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Irish Thunder: The Hard Life & Times of Micky Ward: Library Edition
Bob Halloran recounts the rise of boxer Irish Micky Ward, the constant underdog who was able to make stunning comebacks late in the fights. In 2002, he went up against Arturo Gatti in what boxing fans around America called the Fight of the Century.
7 pages, Audio Cassette
First published November 1, 2007
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 30 reviews
December 22, 2022
"It was good to be Micky Ward, and that hadn't always been the case." pg 193
I saw The Fighter in the theater on New Years Eve 2010. I remember walking out thinking I had just seen a great movie. Since then I have seen the movie several times and continue to enjoy it when I do see it. The life of Micky Ward is a genuine story that anyone can relate to on some level. His story portrayed inner conflict, outer conflict with his dysfunctional family, and his sense of loyalty to his family and own brother, Dickey Ward.
This was a great companion to the Mark Wahlberg movie and complemented the real story. I would recommend this to anyone who enjoyed the movie! Thanks!
I saw The Fighter in the theater on New Years Eve 2010. I remember walking out thinking I had just seen a great movie. Since then I have seen the movie several times and continue to enjoy it when I do see it. The life of Micky Ward is a genuine story that anyone can relate to on some level. His story portrayed inner conflict, outer conflict with his dysfunctional family, and his sense of loyalty to his family and own brother, Dickey Ward.
This was a great companion to the Mark Wahlberg movie and complemented the real story. I would recommend this to anyone who enjoyed the movie! Thanks!
March 4, 2017
Wow. Where do you start to write a description on this book about Irish Micky Ward. I will start practically at the end. Micky ward fought his last three fights against a Canadian Italian fighter who later committed suicide / got killed (unresolved) called Arturo Gatti. The first of the trilogy got this reaction from a well-known boxing commentator (Bill Lampley) “We told you this would be candidate for fight of the year. We didn’t know it would be candidate for fight of the century.”
His life was made into a film called The Fighter starring Christian Bale (his old crackhead brother who by the way fought and went 10 rounds with Sugar Ray Leonard) and Mark Wahlberg. Some fighters wow you with their skill (Mayweather) and others with their stamina (Ali in the Jungle) and others with their technique (Gennady Gelovkin) and others with their brute force and aggression (Mike Tyson). Micky Ward wowed the world with his heart. He lost plenty of fights but he came back again and again and again. He came from Lowell, Massachusetts and at the age of 7 decided to follow in the footsteps of his older brother Dickie Eklund. He started off well enough but had a terrible run of around 4 defeats in pretty much close succession and after a few run ins with the police (one of which left him with deliberately targeted and broken hands) he decided to give up boxing. Dickie was in prison, his life was a mess and his dreams of becoming a champion of the world had been shattered. Then something changed, he decided not to go gentle into that good night and raged against the dying of his dreams and his light (to quote Dylan Thomas). Somehow he managed to get back into boxing and slowly but surely crawled his way to a world title shot which he won in London England.
I guess that doesn’t really explain the magic of the book, or the character that this fighting legend was. Boxing is one of the few sports where when the "game"/fight ends you are genuinely delighted with it ending. It’s one of the only few sports that you don’t actually play. Ever heard of anyone saying that they “play” boxing? No. The determination that Micky Ward showed in his training and in his vision and also in the maelstrom of the thick of his fights was incredible. He had a left hook to that body that was described as a bullet wound. It wasn’t a matter of heart or mind over matter, if you got hit with it it sometimes took opponents a few minutes to recover let alone the allocated 10 seconds they had to get to their feet. He was one of those unique boxers that while not the most skilled was willing to put his will up against another fighters will. Taking a shot was not the biggest issue. You could train your neck to act as a shock absorber in the fight. What was more important was that voice inside you that said that you were not going to give up while all around you was darkness and the screaming cacophony of the crowd cheering ur opponent while u lay sprawled on the floor - how do You get up to potentially receive more pain? In fact in his last fight again Gatti he was cut in 3 different places on his face and bleeding profusely, he realised from the 6th round of this his last fight that he had nothing left in the tank (there were 4 mores rounds to go) but he carried on fighting, his vision had been impaired almost irrevocably in that fight to the point that for the last few rounds and for almost 12 months after he had double and triple vision. He was seeing 3/4/5 Gattis in the ring – what an incredibly frightening place to be – and yet Micky carried on fighting (into that good night). The guy was an incredibly humble human. He continued to work in Massachusetts paving the roads like he used to for intermittent parts of his career. He was never brash or arrogant with his money and to this day he lives a fairly humble life. His is a classic rags to riches story and one I’m glad I got to read. Massively inspirational insight into the life and mind of a true fighter.
