George Michael Ward Jr. Quotes

United States, Boxer
October 4, 1965

George Michael Ward Jr. often known by his nickname of "Irish" Micky Ward, is an American former professional boxer who competed from 1985 to 2003. He challenged once for the IBF light welterweight title in 1997, and held the WBU light welterweight title in 2000. Ward is widely known for his trilogy of fights with Arturo Gatti, two of which received Fight of the Year awards by The Ring magazine, as well as his relentless pressure fighting style. In the 2010 film The Fighter, based on his early career, Ward was portrayed by Mark Wahlberg.

I trained as hard as I could, I ran as much as I could, I sparred hard, I did everything right. I did everything I could possibly do at the age when I could fight. You have to be realistic; you can't say, 'Oh, I am smarter now, older and I can punch harder.' You think you can, but you can't.

George Michael Ward Jr.
I always felt that if I did the right thing, that if I trained hard and worked hard, I'd be rewarded somehow.

George Michael Ward Jr.
- Always
- Trained
- Rewarded

You give to get. Whether it's helping someone or training a kid, I believe you will be rewarded in some way.

George Michael Ward Jr.
- Way
- Kid
- Give
I knocked a lot of guys out from the seventh round on - so if I gave up, I would never have achieved what I did. There was no giving up. It's weak to give up. The easiest thing in the world is to quit.

George Michael Ward Jr.
- Giving
- Achieved
- Easiest
When things are good, you should be thanking God. I don't do enough of that. But if you get things, you should thank Him, not just take, take, take. He really listens.

George Michael Ward Jr.
- God
- Things
- Take
I don't watch every fight; I am not huge on watching fights on TV. Because I did it my whole life. But I do watch the big fights. I follow the little fights too, sometimes; I just don't have to watch every single fight that happens.

George Michael Ward Jr.
- Life
- Single
- Sometimes
I'm back in Boston. I own an outdoor deck hockey rink, and I own a boxing gym here also.

George Michael Ward Jr.
- Boxing
- Hockey
- Outdoor
I never lost a fight because I wasn't in shape or because I wasn't ready. I lost because I was either beaten by a man better than me, or it wasn't my night.

George Michael Ward Jr.
- Night
- Better
- Shapes

Emotional hurt, you gotta let that go. Walk away and let it be. So many highs and lows, but if you keep being down, you'll never get up.

George Michael Ward Jr.
- Emotional
- Down
- Away