The Philippine Online Chronicles

Most people would say that boxing is a brutal sport. Save for mixed martial arts, boxing is one sport wherein you have to be in your best shape, or else you'd be soundly trounced by the other guy in the ring.

In other sports, players can be substituted when they’re tired, which can't be done in boxing. No matter if you've been beaten to a bloody pulp, unless you concede defeat or fail to get up, you still have to fight and pray that you survive long enough to salvage the tatters of your dignity.

Simply put, you’re on your own once you enter a boxing ring.

Boxing's innate drama has inspired the best and most heart-wrenching movies. Boxing may be called the “sweet science” but at the end of it all, it’s all about desire, grit, and heart.

There’s no denying that everyone loves an underdog. When characters try to fight insurmountable odds and still pull it off in the end, they will forever be loved by audiences. The underdog idea is what made the Rocky series, after all, so successful for over three decades.

Though there are many people who still debate which Rocky movie is the best, it’s safe to say that the first one caught the imagination of many people. In Rocky I, Sylvester Stallone had a lot of things to fight for. Even if the odds were against him, the hardworking Rocky Balboa fought from the bottom, to finally reach the pinnacle by beating then champion Apollo Creed.

Today, Rocky Balboa is an icon. He is the poster child of what happens when grit and determination wins out.

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Rocky (1976) - Theatrical Trailer (IAmOnlyLove)

Another boxing flick featuring an underdog is Cinderella Man. With Russell Crowe playing the role of James Braddock, the movie’s Great Depression theme tells the story of his struggles to find a job in the harsh economic conditions of that time.

Braddock’s family had to survive starvation after he lost all his money and savings. Being unable to fight anymore because of an injury, his marriage, family, and entire life were hanging in the balance.

When he was about to completely fall apart, his manager came to him to set up a fight. Once Braddock’s wins started to pile up, he got back his life and family back.

Cinderella Man is not just about boxing, it’s about a man’s ability to stand up amidst adversity and embodies an entire nation’s hope for recovery.

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Cinderella Man Official Trailer (000ERAZ3R000)

Pinned against the ropes

Boxing movies are appealing because they chronicle the conquests of the common man. Let’s face it: most boxers enter the sport because it’s their way out of their current reality.

One of the best movies about a man whose life is pinned against the ropes is The Champ. The movie is a remake of a movie that was first shown way back in 1931. If you watched the one that starred Jon Voight and Rick Schroder, then you watched the remake.

In the original movie, lead star Wallace Berry plays the role of the ex-heavyweight champion Andy Purcell. Just like some athletes who have become so successful, Purcell neglected his family while ending up drinking and gambling a lot.

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The Champ 1931 (pumacub77)

When his ex-wife found out that Purcell is neglecting his teenage son, Dink, she goes to court to fight for Dink’s custody. Realizing how much how he messed up his life and not wanting to lose his only son, Purcell went back to the ring to prove a point.

The Champ is a tearjerker and even the manliest of men will find it hard not to appreciate one man’s struggle to pull himself together and start anew.

Purcell’s story is eerily very similar to ex-super featherweight champion Rolando Navarette. Sadly, Navarette never recovered after wasting all the wealth that his talents gave him.

Grit, heart, and determination

One of the most recent boxing movies that captured the imagination of moviegoers is Million Dollar Baby. Directed by no less than the legendary Clint Eastwood, euthanasia is the main issue being touched by the movie.

Eastwood plays the role of Frankie Dunn, who used to be a respected trainer. When one of his prize fighters (Morgan Freeman) was blinded in a fight, Dunn stopped training boxers altogether.

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Million Dollar Baby trailer (summerofevidence)

However, when feisty Maggie Fitzgerald (Hilary Swank) came into his life, everything changed. She reminded Dunn of his daughter, whom he hasn't spoken to in years.

Maggie, in turn, also saw her own father in Dunn, as she is also estranged from her own family.

Million Dollar Baby is a vintage Eastwood film. The movie is not only about boxer-trainer relationships, it deals with the complex relationships between parents and their children.

Knock out Punch

With the rise of Manny Pacquiao as perhaps the greatest boxer of his generation, it’s a good idea to look at boxing movies that parallel the lives of boxers.

While many young men and women try their luck at this sport, only a handful will ever reach the level of Pacquiao, Floyd Mayweather Jr., Sugar Ray Robinson, Sugar Ray Leonard, or Muhammad Ali.

In boxing movies, we get a close look at the lives of boxers. We see them not merely as warriors or athletes, but also let us identify with the characters.

In facing their battles, both personal and public, they give us strength to handle our own.