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Home / Sports / Other Sports / Photos / Remembering Muhammad Ali: Top 15 boxing films of all time

Remembering Muhammad Ali: Top 15 boxing films of all time

Updated On: 17 January, 2019 07:14 AM IST |

Today, we celebrate the birth anniversary of former world heavyweight champion Muhammad Ali. On this day, we take a look at some of the finest movies based on the sport of boxing

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Today, we celebrate the birth anniversary of former world heavyweight champion Muhammad Ali. On this day, we take a look at some of the finest movies based on the sport of boxing

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Today, we celebrate the birth anniversary of former world heavyweight champion Muhammad Ali. On this day, we take a look at some of the finest movies based on the sport of boxing
When We Were Kings is a documentary directed by Leon Gast about the famous `Rumble in the Jungle` heavyweight championship match between Muhammad Ali and George Foreman. The fight was held in Zaire (now the Democratic Republic of the Congo) on October 30, 1974.

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When We Were Kings is a documentary directed by Leon Gast about the famous `Rumble in the Jungle` heavyweight championship match between Muhammad Ali and George Foreman. The fight was held in Zaire (now the Democratic Republic of the Congo) on October 30, 1974.
When We Were Kings is a documentary directed by Leon Gast about the famous `Rumble in the Jungle` heavyweight championship match between Muhammad Ali and George Foreman. The fight was held in Zaire (now the Democratic Republic of the Congo) on October 30, 1974.

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When We Were Kings is a documentary directed by Leon Gast about the famous `Rumble in the Jungle` heavyweight championship match between Muhammad Ali and George Foreman. The fight was held in Zaire (now the Democratic Republic of the Congo) on October 30, 1974.
American professional boxer and world heavyweight champion Rocky Marciano beat Jersey Joe Walcott for the title in 1952 and won an unrivaled 49 straight fights. Marciano defended his title six times. He retired in 1956 and died on August 31, 1969, near Newton, Iowa. (PIC/AFP)

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American professional boxer and world heavyweight champion Rocky Marciano beat Jersey Joe Walcott for the title in 1952 and won an unrivaled 49 straight fights. Marciano defended his title six times. He retired in 1956 and died on August 31, 1969, near Newton, Iowa. (PIC/AFP)
American professional boxer and world heavyweight champion Rocky Marciano beat Jersey Joe Walcott for the title in 1952 and won an unrivaled 49 straight fights. Marciano defended his title six times. He retired in 1956 and died on August 31, 1969, near Newton, Iowa. (PIC/AFP)

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American professional boxer and world heavyweight champion Rocky Marciano beat Jersey Joe Walcott for the title in 1952 and won an unrivaled 49 straight fights. Marciano defended his title six times. He retired in 1956 and died on August 31, 1969, near Newton, Iowa. (PIC/AFP)
u2018Raging Bullu2019 is a biopic directed by Martin Scorsese and adapted from Jake LaMotta`s memoir u2018Raging Bull: My Storyu2019. It stars Robert De Niro as Jake LaMotta, an Italian-American middleweight boxer whou2019s self-destructive and obsessive rage, sexual jealousy, and animalistic appetite destroys his relationship with his wife and family.

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u2018Raging Bullu2019 is a biopic directed by Martin Scorsese and adapted from Jake LaMotta`s memoir u2018Raging Bull: My Storyu2019. It stars Robert De Niro as Jake LaMotta, an Italian-American middleweight boxer whou2019s self-destructive and obsessive rage, sexual jealousy, and animalistic appetite destroys his relationship with his wife and family.
u2018Raging Bullu2019 is a biopic directed by Martin Scorsese and adapted from Jake LaMotta`s memoir u2018Raging Bull: My Storyu2019. It stars Robert De Niro as Jake LaMotta, an Italian-American middleweight boxer whou2019s self-destructive and obsessive rage, sexual jealousy, and animalistic appetite destroys his relationship with his wife and family.

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u2018Raging Bullu2019 is a biopic directed by Martin Scorsese and adapted from Jake LaMotta`s memoir u2018Raging Bull: My Storyu2019. It stars Robert De Niro as Jake LaMotta, an Italian-American middleweight boxer whou2019s self-destructive and obsessive rage, sexual jealousy, and animalistic appetite destroys his relationship with his wife and family.
Reportedly, loosely based on Muhammad Ali`s fight with Chuck Wepner, u2018Rockyu2019 is a film both written by and starring Sylvester Stallone. It tells the rags-to-riches story of Rocky Balboa, an uneducated but kind-hearted debt collector for a loan shark in the city of Philadelphia. Rocky starts out as a club fighter who later gets a shot at the world heavyweight championship.

