Boxing is much more than two boxers fighting each other in the ring. Boxing is a way of life for boxers and those around them, and it requires dedication and patience. It is very difficult to be successful in this sport, which has the most demanding training routine, and the competition is at the highest level because there is only one boxer at the top. The best boxing movies tell us in detail the lives of boxers, both in and out of the ring.
Some of the best boxing movies are also some of the greatest movies of all time. Boxing movies have managed to leave their mark on every era. We watched many famous and Oscar-winning actors and actresses as boxers in boxing movies. In fact, some of the best boxing movies have featured more than one of these names. Boxing movies, where the acting performance is everything, is one of the movie genres that is most successful in connecting with the audience.
The best boxing movies, unlike many sports movies, do not guarantee a happy ending. Especially, the very bad events that take place in the movie can sometimes even be demoralizing. This is one of the features that makes boxing movies special. The best boxing movies, some of them based on true stories, have all been successful because they can feel real. The ability to reflect the visible and invisible realities of boxing on the screen determines the success of boxing films.
No other genre of film combines such contradictory concepts as success and failure, rise and fall, right and wrong, disappointment and happiness, friendship and enmity, dedication and abandonment, as naturally as boxing films. Choosing the best boxing movies is like making a list of legendary titles. For this, I focused on films that were all covered with boxing and identified the most prominent ones. I've selected the best boxing movies of all time and put them together for you. When some of us hear the definition of boxing movie, they picture the bloody match of two boxers beating each other in their minds and keep a distance from boxing movies. In fact, the best boxing movies are not about boxing, but about the realities and challenges of life.
Best Boxing Movies
1
Release Date: 1976
Director: John G. Avildsen
Stars: Sylvester Stallone, Talia Shire, Burt Young, Carl Weathers
2
Release Date: 1980
Director: Martin Scorsese
Stars: Robert De Niro, Cathy Moriarty, Joe Pesci, Frank Vincent
3
Release Date: 2004
Director: Clint Eastwood
Stars: Hilary Swank, Clint Eastwood, Morgan Freeman, Jay Baruchel
4
Release Date: 2010
Director: David O. Russell
Stars: Mark Wahlberg, Christian Bale, Amy Adams, Melissa Leo
5
Release Date: 2015
Director: Antoine Fuqua
Stars: Jake Gyllenhaal, Rachel McAdams, Oona Laurence, Forest Whitaker
6
Release Date: 2005
Director: Ron Howard
Stars: Russell Crowe, Renée Zellweger, Craig Bierko, Paul Giamatti
7
Release Date: 2015
Director: Ryan Coogler
Stars: Michael B. Jordan, Sylvester Stallone, Tessa Thompson, Phylicia Rashad
8
Release Date: 1999
Director: Norman Jewison
Stars: Denzel Washington, Vicellous Shannon, Deborah Kara Unger, Liev Schreiber
9
Release Date: 1979
Director: Sylvester Stallone
Stars: Sylvester Stallone, Talia Shire, Burt Young, Carl Weathers
10
Release Date: 2004
Director: Dennis Gansel
Stars: Max Riemelt, Tom Schilling, Devid Striesow, Jonas Jägermeyr
11
Release Date: 1997
Director: Jim Sheridan
Stars: Daniel Day-Lewis, Emily Watson, Daragh Donnelly, Frank Coughlan
12
Release Date: 2013
Director: Peter Segal
Stars: Robert De Niro, Sylvester Stallone, Kim Basinger, Alan Arkin
13
Release Date: 1985
Director: Sylvester Stallone
Stars: Sylvester Stallone, Talia Shire, Burt Young, Carl Weathers
14
Release Date: 1982
Director: Sylvester Stallone
Stars: Sylvester Stallone, Talia Shire, Burt Young, Carl Weathers
15
Release Date: 2006
Director: Sylvester Stallone
Stars: Sylvester Stallone, Antonio Tarver, Milo Ventimiglia, Burt Young
16
Release Date: 2018
Director: Steven Caple Jr.
Stars: Michael B. Jordan, Sylvester Stallone, Tessa Thompson, Phylicia Rashad
17
Release Date: 2021
Director: Barry Levinson
Stars: Ben Foster, Billy Magnussen, Vicky Krieps, Peter Sarsgaard
18
Release Date: 2001
Director: Michael Mann
Stars: Will Smith, Jamie Foxx, Jon Voight, Mario Van Peebles
19
Release Date: 2016
Director: Jonathan Jakubowicz
Stars: Edgar Ramírez, Usher, Robert De Niro, Rubén Blades
20
Release Date: 2006
Director: Justin Lin
Stars: James Franco, Jordana Brewster, Tyrese Gibson, Donnie Wahlberg
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