Gatti-Ward Documentary To Air October 19 on HBO

By Jake Donovan

A fight between Mike Alvarado and Ruslan Provodnikov on its own is well worth the price of admission and then some. Still, Top Rank and HBO have decided to make the Oct. 19 show in Bloomfield, Colorado an even greater event.

Alvarado was recently declared a “full” champion at 140 lb. by the WBO, with the interim title removed on the heels of Juan Manuel Marquez agreeing to challenge Tim Bradley for the 147 lb. belt. The showdown with Provodnikov was already going to happen, but the timing of Alvarado’s recognized championship status gives him home court advantage for his first title defense.

Many are expecting the fight to be an instant classic and deep in discussion for Fight of the Year honors. It already has at least three other barnburners to measure up to, two of which include Alvarado and Provodnikov in separate fights.

It will now also have to measure up to three more fights, a series of bouts that will be reintroduced to HBO viewers on that same evening.

“We will be premiering that night, the Arturo Gatti-Micky Ward Legendary Nights trilogy documentary,” revealed Peter Nelson, HBO Sports’ Director of Programming during Tuesday’s press conference in Denver. “We felt that airing that documentary with this fight was the right fit.”

The documentary will cover all 30 blood soaked rounds shared by Gatti and Ward within a 13-month stretch between 2002 and 2003. Ward won their first fight, universally regarded as 2002’s Fight of the Year with their epic 9th round regarded as one of the best in boxing history.

It was the last win of Ward’s career, which he claimed via split decision. The next two fights would go to Gatti, sending Ward into retirement following their rubber match in June 2003.

Gatti went on to capture a belt at 140 lb. before losing it to Floyd Mayweather in 2005. Back-to-back knockout losses to Carlos Baldomir and Alfonso Gomez forced the all-action hero to retire for good in 2007. Two years almost to the day of his final fight, Gatti was found dead while on a second honeymoon gone horribly awry in Brazil.

The releasing of the forthcoming documentary comes a full decade after the launching of HBO’s Legendary Night series in 2003. Twelve of the greatest moments were presented to commemorate HBO’s 30 years in the boxing business.

No sooner than the final episode aired, fans and media began speculating about more moments that could be added to a second set. Chief among them was the Gatti-Ward trilogy. Sadly, Gatti isn’t alive to witness those fights recaptured by HBO viewers, memories of his thrilling career forever live on.

Fittingly – and by no means accidental – they air on a night when another potential 140 lb. classic takes place live in the ring.

“While there will never be another Gatti-Ward, we feel this bout captures the spirit of those fights,” HBO’s Nelson says of the documentary being paired with Alvarado-Provodnikov. 

Jake Donovan is the Managing Editor of Boxingscene.com, as well as a member of Transnational Boxing Ratings Board and the Boxing Writers Association of America. Twitter: @JakeNDaBox