Number Ten: The Champ. This film was released in 1931, and it tells the story of a former boxing great who becomes an alcoholic. The boxer aims to clean up his life in order to be a good father for his son. The Champ starred Wallace Beery, Jackie Cooper, and Irene Rich.
Number Nine: The Hurricane. This Norman Jewison film was released in 1999. It is a true account of the life of Rubin “Hurricane” Carter. The former middleweight boxer was convicted of murder, and he spent twenty years in prison before he was freed in the mid-1980s. The lead role was played by Academy Award winner Denzel Washington.
Number Eight: Cinderella Man. This 2005 film starred Russell Crowe, Renee Zellweger, and Paul Giamatti. The movie was inspired by the true story of heavyweight boxing champion James J. Braddock. Back in 1935, Braddock surprisingly defeated Max Baer for the heavyweight title, earning him the title “Cinderella Man.”
Number Seven: Million Dollar Baby. Released in 2004, Million Dollar Baby stars Clint Eastwood, Hilary Swank, and Morgan Freeman. The story follows a trainer (Eastwood) who coaches an amateur athlete (Swank) in her quest to become a professional boxer.
Number Six: Rocky Balboa. Sylvester Stallone, Burt Young, Talia Shire, and Anthony Tarver star in this 2006 film. The movie is a part of the Rocky film series, which was first released in 1976. The “blue collar” fighter is known as a triumphant winner who had to overcome many obstacles in order to be successful.
Number Five: Requiem For A Heavyweight. Anthony Quinn, Mickey Rooney, and Jackie Gleason star in this 1962 film, which was adapted from a teleplay. The story follows the complex life of boxer Mountain Rivera. Boxing legend Cassius Clay (Muhammad Ali) also made an appearance in this extraordinary film.
Number Four: When We Were Kings. This 1996 documentary film features the epic bout, which was famously referred to as “Rumble in the Jungle”, between boxing icons Muhammed Ali and George Foreman. The film features cameos by director Spike Lee, the late B.B. King, football legend Jim Brown, and the late James Brown.
Number Three: Rocky. This was the first of installment of the Rocky films starring Sylvester Stallone. The other films in the series include Rocky II, Rocky III, Rocky IV, Rocky V, Rocky Balboa, and Creed. Creed will be released this year in November. To date, the 1976 Rocky film has grossed over $220 million at the box office.
Number Two: Raging Bull. Arguably the best boxing movie ever made, Raging Bull was directed by the great Martin Scorsese. The film stars Robert De Niro, Cathy Moriarty, and Joe Pesci. The 1980 film chronicles the life of Italian-American middleweight boxer whose battles outside the ring prove to more challenging than any match he has fought inside the boxing ring.
Number One: Ali. The cinematography in this film is second to none. The fighting scenes make you feel as if you are sitting in the front row of each boxing match. Ali stars Will Smith, who brilliantly portrays Muhammed Ali in this 2001 autobiographical film. The all-star cast also includes Jamie Foxx, Jon Voight, Mario Van Peebles, and Ron Silver. Ali was directed by Michael Mann.