Every now and then, sports fans are treated to an event that is truly special. More often than not, these battles of wills are unexpected surprises. We tune in or show up for what we hope will be an entertaining contest, and are fortunate enough to witness an extraordinary competition. The circumstances for greatness to result need to be just right, and it is not easy to predict when the precise combination of factors will occur. This does not prevent promoters and advertisers from constantly claiming that some upcoming game, or match, or series will be a "must see" exhibition of talent and determination. Oftentimes two teams or individuals are matched up against one another with much at stake, and it seems that their meeting is predetermined to be memorable, if not outright magical. Yet when the time comes for their paths to cross, the end result is often much more one-sided than had been expected. It turns out that despite how evenly matched they initially appeared to be, superior talent, strategy, and desire for victory did in fact belong to one party at the expense of the other. What had been billed to be an epic battle of the ages turns out to be just another ordinary meeting, a game or match or series to be forgotten soon after it ends.
On the most rare of occasions however, we are gifted with exactly what was advertised, and then some. After all the hyperbole is proclaimed, the participants go after one another with as much fervor as we had hoped to see, and we walk away with a memory of the majesty of human willpower that will not be soon forgotten. Such was the case on May 18 when "Irish" Micky Ward stepped into the ring to wage war against Arturo "Thunder" Gatti. Both boxers entered with a reputation for being tough as nails, the type of fighters who were more than willing to exchange punches, to take as good as they gave in order to wear down their opponents. Neither of them was expected to run, or clinch, or foul in order to escape the torrent of punches sure to be coming from the other, because neither of them had ever resorted to such tactics before. They would surely stand toe to toe and keep on punching until one of them went down for good, or the bell sounded to end the final round. This is what the promoters and advertisers promised. This is what the experts and critics predicted. And in the end, this is precisely what the public got. Not a single soul walked away from this boxing match feeling that they had not been given their money’s worth. It was Hagler versus Hearns revisited, arguably even better than what has been considered for years by pugilism fanatics to be the greatest fight of all time, because Ward-Gatti provided a full ten rounds of non-stop action instead of just three.
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