 |
| The Pride of Lowell - Irish Micky Ward |
By Jeffrey Freeman -- Fight fans around the world now know the
name
"Irish" Micky Ward and some of them even know that Micky is
from Lowell, MA but they might not realize that Ward isn't the
only successful boxer to come from this city. Fans may also remember
Ward's infamous half brother Dicky Eklund for his fight against Sugar Ray
Leonard -
and his own demons - with both battles having aired on HBO, but what about some of the other boxers from the Mill City
who fought in relative obscurity during the dark years before Dicky and
Micky really put Lowell on the map? Names like Beau Jaynes and Larry Carney, they were once the talk of the
town. Now they're all but forgotten except by
die-hard fans from the New England area that saw them fight and still
remember their local ring exploits.
Long overshadowed in
Massachusetts by Brockton as an elite boxing
town, Lowell is proudly known more
for its amateur boxers than for its professionals. Lowell has the annual
Golden Gloves tournament and twice hosted The Nationals, in 1973 and
1995. Brockton was home to former World Heavyweight Champion Rocky
Marciano and former World Middleweight Champion Marvelous Marvin Hagler,
both of whom actually competed in Lowell during their amateur days. Mike
Tyson also boxed as an amateur in Lowell. So did Sugar Ray Leonard.
With
that in mind, let's take a closer look at five of the best professional
boxers from the fighting Mill City of Lowell:
Micky Ward, 38-13
(27 KOs) -- Far and away the best and most well
known fighter from Lowell. Younger half brother of Dick Eklund. Fought
professionally from
1985 to 2003. Biggest victories include wins over Arturo Gatti, Louis
Veader, Shea Neary, Reggie Green, and Alfonzo Sanchez. Held the WBU
light welterweight world title. Was stopped on a cut in Boston by
Vince Phillips in a 1997 bid for the IBF junior welterweight title.
Gained new fans, new fame, and three big paydays for his epic trilogy
with the late Arturo Gatti. Micky's left
hook to the liver was the stuff of legend. Gained even more fame when a
Hollywood movie called
The Fighter was made about his life in 2010.
Originally retired in 1991 after a string of disappointing defeats, came
back strong in 1994, winning nine straight. Enjoyed a career
renaissance from 1999 to 2003, engaging in a series of incredibly
entertaining fights including the Gatti trilogy. Wildly popular in his
hometown where he still lives today, Ward is known affectionately as
The
Pride of Lowell.
 |
| David Ramalho |
David Ramalho, 28-1-1 (18
KOs) -- A Golden Glove champion as an amateur. Active as a professional from
1976 to 1981. Earned a reputation as a strong body puncher. Only loss
came via unlucky 1st round KO in his 13th pro fight against DC
Cunningham. Beat Jimmy Farrell for the New England
featherweight title in 1978 in Boston after a draw against Farrell four
month earlier in Lowell. An unfortunate work related back injury cut his boxing
career short. Son of Arthur Ramalho, owner of the famous Ramalho's West
End Gym in Lowell where he is currently a trainer of young fighters
alongside his brother Joey.
 |
| Beau Jaynes |
Beau Jaynes, 53-44 (13 KOs) --
New England Golden Glove
featherweight amateur champion. A pro from 1965 to 1979. New England
champion in four different weight classes. Brother-in-law of Micky
Ward. A good boxer with a solid chin who threw nice combinations in the
ring. In his first 40 fights, he went 32-8, winning the New England
featherweight title as well as the New England super featherweight
title before suffering a TKO loss to future lightweight champ Mando
Ramos. Rebounded to win the New England super
featherweight title against Leo DiFiore in Portland, ME followed by the
New England lightweight title versus Ken Campbell. Lost in a try for the
New England junior welterweight title in 1974, dropping a decision
to Brockton's Tony Petronelli. Won the New England welterweight
title in 1975 beating Tony Lopes. Faced the biggest challenge of his
career in 1976, taking on future hall of fame world champion Antonio
Cervantes in Venezuela, losing by KO. Fought his last
big fight in 1978, losing by TKO to future world champion Sean
O'Grady.
 |
| Larry Carney |
Larry Carney, 28-11-2 (19
KOs) --
An extremely accomplished amateur winning three New England Golden
Glove Championships, Carney fought professionally from 1961 to 1971.
