The 25 Best Films About Boxing. In this series of sports-themed articles, we’ll be reviewing the best sports films from auto racing and baseball to tennis and surfing. These Best Of lists will include both popular and lesser-known films from a specific sports film subgenre and our plan is to release each list monthly near a major sporting event.
Hand to hand combat has been around since the dawn of man. Over the last few centuries, this particular form of combat has evolved into a sport that has transitioned from bare-knuckle fights to professional boxing. Over the last century in particular, boxing has gained legitimacy as a premier sporting event with rules and strict divisions for competitive boxing including the popular welterweight (140 – 147 pounds) and heavyweight (200+ pounds) weight classes. As both a Summer Olympics sport for amateurs to professional boxers vying for WBC, WBA, IBF and WBO titles, boxing has developed many heroes, rivalries and action-packed bouts that have become a natural fit for cinema.
In film, boxing has transcended other sports with a number of crowd pleasers and academy award winners throughout the past decades. From best picture winners Rocky (1976) to Million Dollar Baby (2004), boxing is a natural platform for inspirational tales to tearjerker tragedies. In addition, due to the larger-than-life presence of boxers in pop culture throughout the ages, historical biopics have also been an important subgenre relative to boxing. Some of these legendary boxers have been featured in films such as Tyson (1995), Rocky Marciano (1999) and Ali (2001) while recent films have covered the lives of female boxers Claressa Shields in The Fire Inside (2024) and Christy Martin in Christy (2025) to George Foreman in Big George Foreman (2023) and Prince Naseem Hamed in Giant (2025).
Once we’ve completed the list of best films by individual sport, we’ll have a cumulative article with the absolute 50 best sports films. For now, you can view our tentative schedule below and we’ll try to fit in some articles for some other sports such as Volleyball and Rowing that aren’t typically depicted in many films:
- Best Films About Football
- Best Films About Baseball
- Best Films About Surfing
- Best Films About Basketball
- Best Films About Summer Olympic Sports
- Best Films About Soccer
- Best Films About Running
- Best Films About Tennis
- Best Films About Auto Racing
- Best Films About Hockey
- Best Films About Wrestling
- Best Films About Winter Olympic Sports
- Best Films About Boxing
- Best Films About Golf
- The 50 Best Sports Films
For our rankings we’re going to use some criteria to help define and refine our list. First, the film must primarily be about amateur boxing or professional boxing.
Second, we’re not including films about Mixed Martial Arts (MMA) for this list and will have a separate article for MMA films in the near future.
Third, we will include some films that feature bare knuckle fights such as Every Which Way But Loose (1978) or underground street fighting in films like Fighting (2009) as long as the contests share similarities with boxing. However, we won’t be including films such as Fight Club (1999) as the film is primarily a Psychological Thriller.
Fourth, we’re not including documentaries on this list but will include docudramas like The Greatest (1977).
Fifth, like our previous sports film lists, we’re also not including anime films. However, we will include live action films based on anime. An example here would be the live action Tomorrow’s Joe (2011) which is based on the popular anime series.
Sixth, only one film per franchise. This will mainly apply to the Rocky series of films and the Creed trilogy.
Seventh, the more boxing action in the film, the higher it will rank on our list.
Eighth, we’re only going to include films made after 1970 for this list. If you’re looking for pre-1970 classic boxing films, we would recommend checking out The Ring (1927), The Champ (1931), Gentleman Jim (1942), Body and Soul (1947), The Set-Up (1949), The Harder They Fall (1956), Somebody Up There Likes Me (1956) and Requiem for a Heavyweight (1962).
And ninth, we had to follow our rule for all of KBZ’s film listings where we only list films that have a 4.0/10 or higher rating and, as previously mentioned, were made after 1970.
Our complete list of Sports Dramas features over 587+ films from 1942 – 2024 and our complete list of Sports Comedies features over 254+ films from 1968 – 2024. Though we don’t yet break down films by sports discipline, we will list every individual sport-related film in their respective articles. You can also subscribe to our newsletter to get updated as we release future articles on each sport and add the latest and greatest subgenre films to our collection.
