Dicky Eklund

Dicky Eklund
Eklund in 2010
Statistics
Real name Richard Eklund Jr.
Nickname(s) Dicky
The Pride of Lowell
Weight(s) Welterweight
Light Welterweight
Height 5 ft 10 in (178 cm)
Reach 70 in (178 cm)
Nationality American
Born (1957-05-03) May 3, 1957
Lowell, Massachusetts, U.S.
Stance Orthodox
Boxing record
Total fights 29
Wins 19
Wins by KO 4
Losses 10
Draws 0
No contests 0

Richard "Dicky" Eklund Jr. (born May 3, 1957) is an American former professional boxer in the Welterweight division. A former New England Welterweight Champion,[1] Eklund was known as "The Pride of Lowell". He is the half-brother and former trainer of former WBU World Champion Micky Ward.[2] The 2010 biopic The Fighter is based on the two brothers' fall and rise to the boxing title.

Boxing career

After an amateur boxing career of 200 bouts, winning 194, Eklund turned professional on August 26, 1975. After losing his debut by 6-round decision to Joe DeFayette, Eklund won 10 straight fights; defeating such opponents as Doug Romano, Terry Rondeau, Carlos Garcia, Randy Milton, and Mike Michaud.[3]

He fought professionally as Dick Eklund; "Dicky" was a nickname used by his family and friends. Before his 1978 match with future world boxing champion Sugar Ray Leonard, Eklund's most impressive victory was over undefeated Rufus Miller (6–0–1) in 1976.

Eklund's most notable fight was on July 18, 1978, against Sugar Ray Leonard at the Hynes Memorial Auditorium in Boston, Massachusetts. He went the distance against Leonard, who eventually lost the fight by unanimous decision. During the fight, Eklund was knocked down twice. In the ninth round, the fighters got wrapped up and Leonard tripped, which was counted as a trip by the referee. In the film The Fighter, Eklund claims to have knocked down Leonard in their match. While the film acknowledges the slip, a video of the fight shows a punch/push and Leonard falling to the canvas on his back. The official verdict by the referee Tommy Rawson was a slip. In an interview regarding the knockdown, Leonard said, "I slipped."[4]

Eklund's fastest victory was a first-round knockout over C.J. Faison in Montreal, Canada on February 10, 1981.[5] According to the 1983 Ring Record Book, Eklund knocked out Canada's Allan Clarke in 9 rounds on August 25, 1981. Clarke's record was listed by the Ring as 21–4–1. On October 25, 1983, Eklund defeated James Lucas to win the USA New England Welterweight Title. Following a rematch victory over Lucas in 1985, Eklund never fought again.

Eklund's fighting career spanned 10 years from 1975 to 1985, during which he compiled a professional career record of 19 wins, including four by knockout, and 10 losses.[6]

After Eklund's fighting career ended, he became the trainer of his half-brother, noted former boxer Micky Ward. Eklund was Ward's full-time trainer for 26 fights, from Ward's professional debut in 1985 until his first retirement in 1991. Three of Ward's post-retirement fights were voted fight of the year by The Ring. Eklund served as Ward's trainer until his second retirement, after his third fight with Arturo Gatti on June 7, 2003. Ward's biography, written by Bob Halloran and titled Irish Thunder: The Hard Life and Times of Micky Ward, discusses much of Eklund's life and career.

Eklund now works as a personal trainer and boxing coach in New England. He also travels the United States with Micky Ward, giving motivational speeches to college students.

Personal life

Eklund has two sons, Dicky Jr (who is an actor) and Tommy, and a daughter, Kerry.

Paramount Pictures' 2010 drama The Fighter chronicles the rise of Eklund's younger half-brother Micky Ward. Directed by David O. Russell, the film stars Christian Bale as Eklund and Mark Wahlberg as Ward. At the 2011 Screen Actors Guild Awards, Eklund made a surprise appearance on stage with Christian Bale as the latter accepted the award for Outstanding Supporting Actor for his portrayal of Eklund. Bale also won a Golden Globe and an Academy Award for his performance. During his Academy Award acceptance speech, he thanked Eklund and Ward, who were in the audience.[7]

Eklund was also featured on the HBO documentary High on Crack Street: Lost Lives in Lowell which showed his fall from boxing grace because of his addiction to crack cocaine. In the documentary, Eklund was sentenced to a long prison term for crimes he committed to feed his crack addiction.

