Top 7 Best Sports Dramas About Boxing

Entzhood25 April 2024

Boxing is, without a doubt, a game for all time. From the very first moments of its inception until today, it continues to occupy an important niche in the field of sports and boasts an army of thousands of fans. If you are into betting on such websites as betting in Nigeria, you know that boxing matches are one of the most popular pay-per-view sporting events.

If you look at boxing philosophically, this type of sporting competition is often identified with human life, where the fight is an eternal companion, and various techniques – a necessary way to come to their goal. But enough philosophy, because today we just want to relax and watch a good movie. If boxing rings are not enough for you, then interesting boxing movies are the best addition and a real breath of air for real fans of the game. Therefore, it’s no surprise that the theme of boxing makes a great premise for plots. Below we have selected the most impressive and famous Hollywood boxing movies.

Rocky (1976)

This hugely successful movie should be mentioned at the very beginning of our list. This boxing drama about small-time boxer Rocky Balboa (Sylvester Stallone) managed to collect over 220 million dollars at the box office and made Stallone an A-lister in the realms of Hollywood. The movie also got ten Oscar nominations, as well as worldwide recognition and boundless love. The premise: Rocky Balboa is a debt collector who takes part in boxing matches to pay his bills. One day he has to fight the current reigning champion, Apollo Creed (Carl Weathers), and this is a chance of a lifetime. As Rocky begins his training, he also falls in love with Adrian Pennino (Talia Shire). An inspiring underdog story, “Rocky” became a classic, and its success went far beyond its boxing scenes.

Raging Bull (1980)

“Raging Bull” is a thrilling sports drama from the brilliant Martin Scorsese. There is no need to talk about it, you just need to watch it, and after watching it you will ponder over what you have seen for a long time. The plot of the picture is based on the biography of an American boxer and middleweight champion Jake “The Raging Bull” LaMotta. The movie reveals all the difficulties and horrors of the boxing sport, its toll on boxers, as well as the self-destructive nature of LaMotta who destroyed his family. For his impressive performance, Robert De Niro won an Oscar as the Best Actor.

When We Were Kings (1996)

“When We Were Kings” is one of the best documentaries about one of the greatest boxers of all time, Muhammad Ali. In it, you can see the hardest dramatic confrontation between him and George Foreman, a young and very promising heavyweight champion. The epic boxing match even for its name, “Rumble in the Jungle”. The age difference is 10 years, even Ali’s team doesn’t believe in his strength, but the most important thing is to believe in yourself, isn’t it?

The Hurricane (1999)

Next on our list, you can see an inspiring and impressive boxing movie about real-life middleweight African American boxer Rubin “Hurricane” Carter. The portrayal of Carter brought Denzel Washington his fourth Oscar nomination for acting. If you think that this is just another picture of endless rings and confrontations, you are mistaken, because the director dug much deeper and placed in one plot the problems of human inequality, racial oppression, and life injustice, after all. In general, the movie is an emotionally charged masterpiece about the tragic story of a talented boxer.

Ali (2001)

If you are interested in fate and life, perhaps one of the most famous American boxers of the last century, Muhammad Ali, you should watch this movie. Will Smith brilliantly portrayed one of the greatest boxers ever lived. Michael Mann’s biopic Ali chronicles the most interesting and intense 10 years of his life, the period when he converted to Islam and won a grand victory in dozens of important rings.

Million Dollar Baby (2004)

This movie after its release on the big screens managed to win the hearts of millions, moreover, among its admirers are not only boxing fans. Maybe it’s the genius director Clint Eastwood, who played one of the main roles here, and maybe it’s the main character, a girl who dreamed of boxing all her life. Boxing is not called a game for the weak, and women’s boxing – and even more so, the thing is cruel, which is very clearly displayed in the movie. The portrayal of underdog female boxer Maggie Fitzgerald brought Hilary Swank to win an Oscar nomination for Best Actress, as well as Oscars for Best Director, Best Picture, and Best Supporting Actor (Morgan Freeman). “Million Dollar Baby” is perhaps the most iconic movie about female boxing and a heartfelt drama.

The Fighter (2010)

“The Fighter” is an interesting dramatic movie about the fate of a rather famous Irish boxer Micky Ward (Mark Wahlberg) and his less successful younger brother, recovering drug addict Dicky Eklund (Christian Bale). It should be noted that movies on this subject are often honored with good awards, and “The Fighter” was no exception. Christian Bale, who worked hard on his role, was honored with the highest praise: an Oscar statuette and a Golden Globe for a complete set. Based on the documentary “High on Crack Street: Lost Lives in Lowell”, is a brilliant boxing movie everyone should see.