Dicky Eklund

Richard Eklund Jr. (born May 3, 1957) is an American former professional boxer who competed from 1975 to 1985. Known as "The Pride of Lowell", he held the USA New England welterweight title twice between 1979 and 1983.[1] He is the half-brother and former trainer of former WBU champion Micky Ward.[2] The 2010 biopic The Fighter is based on the two brothers' fall and rise to the boxing title.

Dicky Eklund
Eklund in 2010
Statistics
Real nameRichard Eklund Jr.
Nickname(s)Dicky
The Pride of Lowell
Weight(s)Welterweight
Height5 ft 10 in (178 cm)
Reach70 in (178 cm)
NationalityAmerican
Born (1957-05-03) May 3, 1957
Lowell, Massachusetts, U.S.
StanceOrthodox
Boxing record
Total fights29
Wins19
Wins by KO4
Losses10

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 won 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

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

29 fights 19 wins 10 losses
By knockout 4 0
By decision 15 10
No. Result Record Opponent Type Round, time Date Location Notes
29 Win 19–10 United States James Lucas UD 10 May 30, 1985 United States Cumberland County Civic Center, Portland, Maine, U.S.
28 Win 18–10 United States James Lucas SD 12 October 25, 1983 United States Cumberland County Civic Center, Portland, Maine, U.S. Won USA New England welterweight title
27 Loss 17–10 United States Reggie Miller UD 10 September 22, 1983 United States Lake Charles, Louisiana, U.S.
26 Win 17–9 United States Terry Crawley SD 10 August 11, 1983 United States Yarmouth, Massachusetts
25 Loss 16–9 United States Robert Sawyer UD 12 September 16, 1982 United States Sands Casino Hotel, Atlantic City, New Jersey, U.S. For ESPN welterweight title
24 Win 16–8 United States Jeff Passero MD 8 July 31, 1982 United States Ballys Place Hotel Casino, Atlantic City, New Jersey, U.S
23 Win 15–8 Puerto Rico Cesar Guzman PTS 8 July 14, 1982 United States Boston, Massachusetts, U.S.
22 Loss 14–8 United States Kevin Howard SD 10 January 7, 1982United States Sands Casino Hotel, Atlantic City, New Jersey, U.S.
21 Loss 14–7 Canada Chris Clarke SD 10 October 27, 1981 Canada Halifax Metro Center, Halifax, Canada
20 Win 14–6 Canada Allen Clarke KO 9 (10) August 25, 1981 Canada Halifax Metro Center, Halifax, Canada
19 Win 13–6 United States C.J. Faison KO 1 (8), 2:58 February 10, 1981 Canada Paul Sauvé Arena, Montreal, Canada
18 Loss 12–6 United States Fernando Fernandez SD 10 June 20, 1980 United States Boston, Massachusetts, U.S.
17 Loss 12–5 United Kingdom Dave Boy Green PTS 10 December 4, 1979 United Kingdom Empire Pool, London, England
16 Win 12–4 United States Fernando Fernandez PTS 10 August 18, 1979 United States Lowell, Massachusetts, U.S. Won USA New England welterweight title
15 Loss 11–4 United States Sugar Ray Leonard UD 10 July 18, 1978 United States Hynes Auditorium, Boston, Massachusetts, U.S.
14 Loss 11–3 United States Willie Rodriguez SD 8 March 4, 1978 United States Boston, Massachusetts, U.S.
13 Win 11–2 United States Al Cruz KO 5 (6), 1:50 January 16, 1978 United States Waltham, Massachusetts, U.S.
12 Loss 10–2 Finland Erkki Meronen PTS 6 February 24, 1977 Denmark Østerbro Stadium, Copenhagen, Denmark
11 Win 10–1 United States Rufus Miller UD 8 October 30, 1976 United States East Hartford High School, East Hartford, U.S.
10 Win 9–1 United States Mike Michaud SD 8 September 20, 1976 United States Golden Banana Club, Peabody, Massachusetts, U.S.
9 Win 8–1 United States Randy Milton UD 6 June 24, 1976 United States Oakdale Theatre, Wallingford, Connecticut, U.S.
8 Win 7–1 United States Jose Carlos Garcia UD 6 April 26, 1976 United States Boston Garden, Boston, Massachusetts, U.S.
7 Win 6–1 United States Charlie Benjamin PTS 6 February 21, 1976 United States Waterbury, Connecticut, U.S.
6 Win 5–1 United States Terry Rondeau PTS 6 January 31, 1976 United States State Armory, Waterbury, Connecticut, U.S.
5 Win 4–1 Puerto Rico Jose Papo Melendez UD 4 December 20, 1975 United States Hynes Auditorium, Boston, Massachusetts, U.S.
4 Win 3–1 United States Avelino Dos Reis KO 3 (6) November 21, 1975 United States Providence, Rhode Island, U.S.
3 Win 2–1 United States Eddie Hudson UD 4 November 6, 1975 United States Portland, Maine, U.S.
2 Win 1–1 United States Doug Romano UD 4 September 30, 1975 United States Boston Garden, Boston, Massachusetts, U.S.
1 Loss 0–1 United States Joe DeFayette SD 6 August 26, 1975 United States Sargent Field, New Bedford, Massachusetts, U.S.

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.
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