In advance of the upcoming release of “The Fighter” on DVD in the United Kingdom, two English tabloids sent reporters to Lowell about a month ago to write about the city that was central to the film’s story and production. Deb Belanger of the Greater Merrimack Valley Convention and Visitor’s Bureau organized and led the trip, and she invited me to join them for a portion of it to provide any Lowell-history background info that might be needed. We made stops at Cupples Square, the Smith Street “crack house”, the Tsongas Center, Top Donut, the Superior Court, the West End Gym and a number of other spots where scenes of the movie had been filmed.

Yesterday’s edition of The News of the World carried a story about “The Fighter” and the reporter’s experience sparring at Arthur Ramalho’s West End Gym. The city of Lowell comes across pretty well as does Boston, which is where the reporter stayed. Here’s the full story.