"THE FIGHTER" Dicky Eklund half brother of Micky Ward and former welterweight contender who fought Sugar Ray Leonard SIGNED Everlast glove.

Price: £55

Sugar Ray Leonard vs Dicky Eklund - Highlights

Richard "Dicky" Eklund (born May 9, 1957) is an American former professional in the Welterweight division.

A former New England Welterweight Champion, Eklund was known as "The Pride of Lowell". He is the half-brother and former trainer of former WBU World Champion Micky Ward.

The 2010 biopic The Fighter is based on the two brothers' fall and rise to the boxing title.

Career
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 fell down, which the referee classed as a trip rather than a knockdown. 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.

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
In the 1980s, Eklund became addicted to crack cocaine, effectively ending his fighting career in 1985. To support his habit, he turned to crime. Eklund was sentenced to 10-to-15 years in prison for breaking and entering with intent to commit a felony, kidnapping, masked armed robbery, and several other crimes; he was paroled in 1999.

Eklund has two sons, Dicky Jr. and Tommy, and a daughter, Kerry.

In Film
HBO's America Undercover documented Eklund's life for a period of 18 months. The resulting 1995 documentary, High on Crack Street: Lost Lives in Lowell, followed Eklund and two other crack addicts in Lowell as their lives spiraled out of control. The documentary ends with Eklund being sentenced to prison.

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.