The 5 Most Memorable Boxing Films Ever Made
Sports films have the ability to capture the imaginations of viewers everywhere. Whether it is a fiction or non-fiction film, moviegoers can get lost in the story of triumph and tragedy. There is no shortage films based on boxing. The sport is relatable to viewers, and often times, makes for great stories. Like a great boxing film, a big fight can create anticipation in fans. Fight fans can visit usbettingcodes.com before the next big bout to wager on their favorite fighters.
The best boxing films leave a mark on those who watch it. Many of the most memorable boxing films have iconic scripts and scenes that are cherished by fans for decades.
Here is a look at the 5 most memorable boxing films ever made.
5. Ali – 2001
In the late 1990s and early 2000s, the world fell in love with Muhammad Ali over again. The extent of Ali’s Parkinson’s Disease was realized in 1996 following the Summer Olympics. Soon after, Hollywood went to work pumping out Ali content. Ali was the king of the boxing world, but it is now ruled by the likes of Anthony Joshua and Deontay Wilder. Boxing fans can visit this page to wager on the biggest fights this year and predict the outcome.
In 2001, Will Smith starred in Ali. The biopic details Ali’s life between 1964 and 1974. The film came out to near universal praise. Like the other films on this list, viewers do not have to be boxing fans to enjoy it. Ali is a film that breaks down barriers and is more than just a move about boxing. Much like the man it was made about.
4. Fat City – 1972
Fat City has been called one of the greatest boxing films of all-time. However, it seems unlike the films lower on this list, it has failed to stay relevant as the years passed with newer audiences. Perhaps it is because the film is nearly 50 years old.
Based on the Leonard Gardner novel of the same name, Fat City tells the story of a washed-up boxer discovering a bright young prodigy. Throughout the film, viewers learn of each man’s problems and their attempt to overcome them through boxing.
3. Raging Bull – 1980
Starring Robert De Niro and directed by Martin Scorsese, Raging Bull tells the story of boxer Jake “The Bronx Bull” LaMotta. The film is a biopic of the former American middleweight and takes viewers into the world of the ex-fighter unlike the uplifting stories of other boxing films, Raging Bull details the self-destructive, obsessive rage, sexual jealousy, and animalistic appetite that destroyed LaMotta and his career.
2. Million Dollar Baby – 2004
Hilary Swank starred in the boxing film Million Dollar Baby. The film was directed by Clint Eastwood and upon release became an instant hit.
Swank’s character, Maggie Fitzgerald, persuades Frankie Dunn (Eastwood) to train her to box. She becomes a solid hand and quickly moves up in the boxing ranks. While the film is an excellent boxing movie, it really gets even better two-thirds of the way through when an unexpected turn changes the film’s trajectory.
1. Rocky – 1976
Rocky is a gritty rags to riches story about boxing and becoming a star. It is a story that is duplicated in its sequels, but the impact is never truly equaled.
Rocky laid the foundation for the Rocky film franchise. It also made Sylvester Stallone a household name in the United States.
While the follow-ups took the film franchise into campy, cliched territory, Rocky holds up today as the pinnacle of all boxing films. Although they continue to make films in the franchise (Creed), nothing will ever top the original.