His life was made into a film called The Fighter starring Christian Bale (his old crackhead brother who by the way fought and went 10 rounds with Sugar Ray Leonard) and Mark Wahlberg. Some fighters wow you with their skill (Mayweather) and others with their stamina (Ali in the Jungle) and others with their technique (Gennady Gelovkin) and others with their brute force and aggression (Mike Tyson). Micky Ward wowed the world with his heart. He lost plenty of fights but he came back again and again and again. He came from Lowell, Massachusetts and at the age of 7 decided to follow in the footsteps of his older brother Dickie Eklund. He started off well enough but had a terrible run of around 4 defeats in pretty much close succession and after a few run ins with the police (one of which left him with deliberately targeted and broken hands) he decided to give up boxing. Dickie was in prison, his life was a mess and his dreams of becoming a champion of the world had been shattered. Then something changed, he decided not to go gentle into that good night and raged against the dying of his dreams and his light (to quote Dylan Thomas). Somehow he managed to get back into boxing and slowly but surely crawled his way to a world title shot which he won in London England.
I guess that doesn’t really explain the magic of the book, or the character that this fighting legend was. Boxing is one of the few sports where when the "game"/fight ends you are genuinely delighted with it ending. It’s one of the only few sports that you don’t actually play. Ever heard of anyone saying that they “play” boxing? No. The determination that Micky Ward showed in his training and in his vision and also in the maelstrom of the thick of his fights was incredible. He had a left hook to that body that was described as a bullet wound. It wasn’t a matter of heart or mind over matter, if you got hit with it it sometimes took opponents a few minutes to recover let alone the allocated 10 seconds they had to get to their feet. He was one of those unique boxers that while not the most skilled was willing to put his will up against another fighters will. Taking a shot was not the biggest issue. You could train your neck to act as a shock absorber in the fight. What was more important was that voice inside you that said that you were not going to give up while all around you was darkness and the screaming cacophony of the crowd cheering ur opponent while u lay sprawled on the floor - how do You get up to potentially receive more pain? In fact in his last fight again Gatti he was cut in 3 different places on his face and bleeding profusely, he realised from the 6th round of this his last fight that he had nothing left in the tank (there were 4 mores rounds to go) but he carried on fighting, his vision had been impaired almost irrevocably in that fight to the point that for the last few rounds and for almost 12 months after he had double and triple vision. He was seeing 3/4/5 Gattis in the ring – what an incredibly frightening place to be – and yet Micky carried on fighting (into that good night). The guy was an incredibly humble human. He continued to work in Massachusetts paving the roads like he used to for intermittent parts of his career. He was never brash or arrogant with his money and to this day he lives a fairly humble life. His is a classic rags to riches story and one I’m glad I got to read. Massively inspirational insight into the life and mind of a true fighter.
April 2, 2022
There's something kind of tragically repetitive in reading good books about boxing: it's a crooked, crooked sport. The people involved are always jockeying behind the scenes to see which side can screw the other harder out of money. And oftentimes, even the folks that are the closest to the fighters are the ones who end up screwing them over hardest.
"Irish" Micky Ward's story is no different.
"Irish Thunder", written in 2007 (three years before Mark Wahlberg's film The Fighter hit Hollywood), chronicles the life and career of Micky Ward, a hardscrabble kid from Lowell, MA who really isn't that complicated: he loves fighting, he wants to keep at it, and he hopes that he can be more than just another washout from Lowell's streets (like his brother, Dickie Eklund). Bob Halloran does his best to paint the story of Ward as one of those competitive "underdog overcoming" narratives, pitting Ward's humility against the various vultures in his corner (his mother Alice, who managed and mostly mismanaged the first half of his career, his later managers who seemed more into arguing over the money than Micky's well-being, his absolute wretch of a brother Dickie Eklund). But even though Halloran tries, he just can't write over the fact that Micky Ward isn't all that interesting of a character: he's just a good, decent, solid, uncomplicated dude who wants to fight. So if the central character doesn't draw your attention, you look to the supporting cast. And everyone around him looks all the worse for the myriad of ways that they seem to take advantage of him. (With the exception of Mickey O'Keefe, the retired cop-turned trainer who guided Micky through the beginning of his comeback, and one of the few objectively decent folks in the story)
The book shines, however, when it gets towards Ward's moment in the sun. Boxing fans speak in reverential tones of the Micky Ward-Arturo Gatti trilogy of fights from 2002-2003, and for good reason: the flashy style and speed of Gatti against the dogged determination and grit of Ward made for a Hollywood-style rivalry, two boxers of total different styles tessellating perfectly into a beautiful tapestry of pugilism. Halloran's writing, already quite good, positively shines off the pages with intense description of every round. If the entire book was about this trilogy alone, that might make it one of the better sports-centered books I've ever read.
