Our series of ranking the greatest sports movies ever has already seen us cover the 10 best golf movies, the 10 best gridiron movies, the 10 best basketball movies, the 10 best baseball movies ever and the best soccer movies ever. Today, we’re looking at the best boxing movies ever.
Boxing, like most sports, is naturally dramatic. A tiny ring swarmed by a sea of raucous fans, thirsty for blood and knockouts, bright lights blaring down on two individuals, isolated in their battle for superiority.
Slow uppercuts, long right hooks, dizzying head movements, and the rest. Knockdowns, knockouts, a chiming bell saving boxers from certain defeat, either delaying the inevitable or offering a necessary break before a second wind kicks in, and boxers returning from the brink when the average man would stay down.
Outside of the ring, there are the characters. The brashness, confidence nearing arrogance, of boxers, many of whom are the personification of the rags to riches trope. There are the promoters, both lavish and understated, and the high-roller fans risking the cleanliness of their thousand-dollar suits in the front row, pining for a chance to witness blood spilled and history made.
It’s no wonder why Hollywood has latched to boxing, creating movie after movie. From right in Hollywood’s early days to the modern era, every decade has featured at least one, most times multiple, high-level boxing films.
Here we rank the 10 best. Do you agree with our selections?
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Best boxing movies ever, ranked 10-1
Honourable mentions:
Cinderella Man, Southpaw, Creed 3 and Somebody Up There Likes Me fell just short of our top 10 best boxing movies ever.
10. The Hurricane, 1999
Denzel Washington stars in The Hurricane, which regales the story of Rubin ‘The Hurricane’ Carter, an African-American boxer wrongly jailed for murder. While not strictly a boxing film in the same way Rocky is, The Hurricane expertly tells a harrowing story.
9. Girlfight, 2000
Girlfight, starring Fast and Furious’s Michelle Rodriguez, follows a trailblazing female boxer on her rise to the sport’s pinnacle.
8. Fat City, 1972
Before he was the Big Lebowski, Jeff Bridges was Ernie, a protagonist of the 1970s boxing film, Fat City. The film explores the fight two boxers have against themselves, each other and the world around them.
7. Body and Soul, 1947
According to many reports, Body and Soul is a classic of early Hollywood films. A boxing film that divulges into the allure of money and its potential to derail even the strongest young men in their pursuit of success.
6. The Set Up, 1949
Another early Hollywood film, The Set Up stars looks at one of the most prominent dynamics within early 20th-century boxing, mob involvement.
5. The Fighter, 2010
A modern classic of the boxing film genre, The Fighter stars two Hollywood A-listers, Mark Wahlberg and Christian Bale, in roles they’re born to play. Based on a true story, the film touches on overcoming addiction and complex family fractures in the pursuit of greatness.
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4. Creed, 2015
A continuation of the Rocky franchise, Creed is the story of Adonis Creed, played by Michael B. Jordan, trying to forge a name for himself in the sport his father, Apollo, made a name for himself. Along the way, Adonis’ journey is assisted by his father’s great friend, Rocky Balboa.
One is the pick of the Creed series, but all three live up to expectations.
3. Million Dollar Baby, 2004
Arguably Clint Eastwood’s finest directorial hour, Million Dollar Baby follows an underdog amateur boxer on their path to achieving her dream of becoming a professional. It sounds simple, but the film is so much more than that.
It swept the Oscars, winning Best Picture, Best Director, Best Actress and Best Supporting Actor at the 77th Academy Awards.
2. Rocky I, 1976
l mean, where you expecting anything other than Rocky sitting near the top of this list? Come on. It’s arguably the greatest film franchise ever. If you don’t know about this film, stop what you’re doing and put it on.
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1. Raging Bull, 1980
It’s Robert De Niro and Martin Scorcese, but it’s not Goodfella. Raging Bull, one of the best films produced by Scorcese, is a biopic highlighting the scoring of Jake LaMotta, a former middleweight boxing champion.
A champion boxer, LaMotta’s personal life was littered with rage and jealousy, which the film touches on.
