ROUND NINE

By Ben Philips ©2015

Introduction:

“Fight ain’t over, fight ain’t over, No! Last round!!!” shouted referee Frank Cappuccino. The confusion in the ring between rounds 9 and 10 was completely understandable. “A fight straight out of the 1950’s, a throwback to the golden era of the ring,” Jim Lampley would say on HBO. Round nine was hands down, the most exciting single round in boxing history. You can do an internet search on “Round 9”, and always, on the top of the search results list, comes the first battle between “Irish” Micky Ward and Arturo “Thunder” Gatti. Round 9 was so significant because it highlighted so much guts and stamina on the parts of both fighters, that it is burned into the minds of boxing fans all over the world as “thee round,” the most compelling round that they will ever witness. “This could be the round of the century!” Emanuel Steward screamed into the microphone after round 9.

Arturo Gatti and Micky Ward will forever be intertwined for their three epic battles, but it is Round Nine of Gatti-Ward 1 that started it all. With Jim Lampley and Larry Merchant calling the fight live on HBO, the excitement was a culmination of a fight that started out as a boxing match and ended up as a slugfest, with everyone at ringside in such a frenzy, that Jim Lampley was actually yelling to referee Frank Cappuccino, “stop the fight Frank, Arturo Gatti is out on his feet, feel free to stop the fight at anytime Frank!” Just as the words left his lips, Arturo Gatti not only put up his hands to defend himself from the barrage of punches being thrown by Micky Ward, but he actually started to punch back. As much as Jim Lampley wanted the fight to be stopped, you could hear the undeniable excitement in his voice when he realizes the referee wasn’t going to stop the fight, and he screams “Frank Cappuccino is letting them continue and now it’s GATTI coming back!!!”

Witnessing this fight live on HBO is a moment frozen in time for me, as I’m sure it is for most boxing fans. It is an event much like the assassination of JFK for most people who were alive at that time. They remember exactly where they were and what they were doing when it happened. It is much like that for me. It is a moment in my life that had such impact, that I remember almost photographically, exactly what was going on that day, night, how I felt immediately afterward, and the drama and turmoil that was unfolding in my own life, right before my very eyes. I remember what I was doing, what I was eating, drinking, and how, although it was expected to be a good fight, nobody had any idea they were witnessing the greatest display of blood and guts they would likely ever witness in their lifetime. “They gave up a piece of their lives for us. Thanks Guys, this is why we do it” said Larry Merchant of HBO for the Legendary Nights series. He couldn’t have said it better. I hope you enjoy Round Nine, as it is not only a story of blood and guts in boxing, but in life.

CHAPTER ONE

“Let me tell you something you already know. The world ain't all sunshine and rainbows. It's a very mean and nasty place and I don't care how tough you are it will beat you to your knees and keep you there permanently if you let it. You, me, or nobody is gonna hit as hard as life. But it ain't about how hard ya hit. It's about how hard you can get hit and keep moving forward. How much you can take and keep moving forward. That's how winning is done!”

― Sylvester Stallone, Rocky Balboa

We all knew we were in for a treat. We knew the potential this fight had. We just didn’t know it was going to be THIS memorable! No fight ever lives up to its potential, that’s just the way it is in boxing. Every boxing fan quickly learns that they will almost always be let down by a fight that is expected to be a great one. That’s why the level of excitement and inspiration this particular fight generated, was something that will likely never be matched again in our lifetimes. This particular fight not only lived up to its potential, but actually surpassed it to the point where May 18, 2002 is marked in history to boxing fans, in much the same manner as November 22, 1963 is to many Americans. Boxing fans can tell you exactly where they were and what they were doing when they witnessed one of the bravest spectacles of blood, guts, stamina and willpower ever displayed in the modern era of boxing. This just doesn’t happen anymore. It doesn’t. So when it does happen, you appreciate it like nothing in the sport you have ever seen. This one was beyond special. This was a once in a lifetime event, captured and made monumental by many old-school forces all converging at the same time, to create one of the most spectacular inspirational moments of the modern era, Round Nine of Ward-Gatti 1. This book takes a look at all those converging forces and their golden-era, old-school boxing roots that all converged to create a moment in modern time that is remembered and appreciated like no other boxing event in history.