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Reportedly, loosely based on Muhammad Ali`s fight with Chuck Wepner, u2018Rockyu2019 is a film both written by and starring Sylvester Stallone. It tells the rags-to-riches story of Rocky Balboa, an uneducated but kind-hearted debt collector for a loan shark in the city of Philadelphia. Rocky starts out as a club fighter who later gets a shot at the world heavyweight championship.
Reportedly, loosely based on Muhammad Ali`s fight with Chuck Wepner, u2018Rockyu2019 is a film both written by and starring Sylvester Stallone. It tells the rags-to-riches story of Rocky Balboa, an uneducated but kind-hearted debt collector for a loan shark in the city of Philadelphia. Rocky starts out as a club fighter who later gets a shot at the world heavyweight championship.

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Reportedly, loosely based on Muhammad Ali`s fight with Chuck Wepner, u2018Rockyu2019 is a film both written by and starring Sylvester Stallone. It tells the rags-to-riches story of Rocky Balboa, an uneducated but kind-hearted debt collector for a loan shark in the city of Philadelphia. Rocky starts out as a club fighter who later gets a shot at the world heavyweight championship.
u2018The Fighteru2019 centers on the life of professional boxer Micky Ward and his older half-brother Dicky Eklund.

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u2018The Fighteru2019 centers on the life of professional boxer Micky Ward and his older half-brother Dicky Eklund.
u2018The Fighteru2019 centers on the life of professional boxer Micky Ward and his older half-brother Dicky Eklund.

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u2018The Fighteru2019 centers on the life of professional boxer Micky Ward and his older half-brother Dicky Eklund.
The Hurricane is a biopic starring Denzel Washington. The script was adapted from the books u2018Lazarus and the Hurricane: The Freeing of Rubin `Hurricane` Carteru2019 and u2018The Sixteenth Round: From Number 1 Contender To #45472u2019. The film tells the story of a former middleweight boxing champion who was convicted for a triple homicide in a bar in Paterson, New Jersey. The film also depicts his life in prison and how he was freed by the love and compassion of a teenager from Brooklyn named Lesra Martin and his Canadian foster family.

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The Hurricane is a biopic starring Denzel Washington. The script was adapted from the books u2018Lazarus and the Hurricane: The Freeing of Rubin `Hurricane` Carteru2019 and u2018The Sixteenth Round: From Number 1 Contender To #45472u2019. The film tells the story of a former middleweight boxing champion who was convicted for a triple homicide in a bar in Paterson, New Jersey. The film also depicts his life in prison and how he was freed by the love and compassion of a teenager from Brooklyn named Lesra Martin and his Canadian foster family.
The Hurricane is a biopic starring Denzel Washington. The script was adapted from the books u2018Lazarus and the Hurricane: The Freeing of Rubin `Hurricane` Carteru2019 and u2018The Sixteenth Round: From Number 1 Contender To #45472u2019. The film tells the story of a former middleweight boxing champion who was convicted for a triple homicide in a bar in Paterson, New Jersey. The film also depicts his life in prison and how he was freed by the love and compassion of a teenager from Brooklyn named Lesra Martin and his Canadian foster family.

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The Hurricane is a biopic starring Denzel Washington. The script was adapted from the books u2018Lazarus and the Hurricane: The Freeing of Rubin `Hurricane` Carteru2019 and u2018The Sixteenth Round: From Number 1 Contender To #45472u2019. The film tells the story of a former middleweight boxing champion who was convicted for a triple homicide in a bar in Paterson, New Jersey. The film also depicts his life in prison and how he was freed by the love and compassion of a teenager from Brooklyn named Lesra Martin and his Canadian foster family.
u2018Million Dollar Babyu2019 is a film directed, co-produced, and scored by Clint Eastwood and starring Eastwood, Hilary Swank, and Morgan Freeman. This film is about a boxing trainer who is not appreciated, the mistakes that haunt him from his past and his quest for atonement by helping an underdog amateur boxer achieve her dream of becoming a professional.

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u2018Million Dollar Babyu2019 is a film directed, co-produced, and scored by Clint Eastwood and starring Eastwood, Hilary Swank, and Morgan Freeman. This film is about a boxing trainer who is not appreciated, the mistakes that haunt him from his past and his quest for atonement by helping an underdog amateur boxer achieve her dream of becoming a professional.
u2018Million Dollar Babyu2019 is a film directed, co-produced, and scored by Clint Eastwood and starring Eastwood, Hilary Swank, and Morgan Freeman. This film is about a boxing trainer who is not appreciated, the mistakes that haunt him from his past and his quest for atonement by helping an underdog amateur boxer achieve her dream of becoming a professional.

