Boxing movies like Southpaw have long been one of the most popular inspirational sports features because they are more personal and focus on two individuals facing off in the ring. Because of this, boxing has been a staple of sports movies from the beginning of film up to the modern day. All kinds of movie boxers exist in the pop culture ethos, with many even honored at the Academy Awards and others entered into the National Film Registry by the Library of Congress.
Boxing movies span various genres, with popular dramas, comedies, and action movies centering on the sport. Many boxing films are biopics, but with the stars of these movies being iterations of real-life boxers, it is a bit hard to compare them to boxers like Rocky Balboa. However, plenty of boxing projects like Southpaw feature fictional boxers, and this is where it becomes a little more subjective to debate who the best pound-for-pound boxer is among those explicitly created for the big screen.
You are watching: 12 Best Pound-For-Pound Boxers In Sports Movies, Ranked
12
Diana Guzman
Girlfight
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girlfight
R
Drama
Release Date
May 1, 2000
Runtime
110 minutes
Director
Karyn Kusama
Producers
Caroline Kaplan, John Sayles, Jonathan Sehring, Maggie Renzi, Martha Griffin
Cast
See All
-
Jamie Tirelli
Hector Soto
-
Michelle Rodriguez
Diana Guzman
-
Paul Calderon
Sandro Guzman
-
Santiago Douglas
Adrian Sturges
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Michelle Rodriguez’s role as Diana Guzman in 2000’s Girlfight is what launched her into stardom, and she defined Guzman as one of the best movie boxers along the way. The film chronicles the start of her boxing career, with Guzman finding success by easily winning amateur fights in the female league. However, Guzman also ends up defeating two men. One of these fights is even against her boyfriend, showing her skill as well as her mental fortitude.
If Girlfight showed more of Guzman’s career, it’s possible she could be an even better boxer in movies, but all the film showed was the amateur fights and the male vs. female battles. Despite this, beating men in this brutal sport means that Diana deserves all the respect in the world when it comes to her talent and determination as a pound-for-pound boxer.
11
Butch Coolidge
Pulp Fiction
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Pulp Fiction
R
Drama
Crime
10/10
83
8.8/10
Release Date
October 14, 1994
Runtime
154 minutes
Director
Quentin Tarantino
Writers
Quentin Tarantino
Cast
See All
-
John Travolta
-
Bruce Willis
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Pulp Fiction may not be a boxing movie, but it does feature one of cinema’s best fictional boxers. Bruce Willis’ Butch Coolidge was a hotshot boxer from Los Angeles in his youth, winning most of his fights and garnering a pretty successful career. However, Coolidge retired in his late 30s, with him throwing his last fight, which got him a lot of attention from the mob. This led to the story in Pulp Fiction, where Marsellus Wallace offers to pay off Butch to throw an upcoming fight so he can win a bet.
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This led to Butch having a conflict of faith and deciding not to throw the fight, believing it is more important to win than to take another payoff from the mob. However, Butch ends up not only winning the fight against Wallace’s orders but actually killing his opponent with a hard punch. The fact he killed a man with his gloved fists showed that he was easily one of the strongest pound-for-pound boxers in movies. It’s possible that Coolidge could have been even more successful if it hadn’t been for his underhanded activities.
10
“Honey” Roy Palmer
Diggstown
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Diggstown
R
Comedy
Drama
Release Date
August 14, 1992
Runtime
98 minutes
Director
Michael Ritchie
Writers
Steven McKay
Producers
Robert Schaffel
Cast
See All
-
James Woods
Gabriel Caine
-
Louis Gossett Jr.
“Honey” Roy Palmer
-
Oliver Platt
Fitz
-
Heather Graham
Emily Forrester
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Louis Gossett Jr.’s Honey “Ray” Palmer is a retired professional boxer in 1992’s boxing comedy Diggstown. However, his post-retirement career is what makes him so special. Throughout the film, the 48-year-old boxer defeats Diggstown’s 10 best fighters in a single day. Ten fights in a single day is an incredible feat for any boxer, and considering that Palmer won them all, it makes the fighter even more impressive.