Round nine was the culmination of all great things in boxing. It generates goose-bumps to most boxing fans, from start to finish. Many boxing aficionados cannot believe their eyes, nor can they believe the feeling it provides to this day, when viewing round nine of Ward-Gatti 1! It brings out the child in them. It makes them forget about life for a while, and charges up their inner strength. Many boxing fans tout a profound positive energy from watching and listening to the sounds of the ring during round nine. The enormous excitement being generated from all angles is almost too much to comprehend. Jim Lampley, Harold Lederman and Emanuel Steward seemed about to lose their minds. “Gatti blinking away the blood in his right eye. Can’t see out of the right eye. Vicious body shots by Gatti, Ward nodding as if to say COME ON! COME ON! COME ON LET’S FIGHT!” screamed Jim Lampley with such enormous excitement, that it was almost surreal. By the end of the round you could barely hear the commentators over the screaming crowd at the Foxwoods Casino. Even Larry Merchant, who is known for being calm and collected at all times, could barely contain his excitement. “Gatti doesn’t even have the strength to tie Ward up!” he said near the end of round 9. By the end of the fight, he would go on to say “I am humbled by watching these two guys take the punishment they are taking!”

“Well we told you it would be a candidate for fight of the year, we didn’t know it would be a candidate for fight of the century,” Jim Lampley would reply, near the end of the tenth and final round. “This is the way it had to end,” Larry Merchant responded, as Micky Ward and Arturo Gatti stood in the center of the ring, attempting to pound each other into oblivion right up to the final bell. After the fight, round nine was replayed in its entirety for the fighters in the ring by HBO as Larry Merchant was interviewing the fighters. He called it “a round none of us have seen are likely to forget.”

The fight itself, without commentary, is one straight out of the old days of boxing, when two pugilists would stand toe to toe, pounding each other into oblivion. No style, no running, no holding, just punching until they can’t punch no more. But with the HBO commentators, the feeling of the event is enhanced to the point that it makes your spine tingle. The enhanced feeling the commentators added to this great event is undeniable. This was the type of fight every boxing fan dreams of, but seldom, if ever, actually witnesses. That all changed on the night of May 18, 2002, thanks to Micky Ward, Arturo Gatti, Frank Cappuccino, Buddy McGirt, Dicky Ecklund, Jim Lampley, Larry Merchant, Emanuel Steward, Harold Lederman, and countless others. The actors of this night will forever be etched into the minds of every boxing fan who witnessed this event. It was not only the combination of all the fighters’ punches, knockdowns and recoveries, but the words, actions and reactions of the announcers, to what they were witnessing at ringside, that brought out the best in everyone, and for everyone, for one night only.

The choice words used by the commentators at the time of the spectacle, as well as for documentaries after the fact, only add to the appreciation of that memorable night on May 18, 2002. Arturo Gatti was inducted into the International Boxing Hall of Fame on June 9, 2013 and although he has had a remarkable and exciting boxing career, he is remembered most fondly for his three fights against Micky Ward. And although their trilogy of fights is a story amongst itself, this is a story about Round Nine of Ward-Gatti 1 which occurred on May 18, 2002. “When people ask, "What's the greatest sporting event you've ever been to?", to this day, it was 2002 Gatti-Ward and what I saw Arturo Gatti and Micky Ward put forth, I've never seen anybody put forth in all the athletics I've attended as a fan." - Joe Tessitore on ESPN Friday Night Fights 7/17/09

CHAPTER TWO

“This fight could have went either way in my mind,” Micky Ward said in a post-fight interview. “It was a tough fight, close fight. It could have gone either way,” Arturo Gatti also said in the same post fight interview. This was one of those fights that you kind of wished would be ruled a draw. Both fighters gave so much of themselves, for our entertainment, that neither deserved a loss on their record. Neither fighter actually lost on this night. It was a night of nothing but winners, from the boxers to the announcers to the fans. This was a night where everybody won, in a way. Everyone had reason to celebrate about this particular fight.

