Mickey O'Keefe

Mickey O'Keefe was born and raised in the City of Lowell, Massachusetts, a struggling mill city. During his police career, he was also the mentor of "Irish" Mickey Ward of Lowell during his prolific boxing career and his eventual downfall. He portrays himself in the 2010 film, "The Fighter" starring Mark Walhberg and Christian Bale. Mickey O'Keefe was born and raised in Lowell, Massachusetts. He was the son of a mill worker and started boxing at the age of 12 to channel his anger and frustration. He quickly became a local champion and was mentored by Mickey Ward, a local boxing champion. Mickey Ward taught Mickey O'Keefe the art of boxing and how to survive in the rough and tumble world of professional boxing. In 1980, Mickey O'Keefe met and fought Wilfredo Gómez. He was barely able to make it to the final round of the fight, but he won the fight by knockout. The victory put Mickey O'Keefe on the map and he began to attract the attention of boxing promoters. In 1982, Mickey O'Keefe met and fought Sugar Ray Leonard. The fight was billed as the "Fight of the Century" and it was a close fight that went the full 15 rounds. In the end, Mickey O'Keefe was defeated by Sugar Ray Leonard by a unanimous decision. After the loss to Sugar Ray Leonard, Mickey O'Keefe retired from boxing. He continued to work as a police officer and continued to mentor "Irish" Mickey Ward. Mickey Ward went on to have a successful boxing career and is now a world champion. Mickey O'Keefe is also currently retired from the police force.