'The Fighter' won't back anti-union Sen. Scott Brown

Micky Ward speaking to the Teamsters convention last year.

Our Teamster brother Micky Ward, proud member of Local 25 and subject of the film 'The Fighter," likes Massachusetts Sen. Scott Brown.

But he can't endorse him for re-election.

Brown wants to take away collective bargaining rights. Surely a sad state of affairs considering his Senate seat was long held by Edward M. Kennedy, a true champion of labor.

Evan Lips at the Lowell Sun has the story of Ward's brief endorsement and then un-endorsement of Brown:

Mill City ring king Micky Ward found himself backed into a corner Thursday when word trickled out that he was supporting U.S. Senator Scott Brown’s re-election campaign. 

It started with a tweet from Republican National Convention in Florida. Then came word from Brown’s camp that the Wrentham Republican would be making an appearance Friday morning at Ward’s favorite gym, Forever Fitness in Chelmsford. 

Reached on his cell, Ward said he admired Brown’s spirit and respected the way he could “go out there and listen and talk like a guy who is positive and wants to do right by us...” 

Roughly a half-hour after Ward confirmed he was backing Brown, ‘The Fighter’ called back. He said he had given his endorsement a little more thought. 

“I can’t support Scott Brown,” Ward said. “I just can’t do it.”... 

“I found out Scott (Brown) is anti-union and I’m a Teamster guy,” said Ward. “I found out he’s also against gay marriage and I say if you love someone you should have the same rights no matter who you are.”

Atta boy, Micky!

Teamster Micky 'The Fighter' Ward's new book is out

Teamsters Local 25 in Boston tells us Brother Micky Ward's new book, "A Warrior's Heart," is out today.

You may have seen "The Fighter," starring Mark Wahlberg and Christian Bale. The movie is about Ward (Wahlberg) and his trainer-brother Dick Eklund (Bale), from their early days on the rough streets of Lowell, Mass., through Eklund's battle with drugs and Ward's eventual world championship in London. Watch the trailer here.

Here's what the book is about, according to Amazon:

With the success of the critically-acclaimed, Academy Award-winning film “The Fighter,” the world stood up and cheered for the inspiring true story of 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. 

Now, in his own words, “Irish” Micky Ward tells his inspirational life story as only he can. 

From his first bout at the age of seven, Micky Ward was known first and foremost for giving as good as he got, and for leaving absolutely everything he had in the ring. When he fought, quitting was never an option. It was that indomitable spirit that would allow him to survive, battle against, and overcome the harsh realities that he faced every day of his life. 

For it was outside the ring that Ward’s heart would be most needed, from witnessing his idolized older half-brother Dicky fall from grace, to dealing with his wildly dysfunctional—if frighteningly loyal—family, to the darkest of secrets that he has never revealed until now, and the numerous setbacks and defeats that would have stopped a lesser man. Micky Ward 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.

He is now a proud member of Teamsters Local 25. Many Teamsters will remember Ward's appearance at the Teamsters convention in 2011.