Wife, net worth, tattoos, smoking, and body are some of the things that Micky Ward has.
George Michael Ward Jr., also known as Micky Ward, is an American former professional boxer who competed from 1985 to 2003He held the WBU light welterweight title in 2000.Two of Ward's fights with Gatti received Fight of the Year awards from The Ring magazine, as well as his relentless pressure fighting style.The Fighter was a film that was based on Ward's early career.
Annie Greenhalge was the daughter of Michael and Mary Flood and was born in Ireland.His maternal great-great grandparents were from Ireland.They escaped poverty and oppression in Ireland and arrived in Boston, Massachusetts, in the 1850s.They worked as laborers and millworkers in the Acre neighborhood.
A three-time New England Golden Gloves champion boxer, Ward turned pro in 1985 and won his first fourteen fights.After losing four fights in a row, Ward took a break from boxing.During his time away from the sport, Ward used some of the funds from his day job on a road paving crew to have surgery on his right hand, which had given him problems during several bouts.The bones from Ward's body were used to strengthen his hand.[3]
In his return, Ward won his first nine fights and won the WBU's Intercontinental Light Welterweight Title in a fight against Louis Veader.He defended the belt against Veader.[2]
In 1997 he scored a 7th-round knockout against the then-undefeated Mexican Alfonso Sanchez in a fight that Ward, up to then, was clearly losing on points.After the fight, Larry Merchant said it was one of the most extraordinary things he had ever seen in boxing.[4]
In their first fight, Ward's left hook knocked out Steve Quinonez in the first round.
The 1997 IBF Light Welterweight Championship fight between Ward and VincePhillips was stopped in the third round due to cuts, but Ward did not win the title.One year later, Ward lost a title fight to Zab Judah.[2]
Ward defeated Neary in the eighth round to win the WBU Light Welterweight title.Ward split his next four fights and never defended the title.His ten-round decision victory over Emanuel Augustus was voted The Ring magazine's 2001 Fight of the Year.[5]
Ward faced Gatti on May 18, 2002.The fight was close until Ward knocked Gatti down in the ninth round to win a majority decision.The 2002 Ring magazine fight of the year was named after the fight.Both fighters were taken to a trauma center after the match.
In the second fight, Gatti knocked Ward down in the third round and survived to finish the fight.Gatti said that he used to wonder what would happen if he fought his twin.I know now.[3]
The fight was back and forth again after they agreed to a third fight.Ward fought back and was able to get a sixth round knockout of Gatti.The bell sounded to end the round before Gatti could get up.The fight was decided by a unanimous decision.Both men needed to go to the hospital because of their injuries.The 2003 Ring magazine fight of the year was the third in a row for Ward.Ward was the first fighter to achieve this since Carmen Basilio did so in the 1950s.
The trilogy with Gatti was the most lucrative fights of Ward's career.[6]
Ward is a part owner of both a boxing gym and an outdoor hockey rink.Ward is married to a woman who is a former athlete.He manages the boxing gym he owns with his half-brother and former trainer.[8]
In his 2012 autobiography, Ward revealed that he had been sexually abused as a child by a friend of Dicky's, another boxer referred to only by his nickname, "Hammer".The abuse began when Ward was nine years old and continued for three years until he gained the confidence to confront his attacker.In one of his first amateur bouts, Ward defeated Hammer by a unanimous decision.[9]
The story of Ward's comeback and rise to fame was made into a 2010 feature film, The Fighter, starring Mark Wahlberg as Ward.The Fighter 2 will focus on the legendary fight trilogy between Ward and Gatti.10