Plot

Based on the story of Micky Ward, a fledgling boxer who tries to escape the shadow of his more famous but troubled older boxing brother and get his own shot at greatness.

The Fighter is a drama about boxer "Irish" Micky Ward's unlikely road to the world light welterweight title. His Rocky-like rise was shepherded by half-brother Dicky, a boxer-turned-trainer on the verge of being KO'd by drugs and crime.—anonymous

Known as the "Pride of Lowell (Massachusetts)", Dicky Eklund Jr.'s primary claim to fame is his 1978 boxing match with Sugar Ray Leonard, where Eklund knocked down Leonard, who eventually won the match. In 1996, Eklund, now a crack addict, is in front of the cameras as an HBO film crew is making a documentary about him, the focus he believes (falsely) to be his boxing comeback at close to age 40. For the past ten years, he has also acted as one of the two trainers for his decade younger half brother, Micky Ward, who is known primarily as a brawler used by other boxers as a stepping stone to better boxers. Both their careers are managed by their domineering mother Alice Ward who believes it better to keep it all in the family. Because of his crack addiction, Dicky is unreliable. A move by Dicky and Alice at one of Micky's fights makes Micky come to the realization that his boxing career is being stalled and perhaps even under-minded by the two, who are only looking out for themselves. This stance is fostered by Micky's new girlfriend, college drop-out and now local bartender Charlene Fleming. As Micky tries boxing life without Dicky and Alice - much to their anger - he has to figure out where they fit into his life, especially as they do not get along with Charlene, if at all. These decisions become all the more important as Micky moves up the ranks and is given a shot at the world welterweight championship.—Huggo

In Lowell, Massachusetts, in 1993 former boxer Dicky Eklund, who once fought Sugar Ray Leonard, believes the TV crew are filming his come-back. In fact it is a documentary on 40 year old Eklund's descent into drug addiction. Younger half-brother Micky Ward is now the family's great white hope for a boxing world title but Dicky and mother Alice seem to think they have a stake in Micky. His girlfriend and father believe he should ditch them for a professional trainer and manager but when the crucial fights start to come Micky's way it's Dicky's advice that helps get him to the top, uniting all of them as Micky becomes world champion.—don @ minifie-1

Lowell, Massachusetts, 1993. Having once knocked the legendary Sugar Ray Leonard out, former boxer and self-destructive local hero Dicky Eklund is confident he's ready for his glorious comeback. But as a small HBO documentary crew shadows the substance-dependent has-been, his younger welterweight boxer step-brother, Micky Ward, treads water, forever trapped in career-damaging fights. However, with his faith in his manipulative mother/manager Alice faltering, Mickey gets one last chance at redeeming himself when feisty waitress Charlene Fleming offers him confidence and support to get back on track. And all the blood, sweat, and pain culminate in a make-or-break title fight against the undefeated British welterweight champion, Shea Neary. The question is, does Micky believe in himself to make it on his own?—Nick Riganas

Micky Ward (Mark Wahlberg) is an American welterweight boxer in 1993 from Lowell, Massachusetts. Managed by his mother, Alice Ward (Melissa Leo), and trained by his older half-brother, Dicky Eklund (Christian Bale), Micky became a "steppingstone" for other boxers to defeat on their way up. Micky has lost 3 fights in a row. Micky works on paving streets as a day job. Mickey is separated from his ex-wife Laurie Carroll (Alison Folland) with whom she shares a daughter Kasie.

Dicky, a former boxer whose peak of success was going the distance with Sugar Ray Leonard in 1978, has become addicted to crack cocaine. He is being filmed for an HBO documentary he believes to be about his "comeback". Dicky once fought Sugar Ray Leonard in 1978 and put him to the mat. Dicky believes that he had a nimbler fighting style, while Micky is a heavy hitter. Dicky credit himself for teaching Micky everything he knows. Dicky was known as the "Pride of Lowel". For the documentary, the HBO crew follows Dicky around town as he meets the residents to demonstrate how well connected he is into the local community.

