We look at the household name who fuelled the inspiration behind the movie The Fighter.
We’ve often talked before about what makes boxers such interesting public speakers; namely that they have often risen from humble backgrounds to find incredible success. From Frank Bruno to Mike Tyson, there are lots of talented and insightful boxers on the books here at MN2S talent agency.
What we have fewer of are boxers whose lives have been immortalised on screen – but Micky Ward has experienced just that. Often known by his nickname of ‘Irish’ Micky Ward, the boxer competed from 1985 until 2003, when he retired from the sport. He’s best known for his three fights against Arturo Gatti – of which two were named ‘Fight of the Year’ after the fact.
The Fighter was a biopic based on the American’s life, and starred the Oscar-nominated actor Mark Wahlberg in the main role. The film was itself nominated for a Best Picture Oscar on its release in 2010.
Ward’s story first came to the attention of Hollywood producers thanks to the documentary High on Crack Street: Lost Lives in Lowell, in which Ward’s brother featured. Dicky Ward, also a boxer, had fought a serious addiction to crack cocaine, and when the documentary aired, he was in prison.
In the film, Micky overcomes the meddling influences of his brother and his mother to realise his full potential and earn his shot at a boxing title.
Ann Hornaday at the Washington Post described the film as: “A tough, bare-knuckled, compassionate meditation on every family’s rope-a-dope between tribal bonds and self-definition. Both, it turns out, are worth going to the mat for.“ while A. O. Scott of the New York Times said: “With solid bodywork, clever feints and tremendous heart, it scores at least a TKO, by which I mean both that it falls just short of overpowering greatness…and that the most impressive thing about it is technique.”
In all, The Fighter was a hugely popular and well reviewed film, earning more than $130 million at the box office. So what did its subject think of having his life turned into a blockbuster?
Despite telling The Metro that watching some of the tougher moments was hard, Ward was pleased with the way that his story was told. Along with his brother, he even moved in with Mark Wahlberg for a while so that the actor could study his mannerisms. Ward said: “He watched me every day to get my mannerisms. Mark trained so hard – I think he could fight for real if he wanted. He’s got a great left and strong chin. We sparred a bit and he gave me a good uppercut! Christian [Bale] was amazing too, we’ve all gotten to be friends.”
If you’re interested in booking Ward to hear more about his story and how he found having a Hollywood actor playing him, get in touch with our friendly talent agents to hire a celebrity boxer today.
Related articles:
A Potted History Of Boxing
Joe Calzaghe – From Boxing to Ballroom, and Back Again
Seven of the Best: Sports Movies