40 Best Boxing Movies of All Time
Boxing movies come in a few forms: There are celebrations of the sport; documentaries honoring fighters and examining historical context; condemnations of the dark side of pugilism and Cinderella stories featuring gloves instead of glass slippers.
From the glorification of the greats to cautionary tales of contenders, the best boxing movies often combine elements of each. We've rounded up the 40 best boxing movies of all time to make your next movie night a knockout.
Related: Rocky's Best Quotes
Top 10 Best Boxing Movies
1. Rocky
C'mon, was there even a question? Sylvester Stallone gave blood, sweat and tears for his classic underdog story. Stallone became the third man in history to earn Best Actor and Best Original Screenplay nominations for the same movie.
Related: Facts You Never Knew About Sylvester Stallone
2. Raging Bull
Robert De Niro pulls no punches (sorry!) in Raging Bull, the true story of Jake LaMotta, directed by Martin Scorsese. De Niro earned his second Oscar for his portrayal of the tortured fighter.
3. Million Dollar Baby
Hilary Swank won a well-deserved Oscar for her performance in Million Dollar Baby, holding her own in the triumphant, tragic film against none other than Clint Eastwood and Morgan Freeman.
4. Cinderella Man
Ron Howard directs Russell Crowe and an Oscar-nominated Paul Giamatti in this comeback story.
5. Ali
Will Smith beefed up to play Muhammad Ali in this biopic covering his life from 1964 to 1974—including his outspoken criticism of the Vietnam War and "Rumble in the Jungle" match, earning an Oscar nomination.
Related: Muhammad Ali Quotes
6. Creed
Director Ryan Coogler delivers! Michael B. Jordan has a star turn as Apollo Creed's son Adonis Creed, out to escape his father's shadow with the help of an ill Rocky Balboa.
Related: Michael B. Jordan's Net Worth and How He Made It
7. Rocky II
Carl Weathers shines as the cocky Apollo Creed in Rocky II, and his chemistry with Stallone is palpable in this sweet underdog story.
Related: The A-Lister You Never Knew Dated Sylvester Stallone
8. The Survivor
Ben Foster delivers a career-best performance as Harry Haft, a Jewish man in a concentration camp forced to box other Jews to death to save his own life.
He recalled in Variety, "Before filming began, our team flew to Auschwitz. As the wheels touched down, we chuckled about what the Nazis would think about the sight of us now. Five Jews returning to the camps on a jet for movie research. The grim humor faded quickly. It’s one thing to hear about the systematic murder of six million Jews, it is another to touch the train tracks on which they arrived. To see the piles of discarded personal items: thousands of toothbrushes, heaps of old suitcases, and the mountains of baby shoes. These are thing you cannot unsee. Months after we wrapped principal photography, I would wake up in cold sweats, imagining I was still there."
9. Ring of Fire: The Emile Griffith Story
This documentary follows the harrowing, heartbreaking and horrifying story of Emile Griffith's rise and fall, as well as the homophobia he faced throughout and after his boxing career.
10. The Champion (The Champion of Auschwitz)
This Polish film tells the true story of Tadeusz Pietrzykowski, a boxer who was undefeated in matches in Nazi concentration camps.
Related: Mike Tyson's Net Worth Revealed
Top 20 Best Boxing Movies
11. The Hurricane
Denzel Washington is a ripped revelation as Rubin "Hurricane" Carter, a boxer falsely accused of murder, in The Hurricane. Washington won the Golden Globe for Best Actor in a Drama and was nominated for the Oscar for Best Actor for his role.
Related: Denzel Washington's Net Worth and How He Made It
12. When We Were Kings
Leon Gast's documentary examines the "Rumble in the Jungle" match between Muhammad Ali and George Foreman.
13. Girlfight
Michelle Rodriguez had an amazing breakout performance in Karyn Kusama's film as a troubled teen who secretly trains as a boxer.
14. The Fighter
Christian Bale is a revelation as a former boxer battling addiction in The Fighter, stealing the show from Mark Wahlberg, who does most of the actual fighting. The pair play real-life half-brothers Dicky Eklund and Micky Ward.
15. Requiem for a Heavyweight
Penned by The Twilight Zone creator Rod Serling, Requiem for a Heavyweight features none other than Ali playing himself.
Related: Mike Tyson Quotes
16. Southpaw
Jake Gyllenhaal stars as a lefty who had it all and loses it all. He struggles to pick up the pieces of his life with the aid of a former fighter (Forest Whitaker, brilliant here). Antoine Fuqua directs the film, which writer Kurt Sutter said was inspired by Eminem and is a spiritual sequel to 8 Mile.