Alice and Dicky are more concerned about the documentary, rather than Micky's upcoming fight. Dicky is more than 3 hours late to Micky's training session, as he was busy in a drugs session with his pals.

On the night of an under-card fight in Atlantic City, Micky's scheduled opponent Saoul Mamby is ill, and a substitute Mike Mungin is found who is 20 pounds heavier than Micky, a huge difference in professional boxing, constituting two or three weight classes. Despite Micky's reservations, his mother and brother agree so that they can all get the purse and tell Micky that the fighter is out of shape and has ring rust. They arrive at the fight and find that the substitute fighter is actually ready for the fight and in top shape, and soundly defeats Micky.

Micky retreats from the world and forms a relationship with Charlene Fleming (Amy Adams), a former college athlete who dropped out and became a bartender. Charlene tells Micky that his family is not looking out for him. Micky is embarrassed as he had promised Kaise that after the fight he would get a bigger apartment.

After several weeks, Alice arranges another fight for Micky which pays $17,500, but Micky is concerned it will turn out the same. His mother and seven sisters blame Charlene for his lack of motivation. Alice and the sisters hate Charlene for interfering in their family dynamics, but Charlene stands her ground and speaks on behalf of Micky. Meanwhile Dicky can't keep off drugs long enough to focus on either his or his brother's training & career.

The sisters are Cindy "Tar" Eklund (Erica McDermott), Little Alice Eklund (Melissa McMeekin), Cathy "Porky" Eklund (Bianca Hunter), Phyllis "Beaver" Eklund (Kate B. O'Brien), Donna Eklund Jaynes (Jill Quigg), Gail "Red Dog" Eklund (Dendrie Taylor), and Sherri Ward (Jenna Lamia).

Micky mentions he received an offer to be paid to train in Las Vegas, but Dicky says he will match the offer so he can keep training and working with his family. Dicky then tries to get money by posing his girlfriend as a prostitute and then, once she picks up a client, impersonating a police officer to steal the client's money. This is foiled by the actual police and Dicky is arrested after a chase and a fight with them. Micky tries to stop the police from beating his brother and a police officer brutally breaks his hand before arresting him. At their arraignment, Micky is released, but Dicky is sent to jail as he had already been arrested 27 times in the past. Micky washes his hands of Dicky and refuses to say that Dicky hit the cops in self-defense.

On the night of the HBO documentary's airing, Dicky's family, and Dicky himself in prison, are horrified to see that it is called Crack in America and depicts how crack addiction ruined Dicky's career and life. Dicky begins training and trying to get his life together in prison.

After his hand is healed in a plaster cast, Micky is lured back into boxing by his father George (Jack McGee), who believes Alice and his stepson Dicky are bad influences. The other members of his training team and a new manager, Sal Lanano (Frank Renzulli), persuade Micky to return to boxing with the explicit understanding that his mother and brother will no longer be involved. They place Micky in minor fights to help him regain his confidence. He is then offered another major fight against an undefeated up-and-coming boxer.

During a prison visit, Dicky advises Micky on how best to work his opponent, but Micky feels his brother is being selfish and trying to restart his own failed career. During the actual match, Micky is nearly overwhelmed, but then implements his brother's advice and triumphs; he earns the title shot for which his opponent was being groomed.

Upon his release from prison, Dicky and his mother go to see Micky train. Assuming things are as they were, Dicky prepares to spar with his brother, but Micky informs him that he is no longer allowed per Micky's agreement with his current team. In the ensuing argument, in which Micky chastises both factions of his family, Charlene and his trainer leave in disgust. Micky and Dicky spar until Micky knocks Dicky down.

Dicky storms off, presumably to get high again, and Alice chides Micky, only to be sobered when he tells her that she has always favored Dicky. Dicky returns to his crack house, where he says goodbye to his friends and heads to Charlene's apartment. He tells her that Micky needs both of them and they need to work together.

After bringing everyone back together, the group goes to London for the title fight against welterweight champion Shea Neary. Micky scores another upset victory and the welterweight title. The film jumps a few years ahead, with Dicky crediting his brother as the creator of his own success.