This Saturday, two major boxing events will occur at the same time. The final chapter will be written on one of the sport's best trilogies when Micky Ward and Arturo Gatti fight for the third time. This rubbermatch, which will be televised on HBO from the Atlantic City Boardwalk Hall, will also mark the end of a career for one of the most genuinely liked people in the sport, "Irish" Micky.

MaxBoxing staff writer Jack Dunne recently talked to Ward about both events. Read on for Dunne's exclusive Q&A which is preceded by a foreword by Ward's fellow New England-area fighter John Scully.

I first heard the name Micky Ward way back in 1986 when I was a young amateur here in New England. I was at the Petronelli brothers' gym in Brockton, Mass., getting some sparring in and Micky's name came up in conservation. I had never heard of him before because I was relatively new to the higher level of amateur boxing. But I still remember the very first description I heard of Ward. Patrick Ireland, a good 139-pounder that had fought Ward a year earlier told me this about Micky when I asked who they were talking about: "Mickey Ward from Lowell... Man, that kid has a WICKED left hook to the body."

Now, 17 years later, I am lucky and happy enough to say that Micky is a friend of mine. I see him as one of the nicest and most humble guys I have ever met in this game, especially for a guy so well known and respected. "Humble" is an accurate word to describe him. Micky is a true blue collar worker in the ring and will be out of it until the day he dies. And, oh yeah, the first description I ever heard even before I ever met the guy turned out to be as big of an understatement that you could imagine. He really does a have a wicked left hook to the body.

--John "Iceman" Scully

Jack Dunne: So June 7th in Atlantic City, this is it. You are calling it a career after your rubbermatch with Arturo Gatti? What better way to go out than on a high note?

Micky Ward: Exactly, and I can't wait. I hear where people are thinking I am just taking one last bow or one last what have you, but that is the farthest thing from the truth.

I have trained just as hard for this as I did for the first two, even harder probably. You know, I have got some great sparring in right now. I am training even harder because this is the last one. I am giving it everything I have.

If people think I am just in there for a payday or for what have you, they are wrong and I guess they don't know me.

JD: Anyone saying that has obviously never followed your career closely.

MW: That and I hear people say "He is just in there for the payday." That's bull.

JD: I couldn't agree more. Anyone who thinks like that still doesn't know anything about you after all these years. Getting back to the fights, because of the dramatic events which took place late in the first contest, one thing that is often overlooked is that Gatti started out on the balls of his feet, was boxing effectively and following a blueprint that eventually won him the second fight.

MW: Right.

JD: It was in middle rounds that you eventually dragged Gatti into a brawl and in doing so won the contest. What do you remember about that?

MW: Well the first fight, he had a style where I think he got a little tired and he had to kinda' stand there and bang with me and that is where I think I got him, ya know?

The second fight... he did his homework real nice for the second fight. He trained to keep moving, keep throwing combinations and he did it to a "T".

Now me in the second fight? I thought that I could do the same thing as the first time around. That I could just try and out power him or just try to stay on him until I made him tired.

It doesn't work against a guy like Gatti because he is just as tough as I am.

So I really didn't have a game plan. My game plan was to get into great shape and fight hard. Other than that I really didn't have a game plan. I mean I had one but when I went down in the third round, everything went out the window then.

And that is taking nothing away from Gatti because he fought a hell of a fight, he deserved to win and I give him all the praise but it was hard to come back after that.

JD: In round five of that amazing first fight, you landed a great combination on Gatti; he was literally out on his feet. The bell rang and you got in his face a bit. It looked at that point as if you were thinking you had the fight won?

MW: Yeah, I did but you never count that guy out until the friggin' end. He is like Jason, know what I mean? You just can't kill him. Just can't keep the guy down. You can't count him out. I admire that and going into this fight I know that basically I have to -- God forbid not kill him -- but I really have to beat him up good this time.

JD: As we know Gatti didn't go away. You won round eight, closing it strong and then dropped Gatti with one of the your trademark left hook body shots to start round nine, a frame Emanuel Steward has called "the round of the Century". If you thought you had Gatti after round five, you had to KNOW that you had him after you landed that hook. What was going through your mind at that point?

MW: I definitely thought I did and he showed his resilience again. I put him against the ropes and it was sort of like taking a breather. Towards the end of that ninth round I don't know why they didn't stop it. I thought he was out on his feet.

JD: Good point and in fact there was some confusion following that round...

MW: I thought his people stopped it.

JD: Unbelievable, but they didn't. And at that point I am guessing nothing surprised you about Gatti.

MW: No, not at all.

JD: You praised Gatti's losing effort following the contest. At one point you stated that Gatti was made of granite. You have had 50 pro fights in a career that spans just under 18 years, have you ever been in with another opponent anywhere near as relentless as Gatti?

MW: No, not really, no. Gatti is the toughest by far. I have fought guys that were stronger, guys who were bigger and guys who were better boxers but nobody as tough as him.

JD: There is a lot to be said about mental toughness. It's something you can't see unless you are standing up against it.

MW: Right, and he is the toughest guy there is.

JD: Without giving up strategy in advance, do you expect to get Gatti into a brawl this time or are you making adjustments in anticipation of what you saw from him last time out?

MW: I am going to do what ever it takes to win. I'm not going to drag him into nothing. I am going to fight the fight I have planned. I think it is going to be a good, tactical fight. I am not going to be in there all brawn and no brains for this fight. I am not going to go in there and try to out tough him. I am going to try and nullify what he can do and do whatever I have to do to win.

Like you said, I am not going to give up any strategy but we do have a good game plan. I've got something for everything he has.