Boxer mickey ward biography. Mickey Ward - the main character of the movie "The Fighter", a boxer
Mickey Ward was the younger brother of former talented boxer Dicky Eklund. Dickie went down and took drugs, but, nevertheless, remained a loving brother and very experienced coach and second Mickey.
Source: film "Fighter" (2010)
Role played by: Mark Wahlberg
Mickey began to suffer one defeat after another. His mom was his manager, his brother was his coach, and besides, he had a father and a bunch of sisters. Mickey began to feel that they were pulling him down (Dicky, for example, even went to jail for robbery and fighting) and he, succumbing to the influence of his girlfriend, decided to train on his own.
Despite a number of victories, he realized that without the wise advice of his brother, he would not be able to achieve victory over a serious opponent. Therefore, in the most important duel, Mickey uses the fighting strategy proposed by Dick. It worked.
Mickey reconciles with his family and, under his brother's guidance, wins the title fight.
Not a bad movie. Of course, Christian Bale played much brighter than Mark Wahlberg, and the fights in the film are just awful, but, nevertheless, the film was a success.
About the real-life boxer Mickey Ward from Wikipedia:
Life and career
Ward was a three-time New England Golden Gloves boxing champion and turned professional in 1985, winning fourteen fights. However, his career went downhill, and after four consecutive defeats, Ward took a break from the sport in 1990.
Break in speeches
During a hiatus from his professional career, Mickey underwent surgery on his right arm, which he had trouble with for several fights. The operation used some of the bones in the pelvis to strengthen the bone in the arm. His half brother former boxer Dicky Eklund, a drug addict who had just been released from prison on drug possession charges, was convinced that Mickey should play the sport again.
Return to big sport
The comeback was successful, Mickey Ward won nine fights and became the welterweight champion. He defended the belt once, in a rematch against Louis Veder. Ward qualified for a IBF World Welterweight title fight in 1997 against Vince Phillips but did not win the championship as the fight was stopped in the third round due to cuts and Phillips won the fight. A year later, Ward again failed on points in a 12-round fight with Zab Judah. In 2000, Ward traveled to London to fight Shea Niri for the WBU welterweight title. Ward won technical knockout in round 8. In 2001, Mickey Ward defeated Emanuel Augustus in a 10-round fight, this meeting was recognized as the fight of the year by The Ring magazine.
Ward vs Gatti. Trilogy
The first fight of the famous trilogy between Gatti and Mickey Ward took place in May 2002 in Uncasville. In a spectacular fight, Ward was awarded the majority victory. In November 2002, the 2nd fight took place between Gatti and Ward. This time Gatti won. In June 2003, the 3rd battle took place. Gatti was stronger again and won on points. All three battles were marked by unprecedented uncompromisingness, and resulted in a furious felling from the first to last second. Their first and third meetings were recognized as the fights of the year. The Gatti-Ward trilogy is rightfully recognized as one of the greatest trilogies in boxing history.
Personal life
Mickey Ward grew up as a difficult child. He lived in Lowell, a city where boxing was the key to survival on the street. Mickey's hard work has allowed him to overcome setbacks, poor management, constant hand injuries and the chronic pain associated with it, and break out of the trap of poverty and menial work that were common in Lowell, and become the winner of the Junior Golden Gloves tournament in the super middleweight division. . Ward was involved in street fighting with early years and was always known among his opponents as a loser. But his incredible ability to take down his opponents with a sudden left hook proved otherwise. In 2005, Mickey Ward married Charlene Fleming, and they lived with Mickey's daughter from his first marriage, Casey.
After the end of the boxing career
Ward, 45 (as of 2010), still lives in Lowell, where he co-owns gym, as well as co-owner of an outdoor hockey rink.
Mickey Ward, a former contender for the world title, is better known to fans thanks to his spectacular fights with Arturo Gatti. Ward's style appealed to the fans and, in addition, he was a participant in several serious fights. Everyone knows that his story was brought to the screen in the movie "The Fighter". In an interview with Mickey Ward, we discussed his boxing career and the legendary fight with Arthur Gatti. Ward also gave his opinion on Floyd Mayweather Jr. and whether Mayweather is ready to hang up his gloves. We talked about fight pacquiao with Khan and Canello vs Cotto. Here's what Mickey Ward said.
Have you ever thought that you will be part of the greatest trilogy of all time and your life will be made into a movie? Perhaps an unreal feeling?
Yes, it is a very unusual feeling to be a participant in such events and the hero of a film. This rarely happens to anyone.