17. Rocky Balboa
Stallone is heartbreaking in Rocky Balboa as the title hero mourns the death of the love of his life, Adrian, and tries to make amends with his estranged son. Boxing takes a backseat to drama, but it shows that Rocky still has a lot of fight left in him.
18. Annapolis
Before James Franco basically played himself in every movie except The Disaster Artist, he was charming in this film, set at the Naval Academy in the title city.
19. The Harder They Fall
The Harder They Fall is a searing examination of the ugly side of boxing, including exploitation and the inherent violence it depicts.
20. Snatch
When you combine Guy Ritchie, Jason Statham and hand-to-hand combat, very little can go wrong—and very little does, especially with A-list castmates like Benicio Del Toro and Brad Pitt.
Related: How Much Is Conor McGregor Worth?
30 Best Boxing Movies
21. Resurrecting the Champ
A struggling sports reporter (Josh Hartnett) helps a homeless man (Samuel L. Jackson) who turns out to be a former champion boxer who was long thought to be dead. Similar to how rescue pet parents say "They really saved us," this is a little schmaltzy, but is so heartwarming—and Jackson so captivating—that it works. Alan Alda is also great as Hartnett's boss.
22. Bleed for This
Miles Teller plays real-life boxer Vinny Pazienza with a stellar supporting turn from Katey Sagal. The film was criminally under-viewed at the time of its release, but you can compensate for that now!
23. Creed II
Jordan's second run as Adonis Creed is a love story, with Tessa Thompson delivering a powerful performance—and, of course, Ivan Drago is back, making this fight very personal.
24. Gentleman Jim
Errol Flynn is a bare-knuckles fighter who scraps and fights to better his life—and his ranking in the sport.
25. Rocky III
Rocky trains with Carl Weathers' Apollo Creed to fight Clubber Lang (Mr. T—Mr. T!!!!) in the beloved third installment of the franchise.
Related: Sylvester Stallone's Net Worth and How Much He Made for Rocky
26. Creed III
Jordan's feature directorial debut is a solid one, with Jonathan Majors stealing every scene. Please give this man all of the Oscars. All of them. For everything.
27. The Quiet Man
John Wayne stars as an ex-boxer who accidentally killed an opponent in the ring. He tries escaping his past by moving to Ireland, and, well, he can't escape drama.
28. Chuck
This 2016 film is based on real-life Chuck Wepner, a blue-collar underdog whose bout with Muhammad Ali inspired Stallone to write Rocky.
29. The Boxer
Daniel Day-Lewis, method king, shines in this 1997 drama.
30. Jungleland
Charlie Hunnam and Jack O'Connell take on bare-knuckle boxing in an effort to escape some serious debt. The real villain here is capitalism.
Related: Marilyn Vos Savant on the Sport of Boxing
40 Best Boxing Movies
31. Rocky IV
Dolph Lundgren is perfect as Ivan Drago (and in general, as a human being), but the robot and Red Scare elements make this one age less well than other Rocky installments.
32. The Ring
No creepy girls climbing out of wells here—just Alfred Hitchcock taking on boxing. This silent film is available for free in full on most streamers, including YouTube.
33. Fat City
A teen boxer (a young, and according to my wife, quite hunky Jeff Bridges) gives a washed-up boxer (Stacy Keach) a reason to keep going. Think A Star Is Born, but with gloves instead of mics.
34. Somebody Up There Likes Me
Paul Newman and his piercing stare pack a punch in this film that tackles trauma and mental health in ways that were ahead of its time.
35. Real Steel
Is the premise a little silly? Sure. But Hugh Jackman sells it with so much earnestness (and Anthony Mackie with so much charm) that you can't help but root for the underdog and the movie to succeed.
Related: Inside Sylvester Stallone's Rocky Relationship History
36. Catch the Fair One
A once-champion boxer sets out to find her missing sister in this gripping drama, written by and starring Kali Reiss. The sorely needed Native representation is just an added bonus.
37. The Hammer
Adam Carolla delivers in this funny tale of a boxer-turned-contractor-turned-boxer. While not all of the humor holds up, the film is still better than you may expect it to be.
38. Triumph of the Spirit
Based on a true story, a haunting Willem Dafoe stars as a championship boxer named Salamo sent to Auschwitz, where he is forced to fight other prisoners—and whoever loses is killed.
39. Mary Kom
Priyanka Chopra stars as the title boxer, a real-life Indian boxer and politician.
40. Grudge Match
Starring De Niro and Stallone, Grudge Match is an enjoyable rainy Sunday watch—but may make you nostalgic for the "good old days" when they fought in heavier hitting fare.
