The critically acclaimed, Academy Award–winning film The Fighter made the world stand up and cheer for the inspiring true story of “Irish” Micky Ward—a heart-and-soul warrior who overcame the odds to make history in the ring. But that was only part of the tale…Starting with his first bout at the age of seven, Micky Ward gave as good as he got and left absolutely everything he had in the ring. Quitting was never an option. It was that indomitable spirit that would allow him to overcome the harsh realities that he faced every day.For it was outside the ring that Ward’s heart would be most needed, from witnessing his idolized older half brother Dicky’s fall from grace, to dealing with his wildly dysfunctional—if frighteningly loyal—family, to harboring the darkest of secrets, which he has never revealed until now. Micky Ward has faced numerous setbacks and defeats that would have stopped a lesser man, but he has remained a fighter, through and through—both as a professional boxer and as a man who finally found his greatest strength in friendship, family and faith in himself.