The Fighter trailer released

The trailer for The Fighter, which tells the tale of boxer "Irish" Micky Ward, has been released.

Mark Wahlberg and Christian Bale take to the ring for the finished movie, with David O Russell directing.

Names including Darren Aronofsky, Matt Damon and Brad Pitt had been associated with the film during the early stages.

The preview clip, on show at Apple, gives a taste of Wahlberg’s fighting form as he plays the boxer who made it to the top before crashing back down to earth.

His dedication to ensuring the film was made saw him accompanied by trainers while shooting other projects so he was always ready to jump into the role of Ward.

He also enlisted the help of the HBO camera team to give the fight scenes an authentic feel.

The Fighter is due to be released in cinemas early in 2011.