Micky Ward - AbsoluteAstronomy.com

Micky Ward nicknamed Irish, is a retired American junior welterweight professional boxer

Boxing

Boxing, also called pugilism, is a combat sport in which two people fight each other using their fists. Boxing is supervised by a referee over a series of between one to three minute intervals called rounds...

and a former WBU

World Boxing Union

The World Boxing Union is a boxing sanctioning body.Until recently it was fully recognised by the British Boxing Board of Control as a legitimate sanctioning body.WBU titles were particularly well recognised in Europe and Africa....

champion from Lowell, Massachusetts

Lowell, Massachusetts

Lowell is a city in Middlesex County, Massachusetts, USA. According to the 2010 census, the city's population was 106,519. It is the fourth largest city in the state. Lowell and Cambridge are the county seats of Middlesex County...

. He is widely known as the protagonist in the 2010 feature film The Fighter based on his career and culminating with his title bout against Shea Neary

Shea Neary

Shea "The Shamrock Express" Neary is a former light welterweight boxer.-Pro Career:Neary posted a 23-2 record during his professional career, including 16 knockouts. In 1995, he won his first title by beating Nigel Bradley at the Everton Park Sports Centre to claim the Central Area Light...

Early career

Ward was a three-time New England Golden Gloves

Golden Gloves

The Golden Gloves is the name given to annual competitions for amateur boxing in the United States. The Golden Gloves is often the term used to refer to the National Golden Gloves competition, but it also can represent several other amateur tournaments, including regional golden gloves...

champion boxer who turned pro in 1985, winning his first fourteen fights. However, his career leveled off, and after losing four consecutive fights in 1990/91, Ward took a hiatus from boxing.

Hiatus

During Ward's time away from the sport, he used some of the funds from his day job on a road-paving crew to have surgery on his right hand, with which he had problems during several bouts. The surgery used some of the bone from Ward's pelvis to strengthen and fuse the bones in his hand. His half-brother, former boxer Dicky Eklund, who was struggling with drug addiction and had just been released from jail on charges including drug possession, convinced Ward to take up the sport again.

Return to the ring

Ward was successful in his return, winning his first nine fights, and won the WBU

World Boxing Union

's Intercontinental Light Welterweight Title in a fight against Louis Veader. He defended the belt once, in a rematch against Veader. Ward earned a 1997 IBF Light Welterweight Championship fight against champion Vince Phillips

Vince Phillips

Vincent Edwards Phillips Sr. is an American boxer best known for upsetting and beating then undefeated Kostya Tszyu for the junior welterweight title.- Early life :...

, but did not win the championship, as the fight was stopped in the third round due to cuts, and Phillips was awarded the bout via TKO

Knockout

A knockout is a fight-ending, winning criterion in several full-contact combat sports, such as boxing, kickboxing, Muay Thai, mixed martial arts, Karate and others sports involving striking...

. One year later, Ward again would come up short in a title fight, as he lost a 12-round decision against Zab Judah

Zab Judah

Zabdiel Judah is an American professional boxer. Judah has won five world titles between the junior welterweight and welterweight divisions, and is a former undisputed welterweight champion....

.

In 2000, Ward traveled to London to take on the WBU Light Welterweight Champion, Shea Neary

Shea Neary

, and earned a TKO in the eighth round to win the WBU title. Ward, however, never defended the title, and split his next four fights. His ten-round decision victory over Emanuel Augustus

Emanuel Augustus

Emanuel Augustus is a professional boxer. He fights out of Brownsville, Texas-Personal:...

(then known as Emanuel Burton) was voted The Ring
The Ring (magazine)
The Ring is an American boxing magazine that was first published in 1922 as a boxing and wrestling magazine. As the sporting legitimacy of professional wrestling came more into question, The Ring shifted to becoming exclusively a boxing oriented publication...

magazine's 2001 Fight of the Year

Ring Magazine fights of the year

The Ring was established in 1922 and since 1945, it has named a Fight of the Year.-1940s:*1945 - Rocky Graziano KO 10 Red Cochrane I*1946 - Tony Zale KO 6 Rocky Graziano I*1947 - Rocky Graziano KO 6 Tony Zale II...

