The Top 10 Best Boxing Movies
Better Put Up Your Dukes for These Boxing Movies!
While pulling together a list of the top 10 hockey movies, I couldn’t help noticing how many of the players would duke it out on the ice. That got me thinking about boxing movies and, well, it seemed like the perfect follow up list to tackle. Boxing is one of the oldest sports and practiced around the world. Sure, it might not be as popular as it once was with the rise of MMA, but that doesn’t mean there aren’t a ton of really great boxing movies out there. There’s something that movie-goers love about watching two people enter a ring with only their fists and wits as they see who the better pugilist is. Bare-knuckle or fully sanctioned, I’ve managed to pull together some of the best boxing movies ever made. The only rule in place is that I’m only choosing one movie per franchise. That way Rocky doesn’t rack up multiple slots. So, get your hands up and remember to duck and weave, because this list is coming out of the corner swinging.
10. The Boxer
Kicking off this list of boxing movies is a film that features one of the greatest Irish actors of all time, Daniel Day-Lewis. In it, he plays Irish boxer, Danny Flynn, who is just getting out of prison after a 14-year stint thanks to “The Troubles.” Hoping to avoid any problems, he steers clear of his old IRA contacts and instead invests in opening a non-sectarian boxing gym for wayward youths (a pretty substantial population in Ireland). This proves to be exactly the wrong way to stay out of trouble as IRA members voice their discontent at Danny for daring to start the gym and for accepting donations from a local cop trying to help the lads out. Boxing movies are known for their drama in and out of the ring, but few of the boxers on this list had to deal with as much stress as Danny Flynn.
9. Cinderella Man
Most boxing movies tend to be based on real-life pugilists and Cinderella Man is no exception. Russell Crowe stars as James J. Braddock, a depression-era boxer who rose from the slums to become one of the greatest of the time. His tale gave hope to everyone suffering the worst financial collapse in American history (though it might not have been for long if things keep going the way they are). Braddock shocked the world winning fights that clearly labeled him the underdog and quickly rose in the ranks. His greatest victory though was against Heavyweight champ Max Bayer who reportedly killed his previous opponents in the ring (director Ron Howard played that part up). Like a lot of the boxers on this list, Braddock was an inspiration to his fans.
8. The Hurricane
We’ve got another bio-pic on this list of boxing movies. During the civil rights movement, a lot of black athletes in the sport used their popularity to voice their support for the movement and speak out against oppression. This led to a lot of white people getting pretty pissed off and a lot of boxers found themselves being targeted for their views. Rubin “The Hurricane” Carter, is a prime example as he found himself sentenced to prison for the murder of three men he couldn’t possibly have killed. Clearly convicted because of the color of his skin and not on the “facts,” Carter’s case was overturned 20 years later and he was released from prison with a pat on the back and a “my bad” from the judicial system.
7. Hard Times
Not all boxing movies take place in a ring in front of hundreds of screaming fans. Some take place in grungy warehouses or dimly lit parking lots and feature men pummeling each other without the protection of gloves or even a ref. Enter Chaney (Charles Bronson), a drifter during the depression who lets his fists do the talking for him. He rolls into town and soon finds himself knee-deep in the underground world of bare-knuckle boxing matches. At first glance, Chaney seems a bit over the hill. However, most fighters know that experience trumps youthful exuberance any day of the week. After all, it’s better to fight smarter than fight harder. Chaney proves himself to be one of the best bare-knuckle boxers of all time. So, I can only imagine what he’d do with gloves on against these other boxers.
6. Creed
Alright, I know that I said in the beginning that I would only include one film per franchise. However, Creed presents a loophole because it’s actually a spin-off. The film focuses on the son of former Heavyweight champ Apollo Creed, Adonis (Michael B. Jordan). Never knowing his father, Adonis wants to follow in his footsteps in order to discover what he’s really made of. Of course, every great boxer needs a coach and Adonis turns to his dad’s old buddy, Rocky Balboa. Personally, I was a bigger fan of Creed II that pitted him against the son of the man who killed his father, Ivan Drago. However, Creed shows the rise of the boxer who just might have a franchise to rival his mentor one day. Either way, Creed definitely deserves a spot among the best boxing movies of all time.