‘Irish’ Micky Ward boxing movie ready to begin filming

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"Irish" Micky Ward

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“The Fighter,” a movie on the life of boxer "Irish" Micky Ward  starring Irish American Mark Wahlberg and Christian Bale is ready to begin shooting.

The film, directed by David O. Russell, who worked with Wahlberg on "Three Kings" and "I Heart Huckabees," will begin filming next week in Ward’s hometown of Lowell, Massachusetts.

Irish-American actor Wahlberg told the crowd at the Boston Red Sox’s Fenway Park before he threw the first pitch the other day that “Growing up, I was a huge ‘Irish’ Micky Ward fan.”

The biopic will tell the life story of light welterweight Micky Ward and his half brother, Dicky Eukland, to be played by Wahlberg and Bale, respectively. Melissa Leo will play Ward and Eukland’s mother, while Amy Adams will portray Ward’s tough as nails girlfriend.

Wahlberg has always dreamed of playing a boxer, and has championed this movie for some time, but was met with much difficulty. He originally secured Matt Damon as Eukland and signed up "The Wrestler" director Darren Aronofsky. Then Damon dropped out, and Brad Pitt was cast in in his place. But production was stalled and Aronofsky left the project.

Now that Hollywood heavyweights have signed on and the cast is complete, “The Fighter” is set for round one.

The Boston-born Wahlberg has continues to undergo intense training to get into shape for his role as Ward.

Ward grew up in a working class Irish family in Lowell, Massachussets in the '70s, and despite many setbacks in and out of the ring, ascended to the top of the game. 

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