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u2018Million Dollar Babyu2019 is a film directed, co-produced, and scored by Clint Eastwood and starring Eastwood, Hilary Swank, and Morgan Freeman. This film is about a boxing trainer who is not appreciated, the mistakes that haunt him from his past and his quest for atonement by helping an underdog amateur boxer achieve her dream of becoming a professional.
Set in Northern Ireland, u2018The Boxeru2019 is about a boxer, played by Daniel Day-Lewis, who is released after a long prison term. To break the cycle of violence, he starts a youth boxing club u2013 and the IRA doesnu2019t like it.

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Set in Northern Ireland, u2018The Boxeru2019 is about a boxer, played by Daniel Day-Lewis, who is released after a long prison term. To break the cycle of violence, he starts a youth boxing club u2013 and the IRA doesnu2019t like it.
Set in Northern Ireland, u2018The Boxeru2019 is about a boxer, played by Daniel Day-Lewis, who is released after a long prison term. To break the cycle of violence, he starts a youth boxing club u2013 and the IRA doesnu2019t like it.

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Set in Northern Ireland, u2018The Boxeru2019 is about a boxer, played by Daniel Day-Lewis, who is released after a long prison term. To break the cycle of violence, he starts a youth boxing club u2013 and the IRA doesnu2019t like it.
Cinderella Man is a film by Ron Howard, titled after the nickname of heavyweight boxing champion James J. Braddock and inspired by his life story. Author Damon Runyon is credited for giving Braddock this nickname. Russell Crowe, Renu00e9e Zellweger and Paul Giamatti star in the biopic.

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Cinderella Man is a film by Ron Howard, titled after the nickname of heavyweight boxing champion James J. Braddock and inspired by his life story. Author Damon Runyon is credited for giving Braddock this nickname. Russell Crowe, Renu00e9e Zellweger and Paul Giamatti star in the biopic.
Cinderella Man is a film by Ron Howard, titled after the nickname of heavyweight boxing champion James J. Braddock and inspired by his life story. Author Damon Runyon is credited for giving Braddock this nickname. Russell Crowe, Renu00e9e Zellweger and Paul Giamatti star in the biopic.

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Cinderella Man is a film by Ron Howard, titled after the nickname of heavyweight boxing champion James J. Braddock and inspired by his life story. Author Damon Runyon is credited for giving Braddock this nickname. Russell Crowe, Renu00e9e Zellweger and Paul Giamatti star in the biopic.
Requiem for a Heavyweight is about Harlan `Mountain` McClintock, a once-promising but now washed-up boxer who faces the end of his career after he is savagely defeated by a younger boxer. Cassius Clay, later known as Muhammad Ali, appears as Quinn`s opponent in a boxing match at the beginning of the movie, a memorable sequence filmed with the camera providing Quinn`s point of view as the unstoppable Clay rapidly punches directly at the movie audience.

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Requiem for a Heavyweight is about Harlan `Mountain` McClintock, a once-promising but now washed-up boxer who faces the end of his career after he is savagely defeated by a younger boxer. Cassius Clay, later known as Muhammad Ali, appears as Quinn`s opponent in a boxing match at the beginning of the movie, a memorable sequence filmed with the camera providing Quinn`s point of view as the unstoppable Clay rapidly punches directly at the movie audience.
Requiem for a Heavyweight is about Harlan `Mountain` McClintock, a once-promising but now washed-up boxer who faces the end of his career after he is savagely defeated by a younger boxer. Cassius Clay, later known as Muhammad Ali, appears as Quinn`s opponent in a boxing match at the beginning of the movie, a memorable sequence filmed with the camera providing Quinn`s point of view as the unstoppable Clay rapidly punches directly at the movie audience.

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Requiem for a Heavyweight is about Harlan `Mountain` McClintock, a once-promising but now washed-up boxer who faces the end of his career after he is savagely defeated by a younger boxer. Cassius Clay, later known as Muhammad Ali, appears as Quinn`s opponent in a boxing match at the beginning of the movie, a memorable sequence filmed with the camera providing Quinn`s point of view as the unstoppable Clay rapidly punches directly at the movie audience.
The Great White Hope tells a fictional idealized life story of boxing champion Jack Johnson, called Jack Jefferson in the film. Acting as a lens focused on a racist society, u2018The Great White Hopeu2019 explores how segregation and prejudice created the demand for a `great white hope` who would defeat Johnson and how this, in turn, affected the boxer`s life and career. Johnson, the first African-American to hold the World Heavyweight Championship title, was the best fighter of his generation.