Unfortunately, that doesn't come up until the reader has already invested 200+ pages into this story, and it's honestly a coin flip if you are willing to make it that far.
"Irish" Micky Ward's story is no different.
"Irish Thunder", written in 2007 (three years before Mark Wahlberg's film The Fighter hit Hollywood), chronicles the life and career of Micky Ward, a hardscrabble kid from Lowell, MA who really isn't that complicated: he loves fighting, he wants to keep at it, and he hopes that he can be more than just another washout from Lowell's streets (like his brother, Dickie Eklund). Bob Halloran does his best to paint the story of Ward as one of those competitive "underdog overcoming" narratives, pitting Ward's humility against the various vultures in his corner (his mother Alice, who managed and mostly mismanaged the first half of his career, his later managers who seemed more into arguing over the money than Micky's well-being, his absolute wretch of a brother Dickie Eklund). But even though Halloran tries, he just can't write over the fact that Micky Ward isn't all that interesting of a character: he's just a good, decent, solid, uncomplicated dude who wants to fight. So if the central character doesn't draw your attention, you look to the supporting cast. And everyone around him looks all the worse for the myriad of ways that they seem to take advantage of him. (With the exception of Mickey O'Keefe, the retired cop-turned trainer who guided Micky through the beginning of his comeback, and one of the few objectively decent folks in the story)
The book shines, however, when it gets towards Ward's moment in the sun. Boxing fans speak in reverential tones of the Micky Ward-Arturo Gatti trilogy of fights from 2002-2003, and for good reason: the flashy style and speed of Gatti against the dogged determination and grit of Ward made for a Hollywood-style rivalry, two boxers of total different styles tessellating perfectly into a beautiful tapestry of pugilism. Halloran's writing, already quite good, positively shines off the pages with intense description of every round. If the entire book was about this trilogy alone, that might make it one of the better sports-centered books I've ever read.
Unfortunately, that doesn't come up until the reader has already invested 200+ pages into this story, and it's honestly a coin flip if you are willing to make it that far.
January 5, 2012
If you live anywhere in the New England area you have at least heard of "Irish" Micky Ward. Either that, or you saw his brother - Dickie Ecklund - in a not so glamorous documentary about the drug trade in his hometown Lowell, MA (High On Crack Street). Or, you heard of his hard luck boxing career. But, such is the story of Micky Ward. Nothing ever came easy for Micky.
Ward is a true to life Rocky Balboa, minus the over the cheesy one liners and alcohol-raddled brother-in-law (well, there was his own brother who provided that guise). In fact, Ward engages in very little trash talking, letting his hands and boxing skill do the talking.
Unfortunately, Halloran fails to delve deeper into Ward's personal life, perhaps by design. Ward does tend to keep his nose clean despite a few dust ups and parties and the people of his hometown Lowell (MA) consider him along the lines of a demigod. But, it seems Halloran avoids some of Micky's more personal adventures outside of the ring. While these experiences in Wards personal life may not be exemplary, it would shed more light on his character and makeup. Further examination shows Ward to be a tough, old school hard working blue collar man who never forgot where he came from.
But, contrary to the Hollywood story, Ward's career has just as many ups as downs. When Ward does win it almost seems anti-climactic. While some victories come easier than others, most victories, and most rounds of each fight, come hard. It's as though he has to reach down deep just to survive let alone prevail. And that is what this story is mostly about. It's about his surviving through being let down by his brother Dickie (who came closer than Micky to boxing glory in his heyday before his addictions knocked him out), being cheated out of countless dollars by unscrupulous promoters and surviving the hard luck tough streets of Lowell. Micky Ward is, if nothing else, a survivor.
Ward is a true to life Rocky Balboa, minus the over the cheesy one liners and alcohol-raddled brother-in-law (well, there was his own brother who provided that guise). In fact, Ward engages in very little trash talking, letting his hands and boxing skill do the talking.
Unfortunately, Halloran fails to delve deeper into Ward's personal life, perhaps by design. Ward does tend to keep his nose clean despite a few dust ups and parties and the people of his hometown Lowell (MA) consider him along the lines of a demigod. But, it seems Halloran avoids some of Micky's more personal adventures outside of the ring. While these experiences in Wards personal life may not be exemplary, it would shed more light on his character and makeup. Further examination shows Ward to be a tough, old school hard working blue collar man who never forgot where he came from.