Ward vs. Gatti trilogy

On May 18, 2002, Ward faced the opponent with whom he became most identified, Arturo Gatti

Arturo Gatti

Arturo "Thunder" Gatti was a Canadian professional boxer. Born in Cassino, Italy, and raised in Montreal, Quebec, Canada, Gatti relocated to Jersey City, United States as a teenager...

. The fight was a wild one, but a ninth round Ward knockdown of Gatti proved to be the difference, with Ward winning a majority decision. The fight was later named the 2002 Ring magazine fight of the year

Ring Magazine fights of the year

. Both fighters needed care in a trauma center after the match.

The two agreed to an immediate rematch, and in November, Gatti was able to win the second wild fight. Ward was knocked down in the third round, but survived to finish the fight. Gatti paid tribute to Ward's tenacity after the fight, saying, "I used to wonder what would happen if I fought my twin. Now I know."

They then agreed to a third straight fight, and again, the fight was back and forth. Gatti pounded Ward with punch after punch early on, but Ward fought back and managed a sixth round knockdown of Gatti. Before Gatti could get up, or the referee's count could hit ten, the bell sounded to end the round. Gatti was able to come back and win the fight via a unanimous decision. Again, both men needed a trip to the hospital, due to the injuries they suffered. The fight was named the 2003 Ring magazine fight of the year

Ring Magazine fights of the year

, the third straight for Ward.

All told, Ward made approximately $3 million in earnings for his trilogy with Gatti; the most lucrative fights of his career.

After boxing

Ward still lives in Lowell, where he is part owner of and runs a gym as well as part owner of an outdoor hockey rink. Ward married Charlene Fleming, his long time girlfriend, who is also a former athlete. They live with Ward's daughter, Kasie. Ward's half-brother and former trainer Dicky Eklund still trains the new boxers at the academy run by Ward.

Professional boxing record

| style="text-align:center;" colspan="8"|38 Wins (27 knockouts, 11 decisions), 13 Losses (1 eye-stoppage
, 12 decisions), 0 Draws
|- style="text-align:center; background:#e3e3e3;"
| style="border-style:none none solid solid; "|Res.
| style="border-style:none none solid solid; "|Record
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| style="border-style:none none solid solid; "|Rd., Time
| style="border-style:none none solid solid; "|Date
| style="border-style:none none solid solid; "|Location
| style="border-style:none none solid solid; "|Notes
|- align=center
|Loss||38–13||align=left|

Arturo Gatti

Arturo "Thunder" Gatti was a Canadian professional boxer. Born in Cassino, Italy, and raised in Montreal, Quebec, Canada, Gatti relocated to Jersey City, United States as a teenager...

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|Loss||38–12||align=left|

Arturo Gatti

Arturo "Thunder" Gatti was a Canadian professional boxer. Born in Cassino, Italy, and raised in Montreal, Quebec, Canada, Gatti relocated to Jersey City, United States as a teenager...

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|Win||38–11||align=left|

Arturo Gatti

Arturo "Thunder" Gatti was a Canadian professional boxer. Born in Cassino, Italy, and raised in Montreal, Quebec, Canada, Gatti relocated to Jersey City, United States as a teenager...

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|Loss||37–11||align=left|

Jesse James Leija

James Leija , is a retired professional boxer from Texas.-Amateur career:Leija had an amateur career that spanned three years, going 23-5 during this time. He won the San Antonio Golden Gloves in 1988...

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Emanuel Augustus

Emanuel Augustus is a professional boxer. He fights out of Brownsville, Texas-Personal:...

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|Win||36–10||align=left|

Steve Quinonez
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Antonio Diaz

Antonio Magsaysay-Diaz was a Congressman of Zambales, the Philippines. He was a nephew of former President Ramon Magsaysay.-Early life:Diaz, a member of the Magsaysay political clan of Zambales, served the province variously as vice governor and representative since the 1960s.A lawyer, he was one...

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Shea Neary

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Reggie Green
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Jermal Corbin
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Jose Luis Mendez
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Zab Judah

Zabdiel Judah is an American professional boxer. Judah has won five world titles between the junior welterweight and welterweight divisions, and is a former undisputed welterweight champion....

