Friday, December 24, 2010

Sometimes Truth is Stronger Than Fiction: Micky Ward and "The Fighter"



Sylvester Stallone has fame and fortune. He has an Oscar, millions upon millions of dollars, and even a plaque in the International Boxing Hall of Fame, which has inducted him as an observer, and deservingly so, for his role as the writer and star of the "Rocky" movies.

Micky Ward toiled for 18 years and 51 fights, respected by those that knew of him, revered for what they saw of him. Rare was he in the headlines or under the spotlights, and even when he was, the amount of attention he received (and the amount of fame and fortune that comes from that) was less than what his real-life story deserved.

Ward's been retired for more than seven years now. He went out on top – even with two straight losses – with his trilogy of wars with the late Arturo Gatti. At last, Ward is receiving attention beyond the niche audience of boxing fans. He will never have the fame or fortune of a Sylvester Stallone – and he will never have a plaque in the International Hall of Fame (though when I visited he was referenced within the museum in Canastota).

But people will know who he was.

Sometimes truth is stronger than fiction. And while movie makers must take some liberties with his biography, there is "The Fighter."

Lem Satterfield of AOL Fanhouse has an interview with Ward about the movie.

So, too, did Chris Mannix of Sports Illustrated.

Don Steinberg talked to Mark Wahlberg, who played Ward, in an article for The Wall Street Journal.

And the Sports Illustrated website had an interview with Christian Bale, who played Dickie Eklund:

We have reviews of the film from Lance Pugmire of the Los Angeles Times, from John Whisler of the San Antonio Express-News, from Keith Idec on BoxingScene.com, and from Michael Rosenthal of RingTV.com.

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