Best Boxing Movies Aggregated from 130 Ranking Sources

Robert De Niro as Boxer Jake LaMotta in Raging Bull(1980), ranked 2nd among top boxing movies of all time, making 48% of top fives of online rankings found for sports movies.

Welcome to our ReelFives pre-launch movie rankings for best boxing movies of all time. The rankings for boxing movies are based on our pre-launch rankings for its parent genre, best sports movies of all-time, which captures sports movies more broadly. These top boxing movie rankings are based on the 130 movie ranking sources we found for sports movies (see bottom of the sports page for sources). In the list of sports movies, there were 105 movies, and of those 14 were boxing movies; these 14 boxing films are ranked below.  As with the broader sports genre, these boxing movie rankings are based on rankings created by movie experts as well as rankings from polling sites that were found online.

Boxing films showcase how tough the sport can be and the stories behind greatness. Rocky (1976), the top boxing movie of all time, pits an amateur boxer against a champion professional boxer. However, this is not the only boxing movie to follow this plot line. Million Dollar Baby (2004), ranked third, follows the same theme by focusing on the relationship between the trainer and boxer. Maggie Fitzgerald (Hilary Swank) wants to become a top boxer and turns to Frankie Dunn (Clint Eastwood) to train her. Raging Bull (1980), ranked second, has one of the toughest characters in the boxing subgenre. The film asks if Jake LaMotta (Robert De Niro) can be redeemed even after his failures. Boxing is a tough sport and it demands dedication. Boxing movies have compelling plots and backstories (such as The Fighter (2010), ranked fourth) that critics and audiences love. The fact that the top five boxing films have won a combined 11 Oscar awards is a testament to this. Rocky (1976) won best picture (Producers Irwin Winkler and Robert Chartoff), best director (John G. Avildsen), and best film editing (Richard Halsey and Scott Conrad) in 1977. Raging Bull (1980) won best actor in a leading role (Robert De Niro) and best film editing (Thelma Shoonmaker) in 1981. Million Dollar Baby (2004) won best motion picture of the year (Clint Eastwood, Albert S. Ruddy, and Tom Rosenberg), best performance by an actress in a leading role (Hilary Swank), best performance by an actor in a supporting role (Morgan Freeman), and best achievement in directing (Clint Eastwood) in 2005. The Fighter (2010) won best performance by an actor in a supporting role (Christian Bale) and best performance by an actress in a supporting role (Melissa Leo). Finally, When We Were Kings (1996) won Best Documentary in 1997.

Top 14 Boxing Movies of All Time 
Percent of online top fives movies appear in
1 . Rocky (1976): 58.9%
2 . Raging Bull (1980): 48.0%
3 . Million Dollar Baby (2004): 10.8%
4 . The Fighter (2010): 3.87%
5 . When We Were Kings (1996): 3.10%
6 . Cinderella Man (2005): 1.55%
7 . Rocky 4 (1985): 1.55%
8 (tied). Ali (2001): .775%
8 (tied). Creed (2015): .775%
8 (tied). Southpaw (2015): .775%
11 (tied). Rocky 2 (1979): .775%
11 (tied). Rocco and his Brothers (1960): .775%
13 . Requiem for a Heavyweight (1962): .775%
14 . Rocky 3 (1982): .775%

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