Mickey Ward - Arturo Gatti I (video)
You had the opportunity to fight Arturo Gatti several times. Do you remember your first fight with him?
It was a great evening for me because I won. The fight was difficult, but I expected it. I knew that he would exert all his strength to win, but I thought that I got better with age. And our different styles met in the ring. It was as if we were made to meet in the ring and showed a great fight.
He boxed well in the first four rounds; were you surprised that he decided to box actively and that he could last so long?
No, I knew that he was a good boxer and that he could do it for a long time. I knew that at first it would be very difficult, I understood that he would hold on the whole fight. But I knew that if you force him to fight, he will last a very long time. This is what I did in the first fight.
In the 9th round, you landed him a terrific body shot, but he was able to get up and continue to fight when you were already tired of your powerful punches. Did you expect him to recover so quickly from your blow? Do you remember this round well?
It was a difficult round. When I gave him that punch, I knew he was in a lot of pain, but I knew he would get up because he's that kind of guy. I put him on well, but I didn't know that he was so strong and that he never gave up.
I tried my best, prepared for every blow, gave my best. When he pressed me against the ropes and started throwing blow after blow, I saw it all and blocked them, and then I started to answer him and thought that he would calm down on this, but he continued to strike. And it surprised me.
Mickey Ward - Arturo Gatti II (video)
Mickey Ward - Arturo Gatti III (video)
What can you say about the other two fights? As far as I know, during one of them your eardrum burst?
Yes, in the second fight he caught me with a right to the ear. I fell, but got up instantly, he immediately hit me again and brought me to my senses.
You officially inducted Gatti into the Hall of Fame. What did it mean to you?
It was a great moment because his entire family was there, including his daughter. It was a great pleasure to be present at this ceremony and I am proud to be a part of it.
I wanted to ask you about some modern boxers. Floyd Mayweather has recently retired from the sport. What do you think of his career? Can you put it in the top 20 best boxers of all time?
Yes, I can easily include him in the top 20 boxers. Look how much he has done! Not everyone liked the way he fought, but he fought literally everyone and he is one of the best. I don't think he will ever return to the sport. He is smart, he has enough money, and he skillfully disposes of them.
Will Manny Pacquiao return to face Amir Khan? It could be good fight. What do you think of it?
I think it would be a very active fight. Who knows if Manny will be able to fully function with his left hand, given his shoulder injury? Amir has a very interesting style that can cause a lot of trouble. He is tall, he has a great jab and in general good hit. Who knows what Manny will be like when he gets back because he won't be around long enough. The fight will be competitive, but who will win is unknown.
If you bet money on the outcome of a fight, who would you bet on?
Oh, I don't know. Whenever I bet, I always lose. That's why I don't bet anymore.
There is a fight that can be compared to your fight in Gatti, if, of course, it takes place - the fight between Miguel Cotto and Canelo Alvarez. What do you think of this fight?
I am looking forward to this fight. It will be very exciting. I can't say who will win because they are equally good. I like Miguel Cotto, he and Freddie did a great job and they are very happy with this fight. Canelo is younger, Cotto is more experienced, but you never know in advance what will win - experience or youth? Hard to tell. Who can impose his will on an opponent and be the first to inflict real swipe, he will win.
The hysteria in the boxing media about the new movie "Fighter, The" is already subsiding, and soon only Mickey Ward and Dick Eklund depicted there and their relatives will be interested in it. They scared us with this film, it seems, back in 2007, they first promised Matt Damon to pair with Mark Wahlberg, then the honored gypsy Brad Pitt ... I don’t even know which of them would be better repainted as a red-haired Irishman. In general, the theme for the movie turned out to be strange, to make the hero of the film a person whose main achievement is the WBU belt and a couple of victories over former champions of the world ... The participant in the battle of the year, well, it doesn’t even appear there - this is not yet the end of Ward’s career, but for his half-brother - the struggle with his dark side ...
“There is always something going on with boxers. They get married, they get arrested, they crash on motorcycles…”(Fat City, 1972)
It was assumed that the “Fighter” would be shot by Darren Aronofsky, who knows a lot about fighters and drug addiction, but he apparently considered that his “Wrestler” had already said the main thing on the topic ... This is not far from the truth. New director David O. Russell took his own interesting approach and made a mockumentary (at least in style) about brothers Mickey and Dicky from the godforsaken town of Lawton, Massachusetts, about a large Irish family and a little bit about boxing.
The naive romanticism so beloved by the public exists only on the tape of an old VHS cassette.