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The Great White Hope tells a fictional idealized life story of boxing champion Jack Johnson, called Jack Jefferson in the film. Acting as a lens focused on a racist society, u2018The Great White Hopeu2019 explores how segregation and prejudice created the demand for a `great white hope` who would defeat Johnson and how this, in turn, affected the boxer`s life and career. Johnson, the first African-American to hold the World Heavyweight Championship title, was the best fighter of his generation.
The Great White Hope tells a fictional idealized life story of boxing champion Jack Johnson, called Jack Jefferson in the film. Acting as a lens focused on a racist society, u2018The Great White Hopeu2019 explores how segregation and prejudice created the demand for a `great white hope` who would defeat Johnson and how this, in turn, affected the boxer`s life and career. Johnson, the first African-American to hold the World Heavyweight Championship title, was the best fighter of his generation.

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The Great White Hope tells a fictional idealized life story of boxing champion Jack Johnson, called Jack Jefferson in the film. Acting as a lens focused on a racist society, u2018The Great White Hopeu2019 explores how segregation and prejudice created the demand for a `great white hope` who would defeat Johnson and how this, in turn, affected the boxer`s life and career. Johnson, the first African-American to hold the World Heavyweight Championship title, was the best fighter of his generation.
Gentleman Jim is a about heavyweight boxing champion James J. Corbett (1866-1933). The movie was based upon Corbett`s autobiography, u2018The Roar of the Crowdu2019. James John Corbett became world heavyweight boxing champion on March 17, 1897 when he knocked out John L. Sullivan in twenty-one rounds. He was the first successful fighter to use the Marquis of Queensberry rules.

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Gentleman Jim is a about heavyweight boxing champion James J. Corbett (1866-1933). The movie was based upon Corbett`s autobiography, u2018The Roar of the Crowdu2019. James John Corbett became world heavyweight boxing champion on March 17, 1897 when he knocked out John L. Sullivan in twenty-one rounds. He was the first successful fighter to use the Marquis of Queensberry rules.
Gentleman Jim is a about heavyweight boxing champion James J. Corbett (1866-1933). The movie was based upon Corbett`s autobiography, u2018The Roar of the Crowdu2019. James John Corbett became world heavyweight boxing champion on March 17, 1897 when he knocked out John L. Sullivan in twenty-one rounds. He was the first successful fighter to use the Marquis of Queensberry rules.

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Gentleman Jim is a about heavyweight boxing champion James J. Corbett (1866-1933). The movie was based upon Corbett`s autobiography, u2018The Roar of the Crowdu2019. James John Corbett became world heavyweight boxing champion on March 17, 1897 when he knocked out John L. Sullivan in twenty-one rounds. He was the first successful fighter to use the Marquis of Queensberry rules.
`Somebody Up There Likes Me` is based on the life of middleweight boxing legend Rocky Graziano. The role of Rocky Graziano was originally to be played by James Dean, but he died before filming began, and Paul Newman was asked to take the part.

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`Somebody Up There Likes Me` is based on the life of middleweight boxing legend Rocky Graziano. The role of Rocky Graziano was originally to be played by James Dean, but he died before filming began, and Paul Newman was asked to take the part.
`Somebody Up There Likes Me` is based on the life of middleweight boxing legend Rocky Graziano. The role of Rocky Graziano was originally to be played by James Dean, but he died before filming began, and Paul Newman was asked to take the part.

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`Somebody Up There Likes Me` is based on the life of middleweight boxing legend Rocky Graziano. The role of Rocky Graziano was originally to be played by James Dean, but he died before filming began, and Paul Newman was asked to take the part.
Rocky Balboa (also known as Rocky VI) is the sixth installment in the Rocky franchise, written, directed by, and starring Sylvester Stallone.

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Rocky Balboa (also known as Rocky VI) is the sixth installment in the Rocky franchise, written, directed by, and starring Sylvester Stallone.
Rocky Balboa (also known as Rocky VI) is the sixth installment in the Rocky franchise, written, directed by, and starring Sylvester Stallone.

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Rocky Balboa (also known as Rocky VI) is the sixth installment in the Rocky franchise, written, directed by, and starring Sylvester Stallone.
u2018Girlfightu2019 follows Diana Guzman, a troubled teen who decides to channel her aggression by training to become a boxer, despite the skepticism of both her abusive father and the prospective trainers in the male-dominated sport.

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u2018Girlfightu2019 follows Diana Guzman, a troubled teen who decides to channel her aggression by training to become a boxer, despite the skepticism of both her abusive father and the prospective trainers in the male-dominated sport.
u2018Girlfightu2019 follows Diana Guzman, a troubled teen who decides to channel her aggression by training to become a boxer, despite the skepticism of both her abusive father and the prospective trainers in the male-dominated sport.

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u2018Girlfightu2019 follows Diana Guzman, a troubled teen who decides to channel her aggression by training to become a boxer, despite the skepticism of both her abusive father and the prospective trainers in the male-dominated sport.

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