Palmer beat four of the first seven fighters in fair fights.
It should be noted that not all the fights were fair. One person was bribed to take a dive, and another was given a laxative before the fight. Another refused to fight out of cowardice. However, Palmer beat four of the first seven fighters in fair fights. The next kicked Palmer in the groin for a DQ, but then Palmer knocked him out anyway. The ninth fight was the most impressive since it was against a former pro, and Palmer won despite beating exhaustion. Beating even five people in one day earns praise.
9
George “The Iceman” Chambers
Undisputed
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Undisputed
r
Action
Drama
Release Date
August 23, 2002
Runtime
96minutes
Director
Walter Hill
Writers
Walter Hill
Cast
See All
-
Wesley Snipes
-
Ving Rhames
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Ving Rhames plays George “The Iceman” Chambers, a heavyweight boxing champion who ends up in prison in 2002’s Undisputed following rape charges. Although Chambers ends up losing a prison fight to Monroe “Undisputed” Hutchen (Wesley Snipes), the boxer’s professional record is an impressive 46-0-1, with his fight against Hutchen being part of a betting syndicate where there are very few rules in place. Hutchen was also in prison for beating a man to death.
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In the fight shown in the movie, Chambers knocks down Hutchen twice to start the fight, but Hutchen gets the third knockdown – the first time that Chambers was ever knocked down in a boxing match. After getting out of prison, Chambers becomes the undisputed heavyweight champion of the world, further cementing his place as one of the best movie boxers of all time. However, his lack of morals holds him down, as he lies and claims his knockout to Hutchen never happened.
8
Kelly Robinson
I Spy
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I Spy
PG-13
Action
Adventure
Comedy
Thriller
Release Date
October 31, 2002
Runtime
97 minutes
Director
Betty Thomas
Writers
Cormac Wibberley, David Ronn, Jay Scherick
Producers
Andrew G. Vajna, David R. Ginsburg, Jenno Topping, Marc Toberoff, Mario Kassar
Cast
See All
-
Eddie Murphy
Kelly Robinson
-
Owen Wilson
Alexander Scott
-
Famke Janssen
Rachel
-
Keith Dallas
Lunchbox
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I Spy is a buddy spy movie that is passed off more as a comedy and is based on the classic 1960s television series of the same name. In the film, Owen Wilson plays Special Agent Alex Scott, who is seeking to go undercover, and he uses middleweight world boxing champion Kelly Robinson as his cover. Eddie Murphy plays Kelly Robinson, and his skills are shown off despite the film’s comedic tone. Robinson is not even knocked down for the first time until near the end of I Spy, but it is only because of a contact lens spy gadget turning on.
Kelly Robinson ends I Spy with a record of 58-0, which is incredibly impressive for any boxer.
While his boxing matches are just used as a side story to the main spy plot, which Robinson comedically becomes involved in, he is shown to be one of the greatest fighters in the world during the film’s runtime. What is most impressive is that Eddie Murphy pulled this off despite having no boxing training outside of working on it for his movie roles. No stunt doubles were used for Murphy’s fight scenes.
7
Charley Davis
Body And Soul
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Body and Soul
R
Drama
Release Date
September 1, 2000
Runtime
95 minutes
Director
Sam Henry Kass
Cast
-
Michael Chiklis
Tiny O’Toole
-
Ray Mancini
Charlie Davis
-
Jennifer Beals
Gina
-
Rod Steiger
Johnny Ticotin
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Charley Davis is a boxer from 1947’s Body and Soul and remains one of the best fictional pound-for-pound fighters in this cinema classic. Throughout the film noir sports drama, Davis becomes a massive success, quickly rising to the rank of one of boxing’s biggest names. Despite being blacklisted for a title shot because of his race, he kept fighting and finally got the chance to prove himself in the ring. Charley Davis defended his title for years, showing he had what it took to remain on top.
