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I just found this interesting. I never knew he was Pro, I knew he boxed but I thought at best amateur.
Mickey Rourke - Boxer
Actually not too bad a record for a guy starting his career at the tender age of 39. Undefeated.
http://m.youtube.com/watch?v=uF3XB8QsV_4
A clip of his second last fight and last win.
Oh yeah it was a HUGE deal he gave up being "the next Marlon Brando" to box and he basically got Freddy Roach on his feet with the Wild Card Gym.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=iPuwYT6ouMc
There ya go pal
Rourke also said he wants to make a biopic about Freddy
Sure, they used to put Mickey Rourke on the old Tuesday Night Fights on the USA network in the early 90s, you'd see Freddie Roach in his corner. Roach looked well at the time.
Al Albert and Sean O'Grady commentating. Those guys were funny guys.
Rourke was not the main event, he was more of a sideshow carnival attraction because he was a famous film star. I liked watchin' his fights, he was entertaining; he was a brawler, he wasn't scared, he fought dirty and ruff and tuff.
They say many actors at some point, feel a sense of embarrassment about their vocation, like it threatens their manhood because they put on costumes, make-up, and do make-believe, pretending to have gun-fights and what-not. To compensate for such insecurity and doubts, some actors start doing things that are considered very macho, even dangerous to compensate, like drive racecars, do parachuting: what could be more masculine that climbing into a ring to do hand-to-hand combat?
Rourke did in fact have an amateur background though as a teenager.
I can't say if these scraps were on the level, but they were entertaining, and Professional Boxing has no self-respect. There's room for anything that may sell tickets.
I've watched the clips of Rourke's fights on youtube and he was not very skill. Also, one or two of his fights looked staged a bit with the guy finding a soft spot on the canvas.
Rourke's greatest asset in boxing looked to be that he was legitimately tough and in decent shape. He once told a story about sparring Tommy Hearns in the gym and getting a concussion.
As far as film stars who have boxed, Tony Danza is the best I've seen. He was a hard hitting middleweight, 9-3 (9 KOs).
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=QrgAivyc3V4
Mickey was an amateur boxer 27-3...not a horrible record.Quote:
Originally Posted by bradlee180
Chuck Zito a famous celebrity bodyguard was Rourke's first trainer and then Roach took over for 7 of his fights.
Mickey said he did boxing because he was self destructing as an actor and he just wanted to see if he could do it so I mean hell a lot of guys do that, I know I started boxing thinking I wanted to see what I had. I never did anything other than sparring, but it was enough to know I could hang if I dedicated myself to it.
I remember when he came out with a run. Don't recall him being on USA, maybe a HLs but he did some interviews. He had an interest in boxing from way back, not some actor or jock looking for a hobby and did seem pretty realistic when he went back to Torino with the urge. Have to give him that...he didn't just go gimmick...he actually wanted to box to box and even initially wanted to use an alias. Ironically though he knew he had to be payed at it with no acting gigs so he kept name and managed to bank a solid million for the short run. Took alot of flack for opposition and accused of set ups by skeptics if you can imagine that. Torino was telling him no fixed fights cause when its over you go back to movies and he was the one going back to face the boxing world. Realistic!
Why would they stage the fights just to let him retire still undefeated?
I'd think they would only stage fights to get him higher in rankings or to get him a good base for a long career.
Seems useless to stage for 8 fights and stage 2 draws within those 8 fights.
I remember Rourke on sky giving Kell brook tips for a fight.
He turned down some massive movie roles to continue boxing. He really was dedicated to the sport 100% when he did it.
There were two stories about his boxing career that I remember reading, though I don't know if they were true or not.
One was that he was sparring with James Toney, who was just going along, letting Rourke work. At some point Mickey thought he was doing well because he was good, not that James was just letting him go. So he decided to pick up the pace a bit, and Toney hit him with a left hook and broke his cheekbone. This, the story went, was the beginning of Rourke's affair with his plastic surgeon.
The second involved Carlos Monzon, and Rourke trying to visit him in prison. Monzon didn't want to see him but Rourke persisted, then, when they did meet, got on a thing about wanting to spar with Monzon. Monzon, not really too nice a guy, agreed and knocked Rourke out. So the story read.
I think Rouke was friends with James Toney and was also there when he did the Johnathan Ross interview with Toney, Benn and Eubanks. I also heard he stopped boxing because of head trauma and loss of memory.