Micky Ward Provides First-Hand Insight on Rivera, Damgaard
3/16 - According to no less an authority on ring toughness than “Irish” Micky Ward himself, No. 1 contender Thomas Damgaard (34-0,l 26 KOs) more than lives up to his nickname, “Lionheart,” and he poses a serious threat April 2 in his first fight outside of his native Denmark.
“Damgaard’s tough, real tough,” Ward remembered. “He’s a good fighter who comes forward and throws combinations. He’s not a one-punch knockout guy, but his accumulated punches take a toll. Damgaard is very strong.”
The No. 1 rated contender Damgaard challenges WBA “regular”
welterweight
champion Jose Antonio Rivera (37-3-1, 24 KOs) in the latter’s hometown
of
Worcester in the 12-round co-feature promoted by Don King Productions.
The
WBC/WBA Cruiserweight Championship Unification match between Wayne “Big
Truck” Braithwaite (21-0, 17 KOs) and Jean-Marc Mormeck (30-2, 21 KOs)
is
the headliner.
In 1999, long before Ward’s legendary trio of fights with Arturo
“Thunder”
Gatti, Damgaard brought Micky to Copenhagen as a sparring partner
before his
European light welterweight title fight against Khalid Rahilou. “Most
European fighters stand straight up and don’t look that strong,”
continued
Ward. “Damgaard, though, doesn’t stand as tall and is very strong. He
has a
good style, strong upper body, and more movement—not as stiff as your
basic
European fighter.”
Ward offers a unique perspective on Rivera-Damgaard because he’s also
sparred with Rivera numerous times, and they are friends. Micky’s
hometown
of Lowell, Massachusetts, is only 40 miles northwest of Worcester.
“I’ve been to Jose’s gym for sparring a lot of times,” Ward noted.
“He’s the
real deal, more of a boxer type, but he can hurt you if you go to sleep
on
him. He really puts his punches together and knows boxing. Jose has a
lot of
ring knowledge—the ins and outs of boxing—and he’s going to have to be
smart
against Damgaard. This guy is dangerous and Jose can’t get too excited
fighting at home, especially in the early going. It’s going to be a
great
fight.”
Tickets, priced at $35, $50, $100 and $250, are on sale at the DCU
Center
Box Office, all area Ticketmaster locations, online at
ticketmaster.com, or
charge by phone at (617) 931-2000 or (617) 228-6000. All tickets are
subject
to a $.50 facility fee.
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