However, the most interesting part is that he manages to win a fight he was meant to throw due to the dealings of his shady manager (Lloyd Gough), showing that he has the character that other fighters on this list don’t. It was a huge moment in the movie, with the supposed better fighter unable to back up his words with his fists. It also helps that John Garfield was a boxer in his younger days, so he brings a lot of skill and knowledge to his performance as the world-class boxer in this film.
6
Maggie Fitzgerald
Million Dollar Baby
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Million Dollar Baby
PG-13
Drama
Sport
8/10
Release Date
December 15, 2004
Runtime
132 minutes
Director
Clint Eastwood
Writers
Paul Haggis
Cast
See All
-
Hilary Swank
-
Mike Colter
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Hilary Swank’s Maggie Fitzgerald from 2004’s Million Dollar Baby proves herself to be the best female boxer in cinematic history. She was a no-nonsense fighter who refused to take no for an answer, especially when it came to convincing Frankie Funn (Clint Eastwood) to train her, despite him not having faith in her as a female boxer who is starting her training later in life. Fitzgerald moves up through the boxing ranks and garners an impressive winning streak, known for quickly knocking out her opponents.
It seemed like the sky was the limit for Maggie until that tragic fight, and in her short career, she was as powerful as any male boxer in the movie world.
However, Million Dollar Baby is a tragedy, as just when Maggie gets a chance for a fight against the WBA women’s welterweight champion for a $1 million purse, her opponent delivers a cheap sucker punch, and Maggie falls and cracks her head on the stool in the corner, instantly paralyzing herself. It seemed like the sky was the limit for Maggie until that tragic fight, and in her short career, she was as powerful as any male boxer in the movie world.
5
Billy “The Great” Hope
Southpaw
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Southpaw
R
Drama
5/10
Release Date
July 24, 2015
Runtime
124 Minutes
Director
Antoine Fuqua
Writers
Kurt Sutter
Cast
See All
-
Naomi Harris
-
Rachel McAdams
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Jake Gyllenhaal plays Billy Hope in 2015’s Southpaw. Hope is an undisputed light heavyweight champion who dispatches several tough fighters throughout the film, although he barely scrapes by some of the time. At the start of the film, Billy Hope has a record of 42-0, with him beating some of the toughest opponents in the game. What makes the film so interesting is that Billy Hope is not based on a real-life boxer but is instead based on rapper Eminem, with the boxing fights a metaphor for his rap battles.
The movie goes a long way to show Billy as a father who needs to prove he can raise his daughter while also proving that he has what it takes to win as a boxer. The fact that the story takes the time to show Billy hitting rock bottom and losing everything, only to fight his way back to the top and reclaim his daughter and the trust of those around them, all while being a master in the ring, shows that he is one of the best pound-for-pound boxers in movies regardless of the distractions.
4
Ivan Drago
Rocky IV
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Rocky IV
PG
Sport
Drama
8/10
9.3/10
Release Date
November 27, 1985
Runtime
91 minutes
Director
Sylvester Stallone
Writers
Sylvester Stallone
Prequel(s)
Rocky 3, Rocky II, Rocky
Cast
See All
-
Sylvester Stallone
-
Talia Shire
Sequel(s)
Rocky Balboa, Creed, Rocky 5, Creed II, Creed III
Franchise(s)
Rocky
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Ivan Drago is the most fearsome villain in the Rocky franchise. He proved his might when he fought and hit so hard that he killed Apollo Creed in Rocky IV in what was supposed to be an exhibition fight. Although his loss to Rocky was only his second official fight, Ivan Drago was an Olympic gold medalist and had an amateur record of 100-0 before he started fighting professionally. Drago also packs a powerful punch at an average of 1850 PSI.