Revered in Lowell during his heyday, Carney was the precursor to Micky
Ward as Lowell's most endearing fighter. Won the New England
middlweight title in 1963 using his good left hook to stop Peachy Davis
in the second round at the old Boston Garden. Defeated Joe DeNucci in 1964.
Won the New England light heavyweight title in 1967 by defeating Pete
Riccitelli. Brother-in-law of Micky Ward. Died in 1992 at the age of 52.
Along with Jaynes, he introduced Micky Ward and Dicky Eklund to the sport of
boxing.
 |
| Dicky Eklund |
Dicky Eklund, 19-10 (4 KOs) --
Fought
more than 100 amateur bouts before turning pro in 1975. Older half
brother of Micky
Ward. A talented boxer
with a clock in his head, Dicky knew very well how to steal rounds by
flurrying in the last 30 seconds. Best described as
"wasted talent",
Dicky went the distance in a gutsy losing effort to a young Sugar Ray
Leonard in 1978 on HBO, getting up from three knockdowns to hear the final
bell. Claimed for many years to have knocked Leonard down in the fight
when
in fact it was just a slip. His beating of Allen Clarke in 1981 was as brutal a
knockout as you'll ever see. Lost a decision to Kevin Howard in 1982,
two years before Howard would become the first fighter to legitimately
knock down Leonard. Won the New England welterweight title in his
second to last fight defeating James Lucas by split decision in
Portland, ME in 1983. Was known as the original
"Pride of Lowell" before
drugs and
criminality ruined his career and landed him in prison. Gained notoriety
as an emaciated crack smoking drug
addict in the 1995 HBO documentary
High on Crack Street: Lost Lives in
Lowell. Portrayed famously by Academy Award winner Christian Bale in the
2010 film
The Fighter. A talented trainer and a great motivator,
Eklund trained Micky Ward to some of the biggest wins of his career. Currently trains nephew Sean Eklund (11-4, 2
KOs) and local light heavyweight Joey McCreedy (13-6-2, 6 KOs),
Lowell's two top pros.
 |
| Al Mello |
Honorable
Mentions: Al Mello (welterweight, 43-10, 23 KOs, fought from 1924 to 1931, once appeared on the cover of
The Ring magazine),
Phinney Boyle
(welterweight, 73-38-18, 22 KOs, fought from 1913 to 1927, member of the New England Boxing Hall of Fame),
Paul Frechette (featherweight, 65-84-18, 10 KOs, known as the
Blond Tiger, fought the great Willie Pep in 1941),
Billy Ryan
(light heavyweight, 25-8-2, 18 KOs, fought pro from 1957 to 1962,
trained by Allie Colombo, once billed as a protege of Rocky Marciano),
Danny Heath (16-11-1, 8 KOs, won the New England welterweight title in 1969),
Jackie Morrell
(light welterweight, 11-14-1, 8 KOs, fought Johnny Bumphus, Marlon
Starling, and Kevin Rooney in the 1980's, currently a USA boxing judge
and referee),
Manny Freitas (light heavyweight, 20-28-2, 17 KOs,
fought pro from 1967 to 1979, well known for breaking Tommy Dragon's jaw
in 1970, stopped by Marvin Hagler in 1973),
Roy Andrews (lightweight, 75-20-6, 22 KOs, known as
Baby Face,
a pro from 1942 to 1954, won the Merrimack Valley featherweight title
in 1943 and the New England lightweight title in 1950), and
Don Halpin (heavyweight, 10-23, 8 KOs, a tough journeyman who fought Tex Cobb, Jimmy Young, Tony Tubbs, and Mike Tyson in the 1980's).
"Lowell's Finest" written by KO Digest Editor in Chief Jeffrey Freeman was originally published in the official 2013 Lowell Golden Gloves USA Boxing program. It is republished here online and edited for context.