But, contrary to the Hollywood story, Ward's career has just as many ups as downs. When Ward does win it almost seems anti-climactic. While some victories come easier than others, most victories, and most rounds of each fight, come hard. It's as though he has to reach down deep just to survive let alone prevail. And that is what this story is mostly about. It's about his surviving through being let down by his brother Dickie (who came closer than Micky to boxing glory in his heyday before his addictions knocked him out), being cheated out of countless dollars by unscrupulous promoters and surviving the hard luck tough streets of Lowell. Micky Ward is, if nothing else, a survivor.
June 27, 2015
Interesting book. How can you not love a story about a hard luck guy who fought an uphill battle for everything he had, despite all the odds against him and even his family making it hard for him, and still come out on top? The Fighter was great, but as you would expect it takes a few liberties and adjusts some of the facts, as well as timeline of events to make it compelling in the form or a 2 hour movie. But this book details Micky's tough rise, fall and eventual rise again including all the gritty details you didn't see in the movie. If you are not a fan of boxing though, I don't think you'd enjoy it.
April 16, 2019
This book tells the story of a guy who rises (or more aptly is pushed) into the life of a boxer. I got the feeling Micky Ward would have been perfectly fine living the life he had before his family decided he had to fulfill the dream THEY had for him. And in the end he was sold down the river.
The other life than springs to mind when I think of Micky Ward is that of Jerry Quarry - a guy whose family's greed killed him and he was too loyal and big-hearted to refuse them.
The other life than springs to mind when I think of Micky Ward is that of Jerry Quarry - a guy whose family's greed killed him and he was too loyal and big-hearted to refuse them.
July 25, 2008
this book isn't so much about micky ward's *life* as it is about his boxing career. the chronology is tricky to follow, and the names are equally difficult to sort out if one isn't already familiar with ward's story. however, the fight descriptions are riveting and if you like boxing and/or underdog sports stories, you'll probably enjoy this book.
July 22, 2021
Damn. That was like a 330 page news article. Boxing writing is awesome. I love reading about a fight and then watching it. When you hear the quotes from the corner happen in real time or you see the grimace from a fighter from a punch that hurt them it’s a much different feeling from reading a novel then watching the movie. Great story about a normal dude with an awesome left hook to the body.
February 6, 2012
Micky Ward is a bad ass. Amazing story of how someone could climb out of that hole. Writer did a great job recounting his fights. It was an awesome book.
June 6, 2016
I really liked this book, especially how it was based in Massachusetts it shows how hard work and will pays off . Also it shows how addiction effects you life with Micky wards Brother
August 18, 2025
Definitely a compelling read where I was able to see a bit of the behind the scenes drama that is a boxer's life, not to mention the conditions Micky grew up with. You often hear that X or Y fighter came from a tough neighborhood and you wonder how tough. In Micky's case, he pushed through a variety of challenges that aren't normal. Unlike other people, I'm pretty sure my first Ward fight was Ward Vs. Gatti #1, which is a crazy starting point. I have also heard blue collar tossed in many a conversation of people's upbringing but I think getting more blue collar than Micky is a challenge. And I had zero clue about his accidents. Or how tough it was with his brother. Or how difficult his first career was. Or anything really. This deep dive into the life of Micky Ward definitely gives you new appreciation for the words resilience and perseverance. A great read and I'm happy Micky stuck to his guns in and out of the ring.
February 7, 2024
Great book! I remember those 3 fights with Ward and Gatti . Halloran did a great job in rehashing those bouts. I could actually feel the rhythm and the pulsating punches and my heart racing with his description of these two warriors. Loved it!
January 23, 2021
local guy
May 15, 2011
I'm going to give this four stars because of the topic and my interest in it. In reality, if it was allowable, I'd probably give it a 3.5.
If you've read a police report or a crime novel, then picture that style telling the story of Micky Ward, one of the most amazing stories in boxing. The story is decent and it kept me interested. Yet, it lacked something. It's hard for me to put a finger on what exactly. But as much as I wanted to love this book, I couldn't. I did, however, like it a real lot.
Micky Ward is simply an incredible story. From his upbringing to his early goings in boxing to a late-career surge with the Arturo Gatti trilogy, this is a pretty solid read. It gives pretty interesting details on his brother, Dickie, and several other players during his career, which spanned over three decades.