It was mostly a boxing match for the first three and a half rounds. Gatti had a new trainer for this fight, Buddy McGirt, who would teach him more boxing skills than brawling skills, and everyone seemed to wonder if and when Gatti would resort to his old style. Gatti started out the fight at a blistering pace in round 1, putting on a clinic for Ward and cutting Ward over his right eye from the multiple combinations he landed, while bobbing and weaving, preventing Ward from connecting on the few shots he was able to get off in that round. Round 1 was clearly Gatti’s round and it was obvious that his new trainer has indeed turned Arturo Gatti into a boxer. The next two rounds were much of the same, with Gatti punching and moving, and Ward stalking him with his both hands up protecting his face, ready to throw punches the instant his target stands still. Midway through round four, Ward caught up to Gatti and rocked him with a big right overhand punch that changed the boxing match into a slugfest, right then and there. By the end of the round, a point would be deducted for a low blow by Gatti that sent Ward to the canvas. Confusion between the timekeeper and the referee prevented a five minute recovery period for Ward, as the round came to an end as referee Frank Cappuccino took away a point from Gatti for low blows.

“It is becoming the slugfest everyone anticipated despite Arturo Gatti’s skillful efforts to make it a boxing match in the early rounds” said Jim Lampley during round 5. “This is becoming Micky Ward’s fight! They’re fighting in a phone booth and that’s the way he wants it! It is man against man in there” he shouted. The last minute or so of round 5 was almost like a mini round 9. With its back and forth nature, just when you think Micky Ward was about to go down from such hard punishment by Gatti throughout the round, he comes back and almost takes Gatti down in the last 30 seconds of the round. Micky Ward’s face was covered in blood due to a cut over his left eye, and he was getting beat to the punch for the first two and a half minutes of the round. And just when you think he should go down, he fires off a flurry of punches to Gatti’s face, that it makes Gatti’s head bob like it was a speed bag. By the end of the round, Ward opened up a cut under Gatti’s right eye and after a punch or two after the bell; it appeared Gatti may have momentarily been out on his feet.

“You don’t fight with your head Arthur,” Referee Frank Cappuccino shouted at Arturo Gatti with about a minute left in Round 8. Gatti decided to go back to boxing during the first half of round 8, and he kept firing stiff left-right combinations at Micky Ward, many of which sent Ward into the ropes. But with just under a minute left in the round, as Gatti seemed to tire a bit, he started to lean in with his head, catching Ward in the face with his head during a clinch attempt, prompting Frank Cappuccino’s scolding. It was those possible head butts that seemed to awaken Micky Ward, as he fired back a solid right, and then a right, left combination with 49 seconds left in the round that sent Gatti retreating and covering up for the first time in the round. With 30 seconds remaining in round 8, Ward seemed to take total control of the round. With Ward stalking Gatti for the remainder of the round, connecting on most of the punches he threw, Gatti was sent into full retreat and looked exhausted. Gatti threw a few flurries in defense, but with very little on them, and very little effect on Ward. For the last 12 seconds of round 8, Micky Ward was teeing off on Gatti with vicious left, right and right, left, right combinations to the head and to the body, that it was nothing short of a miracle that Gatti was able to make it back to his corner at the bell. His legs were gone, he couldn’t put his hands up, and as he stumbled toward his corner, he was helped into his stool by his trainer Buddy McGirt. “Oh My Goodness! What a Fight!!” shouted Jim Lampley from ringside. “It looks like Micky Ward is trying to pull off another Emanuel Burton” said Emanuel Steward, referring to Micky Ward’s previous “2001 Ring Magazine Fight of the Year” when he pulled off an upset decision win over Emanuel Burton (now known as Emanuel Augustus). It was his performance in that fight that sealed the deal for the fight with Arturo Gatti. Ward would carry the distinction of being part of Ring Magazine’s Fight of the Year for two straight years, with two separate opponents.

