Boxing Hall of Fame 2010: “Irish” Micky Ward’s Appearance Brightens a Rainy Day

Posted on | June 30, 2010 | No Comments

By: Patrick McElligott

One of the most popular fighters of this era was in town for the Boxing Hall of Fame’s induction weekend in Canastota this year – “Irish” Micky Ward. Before he turned professional in 1985, Ward had earned the respect of boxing fans in the northeast by winning three New England Golden Gloves titles; after gaining national attention early in his career, for his explosive left hook to the body, Micky won The Ring’s 2001 “Fight of the Year” match against tough Emanuel (Burton) Augustus; and between May, 2002 and June, 2003, Micky Ward and Arturo Gatti engaged in one of sport’s greatest trilogies.

“I want to give all I can, and inspire people,” Ward recently responded to a reporter’s question about his current life. And “give” he does. The Team Micky Ward Charities in his hometown of Lowell, MA, has raised and invested over a quarter-of-a-million dollars in projects to help “at risk” youth, and Ward teams up with the Salvation Army to assist the most needy families in his part of the state.

When it comes to inspiring people, I was treated to a wonderful example after the June 12 charity 5K Race in downtown Canastota. A young amateur fighter named Derrell Boyd approached Micky at the finish line. Although everyone in the race – as well as all the spectators – were drenched from one of upstate New York’s powerful thunderstorms, Ward
took a lot of time to discuss Boyd’s questions.

Now, amateur boxing fans from the Hudson River/Albany area know Derrell Boyd: he has won over twenty matches, and picked up a Golden Gloves title along the way. This young man has
the potential to compete at that next level. But, admittedly, he told Micky that in his first match at that higher level, he had experienced some nervousness in the days before his fight. In the way that only someone who has had that same experience, but who has overcome it and continued to move up to even higher levels, Micky gave Derrell some solid advice. (I will not repeat it here, in case Boyd’s future opponents are reading this!)

As an old Irish-American boxing buff, I enjoyed talking in the driving rain with the man who is the subject of “Irish Thunder: The Hard Life and Times of Micky Ward.” (Bob Halloran; Lyons Press; 2008). Every member of the boxing community owes it to themselves to own a copy of that book, which was issued again this year in paperback. At a time when numerous boxing books are being published, this is second-to-none.

Ward has also been involved in the production of the biopic “The Fighter,” based upon “Irish Thunder,” which is scheduled to be released in November. Directed by David Russell, it features Mark Wahlberg as Micky, and Christian Bale as his brother, Dickie Eklund. Ward has been meeting the press with his friend Rich Farrell, also from Lowell, who is an adjunct professor of English at UMass Lowell, to promote the film.

Buy the book. Watch the movie when it is released. You will definitely enjoy them both. They are the story of Micky Ward, the former WBU Intercontinental Welterweight and
Welterweight Champion, who ranks among the most exciting and most respected boxers of any era.

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