Irish Thunder: The Hard Life And Times Of Micky Ward - Softcover

Halloran, Bob

Softcover

ISBN 10: 0762769866 ISBN 13: 9780762769865

Publisher: Lyons Press, 2010

Synopsis

The story behind the Major Motion Picture The Fighter, starring Mark Wahlberg and Christian Bale: boxer Micky Ward's unlikely road to becoming a world champion

“Irish” Micky Ward was always the underdog―one able to stage a stunning comeback late in a fight. After a fifteen-year pro career followed by a string of defeats and three years of retirement, the Lowell, Massachusetts, native defeated Arturo Gatti in 2002, capturing the world light welterweight title. The grueling battle―named “Fight of the Year” by Ring magazine and “Fight of the Century” by boxing fans around America―was broadcast live on HBO, made Ward famous, and launched two legendary rematches.

In Irish Thunder, Bob Halloran recounts Ward's rise to hero status, his rivalry with his imprisoned brother, and the negotiations, betrayals, and drugs that shaped a wild youth who ultimately became a nationally respected boxer. This is a story about a boxer from a boxing family and a boxing town―and it is a wrenching account of life in blue-collar America. Ward's dramatic victories inside the ring are recounted in gripping detail, but it is his victory outside the ring that inspires.

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Author Bob Halloran is a consultant on a major motion picture due in 2010, The Fighter, that tells the Micky Ward story and stars Mark Wahlberg and Christian Bale.

About this title

From the Inside Flap:

The story behind the Major Motion Picture The Fighter, starring Mark Wahlberg and Christian Bale: boxer Micky Ward's unlikely road to becoming a world champion

“Irish” Micky Ward grew up in the 1970s and 80s as a tough kid from Lowell, Massachusetts―a town where boxers were once bred as a means of survival. A hard worker who overcame bad luck, bad management, and chronic pain in his hands, he avoided the pitfall of poverty and dead-end work that plagued Lowell to become a Golden Gloves junior welterweight.

Ward participated in street fights from an early age and was forever known by his opponents and spectators as the underdog. But with his incredible ability to suddenly drop an opponent late in a fight with his trademark left hook, he kept proving everyone wrong.

After fifteen years of boxing, a string of defeats, and three years of retirement, Micky battled Arturo Gatti in 2002 in the battle that was later named “Fight of the Year” by Ring magazine and dubbed “Fight of the Century” by boxing writers across the country. Ten rounds of brutal action ended with Micky winning by decision, and reviving enthusiasm for a sport that had been weighted down by years of showboating and corruption. ESPN and Boston television reporter Bob Halloran recounts Micky's rise to hero status, his rivalry with his imprisoned brother, and the negotiations, betrayals, and drugs that ultimately shaped a wild youth into a nationally respected boxer.

From the Back Cover:

The true story of the legendary boxer who inspired the major motion picture

 

“Irish” Micky Ward was always the underdog in the boxing ring—yet he could stage a stunning comeback late in a fight. After a fifteen-year pro career followed by a string of defeats and three years of retirement, the Lowell, Massachusetts, native defeated Arturo Gatti in 2002, capturing the world light welterweight title. The grueling battle—named “Fight of the Year” by Ring magazine and “Fight of the Century” by boxing fans around America—was broadcast live on HBO, made Ward famous, and launched two legendary rematches.
 
In Irish Thunder, Bob Halloran recounts Ward’s rise to hero status, his rivalry with his imprisoned brother, and the negotiations, betrayals, and drugs that shaped the wild youth who ultimately became a nationally respected boxer. Ward’s dramatic victories inside the ring are depicted in gripping detail, but it is his victory outside the ring that inspires.

 

About this edition

• Publisher: Lyons Press
• Publication date: 2010
• ISBN 10: 0762769866
• ISBN 13: 9780762769865
• Binding: Paperback
• Number of pages: 352