My sarcasm detector is twitching at the word coward in a sentence about Ward. Please don't make me have to watch this fight again to refresh my memory. :|
Jimbo and North:- The way i look at it is anyone good enough to beat Arturo Gatti in a toe to toe fight must have a serious set of balls, plus an Iron Chin and good dig..... Early Ward wasn't particularly impressive but against Shea Neary for example he displayed pretty good punch variety and speed. I put him at a similar level to Junior Witter though obviously in a completely different mould.
Barry was incredible , at the time of him being champ he was a demon to the other great champions like Pedroza, and Juan Laporte.. He was a bit different to Hatton, Ricky being the better bodysnatcher, and Barry being the more good allrounder... Barry unfortunately lost at a time he could have solidified himself in history..
Im not saying Ward didnt have balls, a chin (hell he was only stopped once or twice in his 13 defeats) or indeed a decent dig. Im just saying he was never that "good". I'd move him down from the Witter level, which in my opinion is world class. But I'll conceed he's above good journeyman level. I'll settle at gatekeeper level. Everytime he stepped up he lost, basically. And before anyone jumps on the bandwagon I think Gatti pretty much threw the first fight away by going gung ho crazy. Arturo certainarly won by decent margins in the last two fights (i thought he was unlucky to lose the first tbh). Hattons footwork and strength would have led to a stoppage against the sometimes combersome Ward. Incidentally I think Gatti was way overated following the Ward trilogy, but thats another story for another thread.
Wooo there north don't get so defensive I was just giving my opinion thats all not commenting about yours