It seemed illogical for Gatti to accept this fight. He had seemingly nothing to gain and so much to lose in this fight. It didn’t seem to be a smart career move, but it was one he accepted nonetheless. What else would we expect from the “ultimate blood and guts warrior”?! Arturo Gatti never shied away from a fight with anyone. He was one of the most exciting brawler-boxers of our time. Gatti was quite the opposite of Floyd Mayweather when it comes to excitement, while receiving only a fraction of the glory as Mayweather.

CHAPTER THREE

(the referee)

“I would have got killed if I stopped that fight,” referee Frank Cappuccino jovially jested during an interview for HBO’s Legendary Nights series. “Frank Cappuccino really shitted up the place, you know?” he followed, referring to how fans would have responded had he stopped the fight. “They’d have ruined me!”

Frank Cappuccino is beloved in the sport of boxing, and was inducted into the New Jersey Boxing Hall of Fame and the PA Boxing Hall of Fame. Frank was born Frank Capcino on February 7, 1929. Frank grew up in the Kensington neighborhood of Philadelphia. Kensington was a tough working class neighborhood in the city, up until the mid-1980’s when the factories began closing down. Over the years Kensington slowly deteriorated into the crime and drug riddled area that it remains today. Frank was an amateur 130 pound boxer from 1951 to 1955. He turned professional under the management of George Katz in 1955 and compiled a record of 6-0 before retiring as a boxer and receiving his referee’s license in 1958.

Frank served as the third man in the ring over a span of 50 years in professional boxing from 1958 to 2008. According to Wikipedia, Frank has officiated in over 25,000 boxing matches, including an estimated 10,000 professional fights since receiving his referee’s license in 1958 until his retirement in 2008. His first recorded fight as referee was on October 16, 1958. That fight was an 8 round decision between Tom Brown and Bernie Ford in Philadelphia, PA, Frank’s home town.

Frank is beloved and highly respected in the sport of boxing for being fair and professional to both boxers at all times. He is most adorned by boxing fans, and boxers themselves, for letting the fighters fight. He was not a fan of the unpopular “technical” knockout, and he tended to allow the fighters to fight their way out of terrible predicaments. He could be considered the polar opposite of referee Richard Steele, who is most known for his premature stoppages. On the other hand, Frank is also known for stopping fights before anyone got hurt, as no boxer was ever seriously injured in the ring while Frank Cappuccino was the referee. He was so beloved in the sport of boxing that he was chosen to portray the referee in Rocky Balboa (Rocky 5).

Obviously, with 50 years of refereeing under his belt, Frank Cappuccino was referee for many notable fights and title fights. Tyson vs Spinks and Ward vs Gatti 1 are the two which are most memorable to boxing fans, not because of him, but for the spectacle that each fight was for its time. Tyson Spinks was the 91 second knockout and pay-per-view blur in 1988 that sent fans calling their cable company for a refund. Except for warning Tyson for a couple elbows in the Spinks fight, Frank Cappuccino had the privilege of giving Michael Spinks a standing 8 count after Spinks went down to one knee in order to stop a barrage of punches Tyson was landing on him in the first round. Seeing that Spinks’ eyes were clear and he indicated he wanted to continue, Cappuccino allowed the fight to continue, and Tyson promptly landed another right to the chin of Spinks that sent Spinks right back to the canvas, only this time on his back. Referee Frank Cappuccino counted him out at 10 as Spinks fell through the ropes, unable to beat the count. It wasn’t until Ward-Gatti 1 that Frank Cappuccino’s decades of experience would be globally appreciated by boxing fans around the world.

