The Arturo Gatti – Micky Ward fight trilogy took place in 2002  and 2003.

On WBUR’s “HubBub” Benjamin Swasey writes today of Lowell fighter Micky Ward and his participation in a long-term study conducted by BU’s Center for the Study of Chronic Traumatic Encephalopathy (CTE). Eventually Ward will donate both his brain and his spinal column for continued research.

With Ward joining hundreds of other former athletes in pledging to donate, the BU center says it can “determine specific risk factors for CTE and potentially develop effective treatments.”

It’s not Ward’s first foray into the cause. In April, he appeared at the State House to push for a bill to raise awareness of head injuries to young athletes. And while it’s hard to imagine Ward fighting differently, he told BU that knowing what he knows now, “he would not have allowed as much head contact when he sparred” and encourages fighters to be more assertive in seeking medical attention.

Read the full article here.