ATLANTIC CITY, N.J. -- The third fight between Arturo Gatti and Micky Ward had it all -- at least one fractured hand, two bloody faces, a stunning knockdown and a screaming sellout crowd of 12,643 roaring its approval.

	Arturo Gatti, left, defeated Micky Ward by unanimous decision to take two of three in their "epic trilogy."

In a fitting climax to their personal rivalry, the junior welterweights battled for 10 more grueling rounds Saturday night, with Gatti winning a unanimous decision in the rubber match.

"Tonight is as good as it gets. These 30 rounds will live in boxing history," said Lou DiBella, Ward's manager.

Gatti, who split a pair of fights with Ward last year, outpunched and outmaneuvered the slower, 37-year-old Ward this time around, overcoming a broken right hand and the surprising knockdown just before the bell rang at the end of the sixth round.

Ward, a hard-hitting former club fighter with the resiliency of a champion, never succumbed despite a bloody nose, two cuts on his face and what a ringside physician said was a possibly fractured right hand.

Peppered by jabs he was too slow to block, Ward was bleeding and in trouble by the end of the third round.

But Gatti (36-6) broke his twice-repaired right hand on an uppercut to the hip in the fourth, and he dropped his arm, wincing in pain. He fought nearly one-handed for several rounds afterward, using his right sparingly.

"I knew when he hit me his hand hurt," Ward said later. "I could see it in his face."

Ward (38-13) took advantage, engineering a stunning turnaround that started with two lefts and a right to the head that stopped Gatti in his tracks. Ward then hit him with five straight left uppercuts to the body, bringing the roaring crowd in Boardwalk Hall to its feet.

In the sixth, Gatti, 31, of Jersey City, N.J., dominated the round but got caught with an overhand right to the top of the head a second before the bell rang and went down.

But he recovered again and was never in trouble after that. Not that Ward gave up.

The two went after each other the rest of the way, although Ward hit nothing but air with his lunging left hooks and couldn't block Gatti. In the seventh, Gatti landed 61 of 101 power punches, according to punch statistics kept at ringside.

Ward, who had promised to retire after the fight, made good on the vow afterward, saying he was through with boxing.

"He hit me with some shots early on that took the steam out of me," Ward said.

Both fighters were taken to Atlantic City Medical Center for treatment. A nursing supervisor said early Sunday they were still being evaluated.

Ward complained of a right hand injury and ringside physician Dr. Domenic Colette, who examined him after the fight, said he thought it was broken. Gatti's definitely was, Colette said.

Judges George Hill and Joe Pasquale scored it 96-93 and Luis Rivera had it 97-92. Gatti won on the AP's card 96-93.

"I knew that he was coming to fight," said Gatti, who hugged Ward and shared a bottle of water with him in the ring after the decision was announced. "He's a great champion. Anyone else would have quit. He's got a lot of heart."

The three-fight series started last year with Ward knocking down Gatti en route to a 10-round decision.

On Nov. 23, Gatti got his revenge, posting a unanimous decision over Ward after dazing him with a knockdown in the third.

When the 10th round was about to begin Saturday night, ring announcer Michael Buffer noted the significance of the finish, as if anyone needed reminding: "This is the tenth -- make that the 30th -- and final round."

Gatti, who earned $1.7 million to Ward's $750,000, was asked after the fight who his next opponent would be. He wasn't even thinking about it.

"I don't know. I just want to get to the hospital -- right now," he said.