Micky Ward’s Atlantic City Legacy More than Gatti Fights

ARTS & ENTERTAINMENT > SPORTS

Now back in the news thanks to the movie 'The Fighter,' Ward fought in town 22 times

By Lori Hoffman

Add Comment | Comments: 0 | Posted Jan. 4, 2011

Arturo Gatti and Micky Ward were toe-to-toe brawlers.

Retired junior middleweight boxer Micky Ward is back in the news these days thanks to the success of The Fighter, a movie about his boxing career and his relationship with his older brother/trainer Dicky Eklund and the rest of his family including his mother, Alice, who was his manager for a time.

The film, directed by David O. Russell and starring Mark Wahlberg, Christian Bale, Amy Adams and Melissa Leo, has earned great reviews and is expected to generate several Academy Award nominations.

Since the film is about the family relationships as much as — or more than — his boxing career and ends before his three legendary bouts with Arturo Gatti, Atlantic City doesn’t get much play in the movie. Only one fight is set in Atlantic City in the movie.

However, in doing a little research on Ward’s career, I was astonished to find out that long before his two Gatti bouts in town, he had a total of 20 fights in Atlantic City. That means out of 51 professional fights, 22 were in Atlantic City. He fought at almost every casino in town that has ever staged boxing — Bally’s, Resorts, Trump Taj Mahal, Trump Plaza, Showboat, Caesars, the Sands and Harrah’s.

Here is Ward’s total list of Atlantic City fights.

• 1-10-1986: Chris Bajor, Resorts, W
• 1-24-1986: Mike Peoples, Resorts, W
• 2-21-1986: Jesus Carlos Velez, Trump Casino, W
• 4-18-1986: Darrell Curtis, Trump Casino, W
• 5-30-1986: Luis Pizzarro, Trump Casino, W
• 6-15-1986: Ken Willis, Atlantic City, W
• 7-4-1986: Rafael Terrero, Resorts, W
• 2-24-1987: Hilario Mercedes, Resorts, W
• 8-25-1987: Derrick McGuire, Bally’s, W
• 9-25-1987: Edwin Curet, Resorts, L
• 7-9-1988: Marvin Garris, Sands, W
• 5-19-1988: David Silva, Resorts, W
• 9-9-1988: Mike Mungin, Resorts, L
• 12-13-1988: Francisco Tomas Da Cruz, Resorts, W
• 1-15-1989: Frankie Warren, Caesars, L
• 5-23-1989: Clarence Coleman, Showboat, W
• 4-26-1990: Harold Brazier, Resorts, L
• 5-2-1991: Tony Marin, Trump Taj Mahal, L
• 10-15-1991: Ricky Meyers, Harrah’s, L
• 11-23-2002: Arturo Gatti (II), L, Boardwalk Hall
• 6-7-2003: Arturo Gatti (III), L, Boardwalk Hall (2003 Fight of the Year)
Record in Atlantic City: 13-8