Irish Thunder: The Hard Life and Times of Micky Ward
by Bob Halloran
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Book Summary Information
Author: Bob HalloranEdition: Hardcover
Audio: English (Unknown); English (Original Language); English (Published)
Published: 2007-11-01
ISBN: 159921220X
Number of pages: 296
Publisher: The Lyons Press
Book Reviews of Irish Thunder: The Hard Life and Times of Micky Ward
Book Review: An excellent biography
Summary: 5 Stars
Irish Thunder: The Hard Life and Times of Micky Ward is a great biography of the blue collar boxer from Lowell, MA. Bob Halloran does an excellent job chronicling Micky's career and the trials and tribulations he faced to get there. Right from the beginning, Bob illustrates the vision of Lowell, a once proud boxing town that had become a haven for decadence and despair. Although Micky would fall not victim to the drugs that had claimed many before him, the obstacles presented to him were constant whether it was injured hands, his family, bad management, big fights falling through, or his own self confidence. The fact that Micky persevered to become a popular and well respected boxer personifies his character. Halloran gives you a rundown of his fights throughout the book and his vivid recollections of Micky's wars with Arturo Gatti, Emanuel Burton, Reggie Green, and others make you feel like you're watching the fight as it happens. However, what really keeps the reader glued to this book is the behind the scenes drama. And as it often goes with money, the more there is to be made, the more drama comes with it. Most of the fight facts and recaps are accurate with the only obvious mistake being that Pernell Whitaker won a decision over Oscar De La Hoya, when in fact it was the other way around. All told, this is a well written biography and I would recommend this to any boxing fan.
Summary of Irish Thunder: The Hard Life and Times of Micky Ward
Box-office sensations Mark Wahlberg and Christian Bale star in The Fighter, in theaters December 10, 2010, and Irish Thunder is the story behind the film, the story of ''Irish'' Micky Ward's unlikely road to the world light welterweight title.Welcome to Lowell, Massachusetts -- where anything can happen.
Rocky Marciano fought at the Auditorium in 1947. Mike Tyson fought there in his Golden Gloves days. Sugar Ray Leonard won there, as did Marvin Hagler. Each of them prepared for his battle downstairs in the boiler room, just like thousands of other kids.
''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 and fans 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.
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