Intimate Warfare: The True Story of the Arturo Gatti and Micky Ward Boxing Trilogy traces the lives and careers of two legendary fighters-Micky Ward, a humble, hardscrabble, blue-collar Irishman from Lowell, Massachusetts, and Arturo Gatti, a handsome, flashy, charismatic Italian-born star who was raised in Montreal. Dennis Taylor and John J. Raspanti paint a vivid portrait of these two fighters who ushered each other into boxing lore and formed an unlikely friendship despite their brutal battles in the ring. Gatti's life would end tragically and mysteriously just a few years later, but his name and Ward's remain tied together in boxing history.

In Intimate Warfare, each of the three spectacular fights between Gatti and Ward, two of which were named The Ring magazine's "Fight of the Year," are described in detail. Multiple photographs from the trilogy highlight the intensity and power of these epic collisions. With a foreword by former world champion and International Boxing Hall of Famer Ray "Boom Boom" Mancini, this book will be of interest to all fans of boxing.

Dennis Taylor is professor emeritus of English and former chair of the English Department at Boston College.

Foreword, Ray "Boom Boom" Mancini
Acknowledgments
Prologue

PART I: COLLISION COURSE
Chapter 1: "I Always Wondered What It Would Be Like to Fight My Twin"
Chapter 2: Micky
Chapter 3: Arturo
Chapter 4: Brother's Keeper
Chapter 5: Roller Coaster
Chapter 6: Blood Is Not Always Thicker
Chapter 7: Crossroads
Chapter 8: Rebirth
Chapter 9: "It's Going to Be a Great Fight"

PART II: INTIMATE WARFARE
Chapter 10: Beautiful, Ugly, and Dangerous
Chapter 11: "Let's Do It Again"
Chapter 12: Blood and Guts

PART III: BLOOD BROTHERS
Chapter 13: Friends
Chapter 14: Reunion
Chapter 15: An Enduring Mystery

Epilogue
Afterword: Arturo Gatti and the Hall of Fame
Appendix A: Memories of Gatti, Ward, and the Trilogy
Appendix B: Boxing Records
Notes
Index
About the Authors