“Cowards die many times before their deaths
The valiant never taste of death but once.”
-Julius Caesar
The man could make the most cynical of bettors cheer. He was a throwback to the early days, one who stirred the souls of Robinson and Moore from their slumber. Four times he participated in Ring Magazine’s “Fight of the Year” and was the victor of what many consider to be time’s most exciting trilogy of fights.
It was during the third fight of Gatti-Ward that he transcended the title of pugilist and became legend. After breaking his hand in the fourth, it was only a matter of time before Gatti would be forced to cease. One could hear the murmurs from the “TKO before the 8th” holders, which grew into a roar when Ward sent him to the mat before the bell in the sixth. I stood to be rewarded handsomely by a Ward victory and gladly started to calculate the night’s take. But the warrior would have none of it. There he stood in his corner; a right arm hanging lifeless at his side. The legend was not giving up that night. He saw the face of death, and winked in reply, throwing his censure upon all the doubters.
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