Played by Dolph Lundgren, Drago also looks the part in the movie. Russia banished him from the country after he lost his fight to Rocky, but he returned later with his son Viktor, who he had trained to carry on the family name in boxing. This means that Ivan Drago only had a record of 1-1, with his only win in an exhibition fight, before his forced retirement and banishment following Apollo Creed’s death and the loss to Balboa. Regardless, Ivan proved to be one of the best of all time in those two fights.
3
James “The Grim Reaper” Roper
The Great White Hype
Movie
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The Great White Hype
R
Comedy
Drama
Release Date
May 3, 1996
Runtime
91 minutes
Director
Reginald Hudlin
Writers
Ron Shelton
Producers
Fred Berner
Cast
See All
-
Jeff Goldblum
Mitchell Kane
-
Samuel L. Jackson
Rev. Fred Sultan
-
Peter Berg
Terry Conklin
-
Corbin Bernsen
Peter Prince
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The Great White Hype‘s James “The Grim Reaper” Roper (Damon Wayans) is the heavyweight boxing champion of the world, which combined with his undefeated record makes him one of the best boxers of all time. The film is mostly a comedy, with Samuel Jackson starring as the manipulative promoter and the entire movie spoofing the hype going into the real-life 1982 boxing match between Larry Holmes and Gerry Cooney (the latter’s nickname was “The Great White Hope”).
There is no question that The Grim Reaper, in his prime, would win the film’s fights, with an out-of-shape Roper still easily defeating his white opponent (a man brought out of retirement who didn’t want to fight at all anymore). Although The Great White Hype features many great boxers, James “The Grim Reaper” Roper is the best. Of course, one thing holding him down is the attack at the movie’s end, with Shabazz (Michael Jace) knocking him out in an unsanctioned fistfight.
2
Adonis Creed
Creed
Movie
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Creed
PG-13
Drama
Documentary
8/10
9.3/10
Release Date
November 25, 2015
Runtime
2h 13m
Director
Ryan Coogler
Writers
Aaron Covington, Ryan Coogler
Sequel(s)
Creed II, Creed III
Cast
See All
-
Michael B. Jordan
-
Sylvester Stallone
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Throughout the Creed franchise, Michael B. Jordan’s Adonis Creed goes from a street fighter to a WBC heavyweight champion. The son of Apollo Creed and protégé of Rocky Balboa takes down some incredible fighters throughout the three Creed movies, including “Pretty” Ricky Conlan, Viktor Drago, “Diamond” Damian Anderson, and more. His character’s journey showed how important it was to come out of his father’s shadow, a man he never really got to know, thanks to his early death.
Arguably, the most important win of Adonis’s career came when he beat Viktor Drago, the son of the man who killed his own father in a boxing ring. Adonis not only beat Viktor badly enough for Ivan to throw in the towel for his son to protect him, but he was a good enough man not to push the issue out of a sense of vengeance. With future Creed movies on the way, Adonis’ fighting career is far from over, giving him the potential to move up the list of the best movie boxers. His record is 27-1, with 26 wins by knockout.
1
Rocky Balboa
Rocky
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Rocky
PG
Drama
Sport
9/10
Release Date
November 21, 1976
Runtime
120 Minutes
Director
John G. Avildsen
Writers
Sylvester Stallone
Cast
See All
-
Sylvester Stallone
-
Talia Shire
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Rocky Balboa is not only the most popular movie boxer, but he is also the best. Appearing in eight different movies, Sylvester Stallone’s Italian Stallion has proven to be a relentless foe in the ring, always able to come back and win. He’s taken down Apollo Creed, Clubber Lang, Ivan Drago, Tommy Gunn, and Mason Dixon, some of the toughest fighters in the franchise.
In the first movie, he suffered a loss, but his guts and determination made him a star. He avenged that loss in the second movie and then went on to beat bigger and badder men. When he defeated the giant Russian Ivan Drago, he proved to be the best in the world. With Rocky Balboa’s 57-23-1 record and several titles under his belt, the Italian Stallion is easily the best pound-for-pound boxer in sports movies.
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Category: Entertainment