The naive romanticism so beloved by the public exists only on the tape of an old VHS tape, where Eklund fights with Ray Leonard - almost knocks down, but, of course, no options. loses. This tape is put in the film at every opportunity ... In the performance of Christian Bale, Dicky, going crazy and sticking out on crack, is as real as his hallucinations, plans for a fight and, exhaling poisonous smoke and looking around in search of a car, “you have to run ”- and immediately starts ... Family drama, internal conflict develops predictably and unconvincingly - then, in general, it’s not Wallberg’s fault, just as Ward’s is not guilty that he never became a world champion. It's just that all this has already happened, it will happen more than once, and the dream of Vegas in general is a common place in films about boxers. “If you win, let's go to DelaHoya, to Mallorca ...” (“Fight with the Shadow”).
Exactly half of Ward's rivals shown in the film are fictitious characters (it must be, as I am rightly told here, the filmmakers could not or did not want to agree on the use of images), the WBU belt is almost equated with the title of world champion, and in general with track record Mickey's scriptwriters do quite freely, releasing both significant fights (Vince Phillips, Judah, Reggie Green), and just all unplanned defeats, constructing a story of a triumphant comeback from the elements at hand. Well, everyone loves comebacks... But it doesn't matter.
Because in the end, it turns out that the story is not about Mickey (by the way, my congratulations - Wallberg has a completely authentic Ward left hook to the body), but a song by Dick Eklund, his lost dream - here Leonard holds the right to the body, Dickie winces and bends slightly in pain, and then passes the double on the right to the head and sinks down by the ropes; his addiction to boxing, which he tries in vain to replace with crack, and then in the opposite direction - another cruel blow, and his life flies to hell, to prison. History of Mickey and Dicky, just in case, ends well - the family is reunited, Ward wins and lifts the belt over his head, and the future is bright. And forget about Ray Leonard. As they say back in Lowell... "be 40 years old in heaven before the devil knows you're dead."
And no matter what they shoot, for some time now everyone has been getting "Rocky"
Finally. The secret of the success of The Fighter is not really convincing Wallberg or Bale, brilliant in his madness ... This is a dramaturgy of the story of a dying community from the documentary High on Crack Street: Lost Lives in Lowell, where one of the main characters is accompanied by a video camera buying crack, smoking it and eventually going to jail on robbery charges is Dick Eklund.
Boxing is full of stories, and almost every second person deserves the big screen. But instead of showing us something that is really worthy of attention, they rush to invent the wildest plots and circumstances, wind up something unimaginable, and then try in vain to link it all up with dignity. And no matter what they shoot, for some time now everyone has been getting Rocky. I'm talking about the new series "Lights Out". Lights is the nickname of Irish heavyweight Patrick Leary. Which, according to the plot, lost the title and has been out of the ring for 5 years already (out). Light Out. About how hard life is without boxing, we are tirelessly reminded literally everywhere at every opportunity. Just as unobtrusively, they hammered into our heads that the surest way for a boxer to feed his family is to start knocking out debts. The hero of Holt McKalany looks good with a bat in his hands, but it doesn’t go further than this - he is too soft, too famous, and in general he does not like the occupation. We've seen all this before, right? In general, again “Rocky” turns out ... Why not “Fat City”? .. Why are those who have no idea about this sport taken to shoot about boxing? I will continue to watch Lights Out. Firstly, Stacey Keach plays the coach there (he was the same Irish boxer in Fat City, only not heavy). Secondly, he is already being actively challenged by someone “Death Row” Reynolds - he is far from the pathos of Mason Dixon, but the black world champion in this division is much more real than the Irish. Thirdly, they promise that the hero will continue to play baseball without gloves and without balls ... Let's see what it will result in. But I don't want another Cinderella story. John Huston made it clear long ago, back in 1972, that there is no future. Put out the light.
The diehard Irish boxer Mickey Ward was born on October 4, 1965 in Lowell, Massachusetts. His childhood was not easy, and boxing was the main occupation from an early age, because without it it would have been hard on the streets. The main feature of the boxer Mickey Ward was diligence and perseverance. This is what allowed him to overcome all difficulties.
From a young age, Ward participated in street fighting, but was not respected by other fighters and was considered an underdog. One way or another, he won the Golden Gloves competition three times. This was Mickey Ward's first major achievement. It was a serious step in his life, allowing him to escape from the captivity of poverty. But there were always difficulties - hand injuries often occurred.
Mickey was a good boxer, but for most of his career he did not see big money. However, he did not give up and continued to box.
Professional career
Ward's debut in the professional ring was a fight with David Morin in 1985. Mickey won this fight by knocking out his opponent in the first round. Then, until 1990, everything was calm enough, until he lost four fights in a row and decided to move away from boxing for a while.
