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

Eklund has two children: a daughter, Kerry, and a son Dicky Jr. (who is an actor).

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
Professional record summary
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 James Lucas UD 10 May 30, 1985 Cumberland County Civic Center, Portland, Maine, U.S.
28 Win 18–10 James Lucas SD 12 Oct 25, 1983 Cumberland County Civic Center, Portland, Maine, U.S. Won USA New England welterweight title
27 Loss 17–10 Reggie Miller UD 10 Sep 22, 1983 Lake Charles, Louisiana, U.S.
26 Win 17–9 Terry Crawley SD 10 Aug 11, 1983 Yarmouth, Massachusetts
25 Loss 16–9 Robert Sawyer UD 12 Sep 16, 1982 Sands Casino Hotel, Atlantic City, New Jersey, U.S. For ESPN welterweight title
24 Win 16–8 Jeff Passero MD 8 Jul 31, 1982 Ballys Place Hotel Casino, Atlantic City, New Jersey, U.S
23 Win 15–8 Cesar Guzman PTS 8 Jul 14, 1982 Boston, Massachusetts, U.S.
22 Loss 14–8 Kevin Howard SD 10 Jan 7, 1982 Sands Casino Hotel, Atlantic City, New Jersey, U.S.
21 Loss 14–7 Chris Clarke SD 10 Oct 27, 1981 Halifax Metro Center, Halifax, Canada
20 Win 14–6 Allen Clarke KO 9 (10) Aug 25, 1981 Halifax Metro Center, Halifax, Canada
19 Win 13–6 C.J. Faison KO 1 (8), 2:58 Feb 10, 1981 Paul Sauvé Arena, Montreal, Canada
18 Loss 12–6 Fernando Fernandez SD 10 Jun 20, 1980 Boston, Massachusetts, U.S.
17 Loss 12–5 Dave Boy Green PTS 10 Dec 4, 1979 Empire Pool, London, England
16 Win 12–4 Fernando Fernandez PTS 10 Aug 18, 1979 Lowell, Massachusetts, U.S. Won USA New England welterweight title
15 Loss 11–4 Sugar Ray Leonard UD 10 Jul 18, 1978 Hynes Auditorium, Boston, Massachusetts, U.S.
14 Loss 11–3 Willie Rodriguez SD 8 Mar 4, 1978 Boston, Massachusetts, U.S.
13 Win 11–2 Al Cruz KO 5 (6), 1:50 Jan 16, 1978 Waltham, Massachusetts, U.S.
12 Loss 10–2 Erkki Meronen PTS 6 Feb 24, 1977 Østerbro Stadium, Copenhagen, Denmark
11 Win 10–1 Rufus Miller UD 8 Oct 30, 1976 East Hartford High School, East Hartford, U.S.
10 Win 9–1 Mike Michaud SD 8 Sep 20, 1976 Golden Banana Club, Peabody, Massachusetts, U.S.
9 Win 8–1 Randy Milton UD 6 Jun 24, 1976 Oakdale Theatre, Wallingford, Connecticut, U.S.
8 Win 7–1 Jose Carlos Garcia UD 6 Apr 26, 1976 Boston Garden, Boston, Massachusetts, U.S.
7 Win 6–1 Charlie Benjamin PTS 6 Feb 21, 1976 Waterbury, Connecticut, U.S.
6 Win 5–1 Terry Rondeau PTS 6 Jan 31, 1976 State Armory, Waterbury, Connecticut, U.S.
5 Win 4–1 Jose Papo Melendez UD 4 Dec 20, 1975 Hynes Auditorium, Boston, Massachusetts, U.S.
4 Win 3–1 Avelino Dos Reis KO 3 (6) Nov 21, 1975 Providence, Rhode Island, U.S.
3 Win 2–1 Eddie Hudson UD 4 Nov 6, 1975 Portland, Maine, U.S.
2 Win 1–1 Doug Romano UD 4 Sep 30, 1975 Boston Garden, Boston, Massachusetts, U.S.
1 Loss 0–1 Joe DeFayette SD 6 Aug 26, 1975 Sargent Field, New Bedford, Massachusetts, U.S.
gollark: Temporarily, and with bad economic damage.
gollark: And can get us to do stuff remotely more efficiently, I suppose.
gollark: The only way it might be a good thing is if it prepares us better for more pandemics.
gollark: The UK's response has been quite bad too, so I'm worried.
gollark: ``` _ _ __ _ _ __ ___ __ _____ __| | ___ (_)_ __ __ _ / _` | '__/ _ \ \ \ /\ / / _ \ / _` |/ _ \| | '_ \ / _` || (_| | | | __/ \ V V / __/ | (_| | (_) | | | | | (_| | \__,_|_| \___| \_/\_/ \___| \__,_|\___/|_|_| |_|\__, | |___/ _ ____ ____ ___ ___ _ / \ / ___| / ___|_ _|_ _| __ _ _ __| |_ / _ \ \___ \| | | | | | / _` | '__| __| / ___ \ ___) | |___ | | | | | (_| | | | |_ /_/ \_\____/ \____|___|___| \__,_|_| \__| ___ _ __ _____ _|__ \| '_ \ / _ \ \ /\ / / / /| | | | (_) \ V V / |_| |_| |_|\___/ \_/\_/ (_) ```

See also
  • Notable boxing families

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.