdown halted the 28-year-old’s momentum in the next few rounds, with Ennis’ moves and combinations securing the rounds, and the championship rounds started badly for the Kiev fighter as he was deducted a point for excessive holding.
He continued to fight and showed signs of life in the penultimate frame, and the final round was also encouraging as he let go of his hands and landed some powerful punches.
However, the efforts were ultimately in vain as Ennis retained his belt with scores of 119-107, 117-109 and 116-110, and the American suggested increasing weight for his next appearance.
Ennis’s promoter Eddie Hearn revealed that talks are underway about the February fight with Vergil Ortiz Jr, as a result of which the fighter from Philadelphia will enhance to 154 pounds and will probably relinquish the belt.
THE SHOES ARE FALLING OFF CHUKHADZHIAN!!! 😳#EnnisChukhajian | #RodriguezGuevara | Exclusive LIVE offers on DAZN pic.twitter.com/syJGqHsOne
— DAZN Boxing (@DAZNBoxing) November 10, 2024
“My performance was okay,” Ennis said DAZN after the fight.
“I think it’s time to move on to ’54.
“I felt good, but I felt that in 1954 I would be much better and my pop would be what it should be.
“Now I’m getting older. I’m 27 years aged. Next year I will be 28 years aged.
Bam attacks Guevara
Jesse “Bam” Rodriguez scored another impressive victory, defending his WBC super flyweight title for the first time in his second term as champion with a dominant third-round knockout of Pedro Guevara, who had never been stopped before.
Rodriguez (21-0, 14 KO) finished Guevara (42-5-1, 22 KO) with a keen left hook in the third period, and although the Mexican got the count over, a vicious right uppercut on the restart sent the challenger to the ground on his back and the fight was over. end.
Ford is back to winning ways
Ray Ford lost his WBA featherweight world title to Nick Ball in his last fight, but he made an impressive move up to super featherweight here, defeating Orlando Gonzalez twice en route to a crushing victory on the cards.
Ford (16-1-1, 8 KO) defeated Gonzalez (23-3, 13 KO) in the second round with a right hook, and with the same shot scored another knockdown in the eighth round, then won by two scores of 100–88 and one score 99–89.
IT’S A WILD TIME!!#EnnisChukhajian | #RodriguezGuevara | Exclusive LIVE offers on DAZN pic.twitter.com/NTEZQcIau4
— DAZN Boxing (@DAZNBoxing) November 10, 2024
Coe stunned by Gallegos
Prospective delicate heavyweight contender Khalil Coe (9-1-1, 7 KO) suffered a shock after his first professional defeat, fell four times before being stopped in the ninth round during his meeting with Manuel Gallegos (21-2-1, 18 KO).
Undercard remaining
The only fighter in the eighth round was a middleweight, and Austin “Ammo” Williams (17-1, 12 KO) returned from a loss to Hamzah Sheeraz in June, defeating Gian Garrido (11-2, 8 KO) in five rounds.
Ismail Muhammad (6-0, 3 KO) won all four rounds in the welterweight division against Nelson Morales (5-19, 2 KO) and Dennis Thompson (3-0, 2 KO) was the winner of the second round in the super bantamweight division against Edgar Ortiz Jr (8-6-2, 4 KO).
Dennis Thompson gives Philly their first win of the night with a series of punches 😤#EnnisChukhajian | TODAY | #RodriguezGuevara | Live on DAZN pic.twitter.com/uaw83BTYA7
— DAZN Boxing (@DAZNBoxing) November 9, 2024
Rookie Zaquin Moses (1-0) scored a victory over Michael Ruiz (1-5) in the super featherweight division.
A breathtaking fight of the undefeated will culminate this Saturday at Resorts World in Birmingham, where Liam Davies defends his IBO super bantamweight title for the first time against venerable amateur rival Shabaz Masoud.
TNT Sports will broadcast the Davies vs. Masoud fight live in the UK, with Frank Warren and Queensberry on promotional duties.
Davies (16-0, 8 KO) has made huge progress over the past two years, starting with winning the British title with a handy scoring win against Marc Leach in June 2022. The Telford man backed this victory he overtook Ionut Baluta for the European crown five months later and stopped Jason Cunningham in the round last July to maintain his momentum.
After stopping Vincenzo La Femina in five fights last November, Davies was sidelined once in 2024 and defeated Erik Robles Ayala in two in March to claim the vacant IBO crown, which he defends this weekend.
Masoud (13-0, 4 KO) has defeated Davies twice in unpaid mode and will be looking to complete a hat-trick here in the professional ranks. The Stoke-on-Trent ‘Maverick’ has only been dropped twice since stopping Jack Bateson in the twelfth and final round in November 2022, with the first time taking a ten-round split decision against Jose Sanmartin in November last year.
While waiting to face Davies, Masoud dismissed Marvin Solano in the first round of their July meeting before winning all eight sessions.
Prediction: This might be a technicality as both will be successful, but I’m leaning towards the more experienced Davies winning the third game, probably clearly on points.
Cameron argues with Berghult.
The card features four ten-round fighters, led by former undisputed super lightweight world champion Chantelle Cameron (19-1, 8 KO). She will face Patricia Berghult (17-1, 4 KO) for the WBC interim title at 140 pounds.
Chantelle Cameron hosts, #DaviesMasoud subcard.
Defending the interim WBC world title, @chantellecam returns to Birmingham!
Tickets on sale here: https://t.co/aue6cqLUjq pic.twitter.com/SbJc29kTLH
— Queensberry Promotions (@Queensberry) October 2, 2024
Cameron had two thrillers with Katie Taylor in 2023, winning by majority decision before dropping one in the rematch, but the move to Queensberry was a needy debut for her as she took another majority decision, this time against Elhem Mekhaled.
Berghult is a former WBC super welterweight champion, but her only loss was a crushing loss to Natasha Jonas in September 2022. Since then, she has won two modest six-round victories.
Prediction: Cameron will be looking to impress here and I don’t think Berghult will cause too many problems. Cameron can perform well on the scorecards.
Essuman, James and Taylor return to action.
Ekow Essuman (20-1, 8 KO) is fresh off a thrilling last-round stoppage of Owen Cooper to capture the WBO European welterweight title in July and could set another undefeated record here when defending against Ben Vaughan (10-0, 3 ) KO), who never exceeded six frames. Essuman is selected after being retained at the end.
Ethan James (12-1, 0 KO) was beaten by Cooper in his last outing and retired after nine in March in Birmingham, but he can get back to winning ways here, defeating Jermaine Osbourne-Edwards in ten rounds in welterweight and scoring points (11-0, 1 KO).
In the delicate heavyweight division, Ezra Taylor (9-0, 6 KO) may win the fight against Latvian Kristaps Bulmeistars (12-2, 5 KO).
This way of thinking since @EzraTaylor_ 👏💥#DaviesMasoud | November 2 | bp pulses LIVE, Birmingham pic.twitter.com/5iRMZ4MO3V
— Queensberry Promotions (@Queensberry) October 22, 2024
The remainder of the bill covers four circular issues.
Eoghan Lavin (2-0, 0 KO) can win his middleweight match against Remi Scholer (4-12, 1 KO) on points, and in the super flyweight fight Bradley Thompson (5-0, 2 KO) should defeat Sean Jackson ( 0-25-1), on the referee’s card.
Also in the super flyweight division, Mykyle Ahmed (1-0, 1 KO) may need all four sessions to claim victory over Yin Caicedo (10-24-4, 4 KO), while heavyweight debutant Lewis Williams will also likely need time. to raise his hand in the fight against Lamah Griggs (3-9-1, 0 KO).
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