The reason for this could be not so much the defeats themselves, but problems with right hand. During several fights, Ward damaged her, and he used the break time to restore his health.
Upon his return to the sport, Mickey Ward scored nine confident victories and achieved the title of welterweight champion. After that, no special incidents. He defended the belt in a fight with Louis Veder, fought for the world title with Vince Phillips, but did not succeed. A year later, a remarkable fight with Zaba Jude took place, which ended in the defeat of the Irishman. And in 2000, Ward defeated Shi Niri in London for the world title. This is followed by the most interesting stage of Ward's boxing career - three fights with a Canadian boxer
Fighting style
Everyone who watches Mickey Ward fights will agree that he is tough. professional boxer, albeit not claiming to be a great fighter. But he certainly stands firmly on his feet, and his opponents should be wary of his blows. Particularly noteworthy is the left hook to the body, Ward's favorite move. Do not deny him the strategy. You can often see how the "Irishman" throws a hook to the head, forcing him to open up, and then hits quick kick along the hull. He is generally considered one of the best body punchers. So, for example, he won the Mexican Alfonso Sanchez.
famous trilogy
These three fights are considered one of the best trilogies in the history of boxing. It is remarkable in that the opponents themselves are not great boxers, but together they did something that overshadowed the fights of many boxing stars. More reminiscent of gladiator fights than boxing matches, the first and third of the trilogy were recognized as fights of the year.
First, a few words about Ward's adversary, Arturo Gatti. He has a super-aggressive fighting style. Furiously and quickly attacking, he provokes the opponent to careless steps. Either pouncing with a hail of blows, or quickly dodging blows, Gatti showed very interesting fights. In the person of the Irishman, he met a worthy opponent.
their fight took place in 2002, in May. In this fight, by decision of the judges, Ward won. The fight was really powerful and cruel - the opponents treated each other with blows almost continuously. The Irishman used his favorite tricks with might and main - hooks to the body. Gatti, on the other hand, tirelessly, like a gladiator, rushed at his opponent. The most memorable was the ninth round - a real felling.
The meeting took place in November of the same year. The victory went to Arturo Gatti. The fight, like last time, lasted ten rounds. There were none in this fight. highlights like the first fight, but Gatti and Ward still made a great show.
Held in 2003. It was the fight that everyone expected from this couple. Both boxers are characterized by the fact that they are not at all afraid to receive blows, and they attacked each other harshly and uncompromisingly. In the first half of the battle, the opponents only warmed up, and then the real battle began. Arturo Gatti won again thanks to a points advantage.
Interestingly, these two boxers were opponents only in the ring. The Mickey Ward-Arturo Gatti trilogy made them true friends. During the fights, they sometimes exchanged smiles, which did not stop them from brutally thrashing each other. After completing the trilogy, Ward became Arturo Gatti's trainer and trusted friend. One can imagine Ward's grief at the death of the Canadian Thunder.
Gatti died on July 11, 2009. The cause of death was declared suicide, although few believed it. Later, private detectives and qualified criminologists proved that he was still killed.
End of career
Throughout his career, boxer Mickey Ward won 38 victories, 27 of them by knockout, was defeated 13 times. The third fight with Arturo Gatti was his last and he retired from boxing. The film "The Fighter" was made about him, which received six Oscar nominations. Ward, like the very beginning, lives in his hometown of Lowell, where he owns a gym.
Mickey Ward has lived his entire life in Lowell, a small town in Massachusetts. For local residents, a sluggish and burdensome poor life was something of a good tradition. The young promising guy did not like it and Ward decided to take up boxing. He became a three-time winner of the Golden Gloves tournament, after which he confidently and quite successfully boxed as a professional.
big ring
The first experience of boxing as a professional did not become positive for Ward. He won several fights starting in 1985, after which he suffered four defeats in a row and decided to stop boxing for a while.
Mickey Ward returned to big sport in 1997. After losing to Vince Philips, Mickey Ward had 9 successful fights and won the IBF world title.
The most famous in the life of the “Irishman” are the fights with Arturo Gatti. As a result, they met 3 times, each fight turned into a continuous meat grinder. Victory, defeat and victory, fights of the year according to Ring magazine. Unfortunately, the rival dies, despite hatred in battle, Mickey offers his condolences on the day of Arturo's death.
On the personal front
IN personal life Mickey was a street kid who went through criminal showdowns and injuries on the street, this is how boxing began, sports helped to get out of poverty. Mickey Ward was married twice, his second wife was Charlene Fleming.