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The 25 Best Films About Boxing
Films that didn’t make our list (and only for completists): The All-American Boy (1973), Matilda (1978), Every Which Way but Loose (1978), Movie Movie (1978), Penitentiary (1979), The Prize Fighter (1979), The Main Event (1979), Any Which Way You Can (1980), Body and Soul (1981), Penitentiary II (1982), Honeyboy (1982), Tough Enough (1983), The Sting II (1983), Streets of Gold (1986), Teen Wolf Too (1987), Heart (1987), Homeboy (1988), Split Decisions (1988), Fist Fighter (1989), Blonde Fist (1991), Night and the City (1992), The Great White Hype (1996), Some Up There Likes Me (1996), The Boxer (1997), TwentyFourSeven (1997), Play It to the Bone (1999), Shiner (2000), Muhammad Ali: King of the World (2000), The Opponent (2000), Against the Ropes (2004), The Calcium Kid (2004), Before the Fall (2004), A golpes (2005), Annapolis (2006), Pacquiao: The Movie (2006), Jump In! (2007), Rigged (2008), Poor Boy’s Game (2007), The Nail (2009), From Mexico With Love (2009), Gloves of Stone (2009), La Yuma (2010), Max Schmeling (2010), Knockout (2011), The Man Inside (2012), Barrio Brawler (2013), A Fighting Man (2014), Glass Chin (2014), The Challenger (2015), Kid Kulafu (2015), Back in the Day (2016), Cardboard Boxer (2016), Jawbone (2017), The Brawler (2018), Bayonet (2018), Float like a Butterfly (2018), Knuckle City (2019), Donnybrook (2019), In Full Bloom (2019), A Father’s Fight (2021), Prizefighter: The Life of Jim Belcher (2022), Almighty Zeus (2022), Catch the Fair One (2022), Punch (2022), Small, Slow But Steady (2022), The Featherweight (2023), Bobcat Moretti (2023), Love Punch (2023), Boxer (2024), Kid Snow (2024), Yolo (2024) and Salvable (2025).
Films not reviewed for this list: Fighting Tommy Riley (2005), Miracle on 1st Street (2007) and Mister Knockout (2022).
Honorable Mentions: The Great White Hope (1970), Hammer (1972), Let’s Do It Again (1975), Hard Times (1975), The Greatest (1977), Rocky II (1979), Rocky III (1982), Dempsey (1983), Rocky IV (1985), Triumph of the Spirit (1989), The Big Man (1990), Rocky V (1990), The Power of One (1992), Tyson (1995), Rocky Marciano (1999), Price of Glory (2000), Undisputed (2002), Rocky Balboa (2006), Resurrecting the Champ (2007), Phantom Punch (2008), Fighting (2009), Tomorrow’s Joe (2011), Real Steel (2011), Grudge Match (2013), My Name is Lenny (2017), The Hammer (2017), Creed II (2018), Underdog (2020), The Survivor (2022), Creed III (2023) and Big George Foreman (2023).
Ranks 25-1:
#25 Don King: Only in America (1997) Where to Stream / Buy: YouTube
#24 Jungleland (2019) Where to Stream / Buy: Amazon
#23 Christy (2025) Where to Stream / Buy: Amazon
#22 Day of the Fight (2024) Where to Stream / Buy: Amazon
#21 Fat City (1972) Where to Stream / Buy: Amazon
#20 Giant (2025) Where to Stream / Buy: N/A
#19 Girlfight (2000) Where to Stream / Buy: Tubi
#18 Bleed for This (2016) Where to Stream / Buy: Amazon
#17 Gladiator (1992) Where to Stream / Buy: Amazon
#16 The Champ (1979) Where to Stream / Buy: Amazon
#15 Chuck (2017) Where to Stream / Buy: Amazon
#14 The Hammer (2007) Where to Stream / Buy: Amazon
#13 Snatch (2000) Where to Stream / Buy: Amazon
#12 The Fire Inside (2024) Where to Stream / Buy: Amazon
#11 Hands of Stone (2016) Where to Stream / Buy: Amazon
#10
Ali
Plot: In 1964, a brash, new pro boxer, fresh from his Olympic gold medal victory, explodes onto the scene: Cassius Clay. Bold and outspoken, he cuts an entirely new image for African Americans in sport with his proud public self-confidence and his unapologetic belief that he is the greatest boxer of all time. Yet at the top of his game, both Ali’s personal and professional lives face the ultimate test.
