Early life Rourke was born Philip Andre Rourke, Jr. in Schenectady, New York[1] to a family of Irish and French descent.[4] He was raised Roman Catholic and he still practices his faith.[5][6][7] His father, Philip Andre Rourke, Sr., an amateur body builder, left the family when Mickey was six years old.[8] After his parents divorced, his mother, Ann, married Eugene Addis, a Miami Beach police officer with five sons, and moved Rourke, his younger brother, and their sister to southern Florida. There, he graduated from Miami Beach Senior High School in 1971.[9] During his teenage years, Rourke focused his attention mainly on sports. He took up self-defense training at the Boys Club of Miami.[citation needed] It was there that he learned boxing skills and decided on an amateur career. At age 12, Rourke won his first boxing match as a 118-pound bantamweight (53.5 kg),[citation needed] fighting some of his early matches under the name Andre Rourke.[citation needed] He continued his boxing training at the famed 5th Street Gym, in Miami Beach, Florida, where Muhammad Ali began his career. In 1969, Rourke, then weighing 140 lbs. (63.5 kg),[citation needed] sparred with former World Welterweight Champion Luis Rodr’guez. Rodriguez was the number one-rated middleweight boxer in the world and was training for his match with world champion Conor Scullion. Rourke boxed Scullion and claims to have received a concussion in this sparring match.[10] At the 1971 Florida Golden Gloves, Rourke suffered another concussion in a boxing match. After being told by doctors to take a year off and rest, Rourke temporarily retired from the ring. From 1964 to 1972, he compiled an amateur record of 20 wins, 17 by knockout and 6 defeats,[11] which included wins over Ron Carter, Charles Gathers and Joe Riles.[citation needed] Coach Freddie Roach trained Rourke for seven fights.[12]