Best boxing movie ever

Paolo Rossi, who drubbed a Philly lighweight who I thought sure was gonna inherit the mantle of Sugar Ray Robinson, Len Matthews; and Rory Calhoun, who early-on looked like he was gonna blast out everyone in the middleweight division.

Also, I think the nifty-boxing Billy Graham was a background player.

 

IMO, It's Rocky..
but a close second for me is "The Champ" (1979)
Starring: Jon Voight, Rick Schroder, Faye Dunaway

 

For me, it has to be Rocky. After Ali's dethroning of Foreman and the unexpected success of the 1976 US Olympic Boxing Squad in Montreal, the release of that movie sealed the revival of boxing in the United States. Theatre audiences cheered when he dropped Creed. If Rocky wasn't the best boxing movie, it was surely the most important.

 

Cmon Rocky I and II are brilliant. Raging Bull is also a classy film.

I beleive they are currently making a movie on Micky Ward son aswel.

 

I loved this movie. But then, I loved just about everything John Wayne ever did. But for those who've never seen it, Wayne plays an Irish American boxer from Pittsburgh who goes back to Ireland to live in the small town of his ancestry (Inisfree?) and there gets one thunderbolt of a look from wild Irish redhead Maureen O'Hara, and he is hooked. The problem comes from her patriarchal big brother, (I wanna say this actor's name is McClaughlin, big enough to make it a fair fight) who refuses to release her dowry to bless their coupling due to a land dispute that he has with Wayne.

John Wayne is the classic reluctant warrior, as he dodges one challenge after another from the brother, also the town bully and aspiring land baron, which his betrothed mistakes as cowardice, or worse, a lack of concern for her need to bring something of her own into their marriage. All but one of the villagers are unaware of Wayne's history in the ring, let alone of the fact that his last fight left his opponent unrevivable on the canvass; the look of horror on Wayne's face in the flashback, as his foe is counted out for the very last time is priceless. The climactic fight scene that travels from one end of the rolling green town to another, gathering every inhabitant in tow as it does like a travelling minstrel show, does stop to pause from time to time for a much needed breather, and for a quick toss-back of some locally-brewed. Aye, for the sheer joy of it!

 

The Set Up sits right next to Raging Bull for me as the two best boxing movies made. Ironically, the movie, like its star are often over-looked. Robert Ryan was one of the best and is largely forgotten.

 

How 'bout the one starring your namesake? "The Harder They Fall", it had its moments. Humphrey Bogart as the jaded, but still relatively pure boxing writer hired by the mob to put a good face on their giant of a meal ticket who couldn't break an egg with his best punch, a character based on Primo Carnera, who only wants to end up with enough $ to return to his South American village and buy a house for his family.

 

Fat City.

I like Raging Bull too but it's a bit over the top.

 

rocky

 

Raging Bull

 

Yeah another overlooked film, amongst both boxing and Bogart films. I always liked Walcott in this one and how he showed the Canera figure what he was really made of.

 

Yeah, and Baer too, right? Who's acting was pretty good, I thought.

 

Old Fogey mentioned "The Set Up" which is a beautiful film noir and boxing film. It was an inspiration for Bruce Willis' character in "Pulp Fiction"...

 

Raging Bull
The Set Up
Reqiuem For a Heavyweight
The Harder They Fall
Fat City