Prior to losing to Micky Ward, Arturo Gatti was seen as a once-promising talent who had won a world title but had lost his abilities to partying and numerous brutal boxing matches.
Gatti had been stopped by Angel Manfredy and lost two close decisions to Ivan Robinson before fighting a string of no-name opponents.
In 2001, Oscar de la Hoya had picked the smaller Gatti as a comeback fight and had battered the former champion over five rounds. At this point Gatti was seen as finished except as a possible gatekeeper.
When Gatti fought Ward in 2002, very little was on the line. Micky Ward had made a name for himself as a limited but exciting fighter headlining a number of memorable ESPN Friday Night Fights.
When the two fought it was not for a title, a pound for pound ranking, or even number one contender status. They fought only because their styles were such that fans knew the fight could be good. That was an understatement.
The fight was amongst the absolute best, not just of the year but of the decade. The back-and-forth action and almost surreal punishment that was doled out made the fight an instant classic and word of mouth spread like wildfire.
Immediately a rematch was planned and then a rubber match. Gatti had lost the first fight but would go on to win the next two in fights that suddenly had a world stage.
Gatti would parlay his newfound fame into a career resurgence: another title shot, a somewhat successful title run, and a highly profitable loss to Floyd Mayweather Jr.
The irony is that if Gatti had won the first fight, his career may have continued to stall. Although a fan favorite, Ward was limited and expected to lose the first fight. Had Gatti won, it would have taken away some of the underdog drama the match had.
A Gatti victory would have just been expected and likely would not have produced two rematches and a large amount of media and fan attention. By losing, Gatti became must-see television.