As you all know by now I am into boxing. Recently I had the privilege of flying into Boston. So, I decided to hire an Airport Shuttle Service to Lowell MA. And go visit where George Michael “Micky” Ward, Jr. was born and got his start with the Golden Gloves.

George Michael “Micky” Ward, Jr. is a 50 year old former American professional boxer from Lowell Massachusetts. He was portrayed by Mark Wahlberg in the 2010 movie “The Fighter”. The Fighter is a movie that was about his early career in boxing. Micky Ward is often known as “Irish” and widely known because of his three fights with Arturo Gatti, an exceptional Italian Canadian professional boxer.

Boxing Career

Micky Ward was a three-time New England Golden Gloves championship boxer before he became a pro in 1985. He won his first fourteen fights but sadly, he lost his next 4 consecutive fights in 1990-1991. At that point Micky took a timeout from boxing and used his time to undergo surgery on his right hand, which had become a problem in his previous fights.

Then, his half brother Dicky Eklund convinced Ward to go back to boxing. And it was a good thing that he did! After a few years of rest, his return was a huge success.  His return was so successful that he won his first nine fights including his victory with Augustus which was voted as The Ring Magazine’s 2001 Fight of the Year.

Ward vs. Gatti

Then on May 18, 2002 Micky Ward went head to head with Arturo Gatti.. This was a very wild fight but Ward knockdown Gatti on the ninth round. That became the defining moment to the fight. This was what gave Ward the fight win via a unanimous decision from the judges. Ward and Gatti were then both taken to the trauma center to get their fight injuries taken care of. This fight also went down as a Fight of the Year in 2002 by Ring magazine.

Then in November of 2002 they went for an immediate rematch. This time, Gatti took home the crown. Although

Ward survived to finish the match, his knocked down in the third round cost him the fight.

After the 2^nd fight Ward and Gatti both had unfinished business. At that point they agreed to have a third match to settle it. Gatti had the momentum at the start of the fight but Ward fought back and knocked down Gatti on the sixth round. But Gatti still managed to get up before the referees finished the count and he won the fight via a unanimous decision after the bout. Again both were taken to the hospital after the bout because of injuries. That fight also was named as the 2003 Ring Magazine Fight of the Year, the third consecutive time for Micky Ward. Ward was the first boxer who achieved this since Marciano and Basilio in the 1950’s.

Final Word

Micky Ward was a great boxer earning approx. 3 Million dollars for the 3 fights with Arturo Gatti. He retired from boxing with a record of 38 wins, 28 via KOs, and 13 loses. He is still living in Lowell, MA. with his family managing a boxing gym he owns.