There are details about fights and insight into Micky's mind and thought process. The description of the Gatti fights is pretty solid and you really have to scratch your head wondering what those two were thinking (or not thinking) putting themselves through all that punishment.
As I said, the beginning part of the book was a little police like in the book read like a crime report. Though that style continued for much of the book it became a little less so as the book went on, making it much more tolerable.
Micky Ward is a throwback fighter and this book does a good job showing that. I'd highly encourage any boxing fan or anyone interested in reading a story about a long shot to check this book out.
If you've read a police report or a crime novel, then picture that style telling the story of Micky Ward, one of the most amazing stories in boxing. The story is decent and it kept me interested. Yet, it lacked something. It's hard for me to put a finger on what exactly. But as much as I wanted to love this book, I couldn't. I did, however, like it a real lot.
Micky Ward is simply an incredible story. From his upbringing to his early goings in boxing to a late-career surge with the Arturo Gatti trilogy, this is a pretty solid read. It gives pretty interesting details on his brother, Dickie, and several other players during his career, which spanned over three decades.
There are details about fights and insight into Micky's mind and thought process. The description of the Gatti fights is pretty solid and you really have to scratch your head wondering what those two were thinking (or not thinking) putting themselves through all that punishment.
As I said, the beginning part of the book was a little police like in the book read like a crime report. Though that style continued for much of the book it became a little less so as the book went on, making it much more tolerable.
Micky Ward is a throwback fighter and this book does a good job showing that. I'd highly encourage any boxing fan or anyone interested in reading a story about a long shot to check this book out.
February 17, 2009
Easy read, if you knew the story (basically) by living and following Mickey's career. Living in the area helps too. Wasn't written well though as it bounced all over the place, mentioning the same 'things' in several different places. just wasn't smooth is spots but overall still fun to get more of a back-room look.
December 4, 2009
I'm a huge Micky Ward fan - he grew up in a pretty trashy environment and rose above it to become a champion. He embodied some of the best aspects of boxing. Looking forward to the movie coming out about his life.
The writing style in this book is pretty halting and unpolished but it's not really about that for me (or other Ward fans).
The writing style in this book is pretty halting and unpolished but it's not really about that for me (or other Ward fans).
October 10, 2012
This is a great book about a boxer with much talent. But his family slowed him down an prevented him to reach his full potential. Once he was out of his prime he still kept boxing because he loved it. Although he took a break, he had to come back to the sport. He finally dropped his family and started a career where he demolished people, even at his old age, he still one championships
December 29, 2016
Great round by round descriptions of many of Micky's fights. Great descriptions of life in Lowell, MA and the anachronisms of its Shanty Irish. One puzzling thing was the practical omission of Micky's father. I'll have to read Micky's own book now. Here's a rewarding link to round 7 of the Sanchez fight.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9yzxK...
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9yzxK...
September 14, 2011
I admit I have some bias as I've been a boxing fan for 35 years and a Micky Ward fan for about 10.
But I did thoroughly enjoy this book. And what normally would have taken me a couple weeks to read a typical book of this size I was able to polish off in 3-4 days.
But I did thoroughly enjoy this book. And what normally would have taken me a couple weeks to read a typical book of this size I was able to polish off in 3-4 days.
May 24, 2012
I picked this up on a whim after I saw the fighter, I just couldn't put it down I had to know what would happen to Ward. If you like boxing or just the fighter then give it a go I'm sure you will not be disappointed . Give it a try :)
November 27, 2013
Very good book. Did a great job of telling the inspiring tale of Micky, without getting bogged down in stats or boxing jargon. For those of you who have seen the movie The Fighter, still worth the read to get the full story, and to see just what a sleazeball Dicky Ecklund could be.
December 29, 2008
Good book.
April 5, 2011
Not the most amazing writing, but the story speaks for itself. Not a huge boxing fan, but it held my attention and had made me more interested in the sport. A light and easy read.
March 10, 2012
good read
Read
May 10, 2012I gave this book 50 pages and quit. Great story, fantastic movie, just not a well-written book.
July 8, 2012
Now I have to see the Ward Gatti fights
July 12, 2013
Listened to this book: good story of tough kid who had a lot going against it & almost made it to the top.
April 7, 2013
Lots more detail about the managing, promoting, training, and especially the boxing etc.than they were able to show in the movie. Great description of old style big-hearted sluggers.
August 13, 2017
Great read on great fighter.
March 20, 2014
Living in the town that he grew up in and seeing him and Dicky about Town is kind of Funny. I actually liked this book, Even my boyfriend who doesnt normally read got through the book as well.
Displaying 1 - 30 of 30 reviews