Professional boxing record

19 Wins (4 knockouts), 10 Losses, 0 Draw
Res. Record Opponent Type Rd., Time Date Location Notes
Win19-10-0United States James Lucas UD10 (10)May 30, 1985MaineCumberland County Civic Center, Portland, Maine
Win18-10–0United States James Lucas SD10(10)October 15, 1983MaineCumberland County Civic Center, Portland, Maine Won the New England Welterweight Championship
Loss17–10-0United States Reggie Miller UD10(10)September 23, 1983LouisianaLake Charles, Louisiana Miller was undefeated (12–0) going in.
Win17–9–0United States Terry Crawley SD10 (10)August 11, 1983MassachusettsYarmouth, Massachusetts
Loss16–9–0United States Robert Sawyer PTS12 (12)September 16, 1982New JerseySands Casino Hotel, Atlantic City, New Jersey For the ESPN Welterweight Championship
Win16–8–0United States Jeff Passero PTS8(8)July 31, 1982New JerseyBallys Place Hotel Casino, Atlantic City, New Jersey
Win15-8-0Puerto Rico Cesar Guzman PTS10(10)July 14, 1982MassachusettsDorchester, Massachusetts
Loss14-8-0United States Kevin Howard SD10 (10)January 7, 1982New JerseySands Casino Hotel, Atlantic City, New Jersey
Loss14–7–0Canada Chris Clarke SD10 (10)October 27, 1981Nova ScotiaHalifax Metro Center, Halifax, Nova Scotia, Canada
Win14–6–0Canada Allen Clarke KO4 (0:15)August 25, 1981Nova ScotiaHalifax Metro Center, Halifax, Nova Scotia, Canada
Win13–6–0United States C.J. Faison KO1 (2:58)February 10, 1981QuebecPaul Sauvé Arena, Montreal, Quebec, Canada
Loss12–6–0United States Fernando Fernandez SD7 (1:11)June 20, 1980MassachusettsBoston, Massachusetts
Loss12-5–0England Dave Boy Green UD10 (10)December 4, 1979EnglandEmpire Pool, Wembley, London, England Green was (32–2) going in.
Win12–4–0United States Fernando Fernandez PTS10 (10)August 18, 1979MassachusettsLowell, Massachusetts
Loss11–4–0United States Sugar Ray Leonard UD10 (10)July 18, 1978MassachusettsHynes Auditorium, Boston, Massachusetts
Loss11-3–0United States Willie Rodriguez SD8 (2:08)March, 1978Massachusetts, Boston, Massachusetts
Win11-2-0United States Al Cruz KO5 (0:57)January 16, 1978Massachusetts, Waltham, Massachusetts

See also

References

  1. ↑ Graham, Bryan Armen (December 14, 2010). "Q&A with Christian Bale". SI.com. Retrieved January 28, 2011.
  2. ↑ Johnson, O'Ryan (December 4, 2010). "Dicky Eklund spars with fame's curse". BostonHerald.com. Retrieved January 28, 2011.
  3. ↑ Ring Record Book, 1983, page 112)
  4. ↑ Star Boxing. "The Hebrew Hammer Ready to Produce Fireworks". Boxing News 24/7.
  5. ↑ Ring Record Book, 1983, page 112
  6. ↑ "BoxRec profile". Boxrec.com. Retrieved January 28, 2011.
  7. ↑ "Christian Bale wins Oscar for 'The Fighter'". MoneyControl.com. February 28, 2011. Retrieved February 28, 2011.
This article is issued from Wikipedia. The text is licensed under Creative Commons - Attribution - Sharealike. Additional terms may apply for the media files.