Dicky Eklund


Richard Eklund Jr. 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. He is the half-brother and former trainer of former WBU champion Micky Ward. 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.
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 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."
Eklund's fastest victory was a first-round knockout over C.J. Faison in Montreal, Canada on February 10, 1981. 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.
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..
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.
Eklund was also featured on the HBO documentary 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

No.ResultRecordOpponentTypeRound, timeDateLocationNotes
29Win19–10 James LucasUD10May 30, 1985Cumberland County Civic Center, Portland, Maine, U.S..png" />
28Win18–10 James LucasSD12Oct 25, 1983Portland, Maine, U.S..png" />Won USA New England welterweight title
27Loss17–10 Reggie MillerUD10Sep 22, 1983Lake Charles, Louisiana, U.S..png" />
26Win17–9 Terry CrawleySD10Aug 11, 1983Yarmouth, Massachusetts.png" />
25Loss16–9 Robert SawyerUD12Sep 16, 1982Sands Casino Hotel, Atlantic City, New Jersey, U.S..png" />For ESPN welterweight title
24Win16–8 Jeff PasseroMD8Jul 31, 1982Ballys Place Hotel Casino, Atlantic City, New Jersey, U.S.png" />
23Win15–8 Cesar GuzmanPTS8Jul 14, 1982
22Loss14–8 Kevin HowardSD10Jan 7, 1982Casino Hotel, Atlantic City, New Jersey, U.S..png" />
21Loss14–7 Chris ClarkeSD10Oct 27, 1981Halifax Metro Center, Halifax, Canada.png" />
20Win14–6 Allen ClarkeKO9 Aug 25, 1981
19Win13–6 C.J. FaisonKO1, 2:58Feb 10, 1981Paul Sauvé Arena, Montreal, Canada.png" />
18Loss12–6 Fernando FernandezSD10Jun 20, 1980
17Loss12–5 Dave Boy GreenPTS10Dec 4, 1979London, England.png" />
16Win12–4 Fernando FernandezPTS10Aug 18, 1979Lowell, Massachusetts, U.S..png" />Won USA New England welterweight title
15Loss11–4 Sugar Ray LeonardUD10Jul 18, 1978Hynes Auditorium, Boston, Massachusetts, U.S..png" />
14Loss11–3 Willie RodriguezSD8Mar 4, 1978
13Win11–2 Al CruzKO5, 1:50Jan 16, 1978Waltham, Massachusetts, U.S..png" />
12Loss10–2 Erkki MeronenPTS6Feb 24, 1977Østerbro Stadium, Copenhagen, Denmark.png" />
11Win10–1 Rufus MillerUD8Oct 30, 1976East Hartford High School, East Hartford, U.S..png" />
10Win9–1 Mike MichaudSD8Sep 20, 1976Peabody, Massachusetts, U.S..png" />
9Win8–1 Randy MiltonUD6Jun 24, 1976Oakdale Theatre, Wallingford, Connecticut, U.S..png" />
8Win7–1 Jose Carlos GarciaUD6Apr 26, 1976Boston Garden, Boston, Massachusetts, U.S..png" />
7Win6–1 Charlie BenjaminPTS6Feb 21, 1976Waterbury, Connecticut, U.S..png" />
6Win5–1 Terry RondeauPTS6Jan 31, 1976
5Win4–1 Jose Papo MelendezUD4Dec 20, 1975
4Win3–1 Avelino Dos ReisKO3 Nov 21, 1975Providence, Rhode Island, U.S..png" />
3Win2–1 Eddie HudsonUD4Nov 6, 1975
2Win1–1 Doug RomanoUD4Sep 30, 1975
1Loss0–1 Joe DeFayetteSD6Aug 26, 1975New Bedford, Massachusetts, U.S..png" />