KBZ’s Take: Though arguably the most popular (and best) boxer of all-time, Muhammad Ali still hasn’t had a film that’s encapsulated his life in a meaningful way. While The Greatest (1977) and Michael Mann’s Ali cover the earlier years of Ali’s life along with the infamous Rumble in the Jungle featuring Ali vs. George Foreman, we would recommend Ken Burns’ Muhammad Ali documentary series for a complete look at “The Greatest”.
Where to Stream / Buy: Amazon
Plot: The story of Rubin Hurricane Carter, a boxer wrongly imprisoned for murder, and the people who aided in his fight to prove his innocence.
KBZ’s Take: We noted earlier in this article we are ranking films by their action scenes and boxing choreography. As a result, The Hurricane is listed lower on our list though it’s a quintessential film about boxing and typically falls within the Top 10 of other best films about boxing lists.
However, for our list, it’s boxing action first and while the film does have some great scenes featuring Denzel Washington as Rubin “Hurricane” Carter, it’s much more of a legal drama (and a great one at that).
Where to Stream / Buy: Amazon
#8
The Fighter
Plot: Based on the story of Micky Ward, a fledgling boxer who tries to escape the shadow of his more famous but troubled older boxing brother and get his own shot at greatness.
KBZ’s Take: Some of the most popular and inspirational films about boxing are also family dramas, and The Fighter is one of the best in both subgenres. With award-winning performances from Christan Bale, Mark Wahlberg, Amy Adams and Melissa Leo, the film is one of the best inspirational tales about lives of family members inside and outside of the ring.
Where to Stream / Buy: Amazon
#7
Creed
Plot: The former World Heavyweight Champion Rocky Balboa serves as a trainer and mentor to Adonis Johnson, the son of his late friend and former rival Apollo Creed.
KBZ’s Take: Though we’re only choosing one film from a specific franchise for this list, we considered the trilogy of Creed films separate from the Rocky film franchise. With its focus shifted to the son of Rocky Balboa’s nemesis-turned-best friend in Apollo Creed, Creed carves out its own niche in the subgenre with a star-turning performance by Michael B. Jordan as the mercurial Adonis Creed.
Where to Stream / Buy: Amazon
#6
Southpaw
Plot: Billy The Great Hope, the reigning junior middleweight boxing champion, has an impressive career, a loving wife and daughter, and a lavish lifestyle. However, when tragedy strikes, Billy hits rock bottom, losing his family, his house and his manager. He soon finds an unlikely savior in Tick Willis, a former fighter who trains the city’s toughest amateur boxers. With his future on the line, Hope fights to reclaim the trust of those he loves the most.
KBZ’s Take: It’s not often that a film we somehow missed for these lists catapults its way into our Top 10. However, Southpaw is one of those films. At its core, the film is a family drama about loss and redemption but is buoyed by Jake Gylenhall and Oona Laurence’s performances as the father and daughter finding their path in life after a tragedy.
But we’re not ranking the film this high solely on the dramatic components of the film. This is one of the best choreographed films of the subgenre with many action-packed boxing sequences including its pulse-pounding and kinetic final bout. We highly recommend that fans of the subgenre check out this film if they somehow initially missed it (like we did).
Where to Stream / Buy: Amazon
Plot: The true story of boxer Jim Braddock who, in the 1920’s following his retirement, makes a surprise comeback in order to get him and his family out of a socially poor state.
