He never saw it coming.

As a veteran of 51-professional fights and countless amateur bouts, Micky Ward saw every possible punch. As a trainer, he has a good idea how opponents will attack his boxer. But the one thing Ward never anticipated was the body blow Father Time delivered to Arturo Gatti Saturday night in Atlantic City.

“There were no signs” said the 41-year old Lowell resident. “Arturo trained well. He was in fantastic shape. His legs felt great. He was motivated. Somewhere between the dressing room and the ring, age caught up to him, like it does all boxers. But before the fight, I didn’t think it was time yet.”

After a couple of rounds, Ward knew Gatti was done, though he couldn’t throw the towel in on his friend. “I kept saying I gotta stop it, I gotta stop it. But being a fighter myself, I knew he might not forgive me if I did. Maybe I should have, but at least he’s not hurt. It would have been hard on me if he got hurt.”

Though he considers Gatti’s 7th round knockout at the hands of Alfonso Gomez a “sad ending to a great career,” it isn’t the end of the line for Ward’s days as a trainer. Disappointment at the outcome aside, he’s slowly coming to grips with the helplessness that comes with not having a direct say in a fight’s outcome.

“I could see what was happening, what he was doing wrong,” said Micky. It’s frustrating because I don’t have any control anymore. When you fight, it’s all up to you. In the corner, you can only watch. But I still love to do this.”

Lowell’s favorite son will continue working with nephew Sean Ecklund and Haverhill’s Jeff Frazer, who appeared with Gomez on the original “Contender” TV reality show. Micky is also working on a few business propositions that will keep him heavily involved in the fight game as a trainer, though he’s reluctant to talk about them until everything is signed, sealed and delivered.

As for the movie based on his life, Ward hasn’t heard anything new about “The Fighter” since going away in early May to train Gatti. “Mark (Wahlberg) came to Atlantic City, but we didn’t get to talk because he took a quick flight out of town. I’ll get back into it now, but I want to relax a bit first. I was away for a long time, so it feels good to be home.”

The former Junior Welterweight champion still expects to host the Academy Award nominated actor when Wahlberg comes to the Mill City to shadow him in preparation for the role. The two are teaming up long before that, however, at the 2nd Annual Boston Labor’s Fight Night scheduled for July 25th at the Roxy. This year, the Mark Wahlberg Youth Foundation is a beneficiary of the event Micky helped raise nearly $80,000 for in 2006. Auction items include a round of golf with Ward and Wahlberg. (The event is private, but corporations and individuals can still contribute by contacting Courtney Church at 617-450-0600)

Between the business dealings and charity work, Ward jokes he’s busier in retirement than he was fighting. Two months of almost step-for-step training with Gatti have him in fantastic physical condition, though he harbors no illusions of stepping back into the ring. The epic Ward-Gatti trilogy took too much out of his body, something Micky knew when the final bell sounded that June night in 2003.

Ironically, it took Gatti four years to realize he’d suffered the same fate.