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Mark Fernandez
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Vince Phillips

Vincent Edwards Phillips Sr. is an American boxer best known for upsetting and beating then undefeated Kostya Tszyu for the junior welterweight title.- Early life :...

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Alfonso Sanchez
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Manny Castillo
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Louis Veader
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Louis Veader
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Alex Ortiz

Álex Ortiz

Alejandro 'Álex' Ortiz Ramos is a Spanish footballer who plays for Gimnàstic de Tarragona as a central defender.-External links:* ** *...

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Alberto Alicea
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Edgardo Rosario
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Genaro Andujar
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Luis Castillo
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Ricky Meyers
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Tony Martin
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Charles Murray

Charles Murray (boxer)

Charles Murray was an American boxer at light welterweight.- Professional career :Known as "The Natural," Murray turned pro in 1989 and won the vacant IBF light welterweight title with a decision win over Rodney Moore in 1993. He defended the title twice before losing it in 1994 to Jake Rodriguez...

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Harold Brazier

Harold Leon Brazier is an American former boxer.Fighting at light welterweight and welterweight, Brazier's career spanned three decades and 127 professional fights. He fought such opponents as Roger Mayweather, Pernell Whitaker, Meldrick Taylor, Vince Phillips, Micky Ward, Lloyd Honeyghan, Juan...

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David Rivello
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Clarence Coleman

Clarence Coleman is a Canadian football wide receiver who is currently a free agent. He was signed as an undrafted free agent by the Buffalo Bills in 2003. He played college football at Ferris State....

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Frankie Warren
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Francisco Tomas da Cruz
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Mike Mungin
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Marvin Garris
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David Silva
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Joey Olivera
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Joey Ferrell
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Edwin Curet
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Derrick McGuire
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Kelly Koble
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Hilario Mercedes
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Carlos Brandi
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John Rafuse
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Rafael Terrero
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Ken Willis

Robert Kenneth Willis II is a former American football placekicker in the National Football League for the Dallas Cowboys, Tampa Bay Buccaneers, and New York Giants. He played college football at the University of Kentucky, where he majored in math...

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Luis Pizzarro
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Darrell Curtis
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Jesus Carlos Velez
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Mike Peoples
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Chris Bajor
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Greg Young
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In popular culture

The story of Ward's comeback and rise to fame was made into a 2010 feature film, The Fighter, starring Mark Wahlberg

Mark Wahlberg

Mark Robert Michael Wahlberg is an American actor, film and television producer, and former rapper. He was known as Marky Mark in his earlier years, and became famous for his 1991 debut as a musician with the band Marky Mark and the Funky Bunch. He was named No. 1 on VH1's 40 Hottest Hotties of...

(who was nominated for the Golden Globe for Best Actor

Golden Globe Award for Best Actor - Motion Picture Drama

The Golden Globe Award for Best Actor - Motion Picture - Drama was first awarded by the Hollywood Foreign Press Association as a separate category in 1951...

) as Ward. Wahlberg confirmed to Spike TV that The Fighter 2 is in the works, which will focus on the legendary fight trilogy between Ward and Arturo Gatti.

The album The Warrior's Code
The Warrior's Code
The Warrior's Code is the fifth studio album by the Irish-American Celtic punk band, the Dropkick Murphys. Released in June 2005, it is also their bestselling. It features a dedication to Lowell's own "Irish" Micky Ward...

by the Dropkick Murphys

Dropkick Murphys

Dropkick Murphys are an Irish-American punk rock band formed in Quincy, Massachusetts in 1996. The band was initially signed to independent punk record label Hellcat Records, releasing five albums for the label, and making a name for themselves locally through constant playing and yearly St....

features Ward on the cover, and is the subject of the title song. The live version is played in the film, The Fighter.

The game Fight Night Round 3 (2006) features Ward and Gatti on the cover.

A book – Irish Thunder: The Hard Life and Times of Micky Ward – about Ward's life and boxing career was written by Bob Halloran in 2008.

Early career

Hiatus

Return to the ring

Ward vs. Gatti trilogy

After boxing

Professional boxing record

In popular culture

External links

Further reading