KBZ’s Take: Outside of our top selection for this list, there’s probably no better crowd pleaser of the subgenre than Cinderella Man. With an inspirational tale as its foundation, the film has become a boxing classic based on the excellent performances by Russell Crower and Paul Giamatti and some of the most thrilling boxing sequences in the entire subgenre.
Where to Stream / Buy: Amazon
Plot: Despondent over a painful estrangement from his daughter, trainer Frankie Dunn isn’t prepared for boxer Maggie Fitzgerald to enter his life. But Maggie’s determined to go pro and to convince Dunn and his cohort to help her.
KBZ’s Take: Most films about boxing leverage inspirational tales or heartbreaking tragedies within their narratives. While Million Dollar Baby has elements of both, it’s definitely the most well-known tearjerker on our list (and within the subgenre). We don’t want to talk much more about the film in case you haven’t seen it yet, but rest assured this will be one of the best films you have ever seen.
Where to Stream / Buy: Amazon
#3
Diggstown
Plot: After being released from a Georgia prison, smooth-talking con man Gabriel Caine (James Woods) teams up with his partner in crime, Fitz (Oliver Platt), and travels to remote Diggstown. Upon arriving, Fitz and Caine bet the wealthiest resident, former boxing manager John Gillon (Bruce Dern), that they know a guy who can beat Diggstown’s 10 best fighters in one day. After Caine reels in “Honey” Roy Palmer (Louis Gossett Jr.), an aging boxer and old acquaintance, the grift is on.
KBZ’s Take: Not only one of the best sports drama films, but Diggstown is also one of the best Con Artist Films and Films About Gamblers. The film takes many twists and turns with allegiances turning on a dime between James Woods’ con artist character and Bruce Dern’s slimy Diggstown owner.
Though Louis Gossett Jr.’s best film is almost always recognized as An Officer and a Gentleman (1982) (for which he won an Academy Award), our money will always be on Diggstown as Gossett’s greatest role as the over-the-hill boxer, Honey Roy Palmer.
Additional Lists: Top Sports Drama Films You Haven’t Seen #2, Top Films About Gamblers You Haven’t Seen #2, Top Films About Con Artists You Haven’t Seen #3
Where to Stream / Buy: Tubi
#2
Raging Bull
Plot: The life of boxer Jake LaMotta, whose violence and temper that led him to the top in the ring destroyed his life outside of it.
KBZ’s Take: Raging Bull is often at the top of every list of best films about boxing – and for good reason. This is arguably director Martin Scorsese’s best film in an acclaimed career with an award-winning performance by Robert DeNiro as the mercurial Jake LaMotta. It’s a film that bounces back and forth between difficult to watch scenes of LaMotta’s domestic life to his action-packed rage within the ring.
As for our list, we wouldn’t fault anyone for having this film at the top of theirs. But we are ranking films by their action and boxing choreography which leads us to our next film…
Where to Stream / Buy: Amazon
#1
Rocky
Plot: When world heavyweight boxing champion, Apollo Creed wants to give an unknown fighter a shot at the title as a publicity stunt, his handlers choose palooka Rocky Balboa, an uneducated collector for a Philadelphia loan shark. Rocky teams up with trainer Mickey Goldmill to make the most of this once-in-a-lifetime break.
KBZ’s Take: In our opinion, there’s no better subgenre film than Rocky. Though all five sequels of the franchise have their own merits (and disappointments), the first and original Rocky film is a pure work of art. Though most people are familiar with the rags-to-riches story of Rocky Balboa and Sylvester Stallone’s iconic performance as the “Italian Stallion”, the film’s classic title bout between Rocky and Apollo Creed cements its place as the top of our list.
With some of the best choreographed boxing action of the subgenre layered over a thrilling Bill Conti score nothing can top the sequence except the film’s own “Yo, Adrian!” callout which brings the film back home to its romantic drama foundation.
Where to Stream / Buy: Amazon