On the night of the Ward-Gatti fight, Frank Cappuccino drove himself from his home in Yardley, PA to the Foxwoods Resort Casino in Uncasville, CT in around 4 hours. He arrived in plenty of time to give the fighters their instructions in the dressing rooms. He would only have this one fight to referee tonight, unlike many of his Philadelphia cards, where he would alternate with one other referee for 10 matches on one night. For a fight of this magnitude, being broadcast live by HBO, each bout had a different referee.

Cappuccino played a prominent role by masterful refereeing this tight and savage battle. In the fourth round, Gatti blasts a low punch into Ward’s groin sending him down in pain. Cappuccino calls it a slip and takes a point from Gatti for the low blow. In the ninth round, Ward and Gatti landed an incredible 110 total punches—102 of them power shots. Late in the round, Gatti was enduring a severe beating from Ward; but the seasoned Cappuccino still saw some fight left in Arturo. It was a seminal moment; knowing the monumental nature of this fight, Cappuccino will not end this brawl on some technicality. Indeed, Gatti responded and fought back as the bell sounded. After the round, ring announcer Jim Lampley told a national audience, “The fight is being stopped!” Ward raised his arms in victory and both fighters approached the center of the ring. Cappuccino tells the world, “The fight ain’t over!” The fight resumed for the tenth and final round as people rushed back into their seats. The fight was ruled a majority decision for Ward. Had Cappuccino not penalized Gatti for the punch below the belt, the fight would have ended in a draw. However, the deduction was just as he warned Gatti about punching low several times before. – NJ Boxing Hall of Fame website.

“Now both of you touch gloves, I leave it with you”

http://www.njboxinghof.org/frank-cappuccino/

CHAPTER FOUR

(the announcers)

“Arturo, ‘Thunder,’ Gatti… Gatti” Mark Beira spoke into the microphone during the introductions. Even the ring announcer seemed to be old-school. There was nothing flashy about him. He had no exciting jingle like “Let’s get ready to rumble” or “It’s Showtime!” No. This guy was straight out of the golden era. He even repeated the last names of the boxers, just like they did back in the 1950’s, like “Irish, Micky, Ward… Ward.” Although their names were introduced with some splendor in Mark Beira’s voice, it was the basic introduction done in the old days, before “defensive” boxing became a way for quick boxers to rack up wins without ever actually fighting.

CHAPTER FIVE

(the venue & the crowd)

Foxwoods Casino Resort in Uncasville, CT is one of the most popular boxing venues on the east coast and has been home to some of the biggest non-Vegas style boxing matches, without the glitz, glam and celebrities. This is home to real boxing and real boxing fans. These are the people who show up for all the fights on the card, not just the main event. This isn’t about being on television or texting selfies to all your friends, that you are at a boxing match in Vegas and Justin Bieber is sitting three seats over. No. This is boxing. Real boxing. Real boxing fans. True appreciation for the sport in this venue. Posers stay home!

“In most conditions this fight would have been stopped right here,” Emanuel Steward said as he was watching the replay of round nine on his press monitor just before the bell rang to start round ten. As the bell rang to start round ten, Gatti’s trainer Buddy McGirt remained in the ring standing in front of Arturo Gatti as if he was stopping the fight. Micky Ward immediately put his hands up in triumph as if the fight is being stopped. Jim Lampley shouted into his microphone “This fight’s gonna be stopped… Nope, it’s not! I thought Buddy McGirt was gonna stop it after saying he wasn’t going to let his fighter take anymore punishment.”

 That look on Gatti’s face immediately followed by the deep breath he just took as he braced himself for the onslaught he knew was coming from Ward as soon as he stopped punching, was undeniable: “How can you still be standing here?!”

(pandemonium)

“This is the way it has to end!” shouted Larry Merchant.

(the post fight interviews and the playing of Round 9 in its entirety in the ring for the fighters immediately following the fight)

Special heartfelt thanks to Referee Frank Cappuccino for allowing it to continue!