Of all the subgenres of sports films that exist, boxing is one of the most iconic and important of them. From powerful stories of overcoming the odds, to classic tales about legendary figures, films about boxing elevate beyond sports movies and can become classical cinema.
A part of the impact that these films comes from the music paired with the strong action that takes place throughout the riveting narratives.
Here are (some of) the best boxing movies with some amazing songs.
1. Rocky
Sylvester Stallone
Talia Shire
Burt Young
Carl Weathers
Burgess Meredith
Thayer David
Joe Spinell
Jimmy Gambina
Bill Baldwin
Al Silvani
George Memmoli
Jodi Letizia
Sylvester Stallone’s breakout film, directed by John G. Avildsen is the most iconic boxing movie of all time. It follows the story of small-time Philadelphia boxer Rocky Balboa as he gets a shot against World Heavyweight champion Apollo Creed in an underdog matchup for the ages. The film is filled with legendary musical tracks throughout its soundtrack which includes “Gonna Fly Now” by Bill Conti which is the most recognizable sports film anthem of all time.
Find the full Rocky soundtrack here.
2. Southpaw
Jake Gyllenhaal
Rachel McAdams
Forest Whitaker
Oona Laurence
50 Cent
Skylan Brooks
Naomie Harris
Victor Ortiz
Beau Knapp
Miguel Gómez
Dominic Colón
Jose Caraballo
Directed by Antoine Fuqua and starring Jake Gyllenhaal, Southpaw is a film about a boxer getting back on his feet after tragedy strikes and ruins his life. It’s a powerful rise-and-fall story with strengths including a fantastic performance from Gyllenhaal as Billy Hope and amazing action and fight choreography. The soundtrack for this film is also quite strong and was heavily influenced by rapper Eminem whose song “Phenomenal” features in it.
Find the full Southpaw soundtrack here.
3. Creed
Michael B. Jordan
Sylvester Stallone
Tessa Thompson
Phylicia Rashād
Andre Ward
Tony Bellew
Ritchie Coster
Jacob 'Stitch' Duran
Graham McTavish
Malik Bazille
Ricardo 'Padman' McGill
Gabriel Rosado
Starring Michael B. Jordan and directed by Ryan Coogler, Creed is a continuation of the Rocky franchise that follows the Adonis Creed who is the son of the legendary Apollo. It’s a fantastic film that has spawned one of the preeminent franchises of the past decade. The movie features some amazing music including the song “Lord Knows” by Meek Mill and Tory Lanez which acted as a companion to the movie.
Find the full Creed soundtrack here.
4. The Fighter
Mark Wahlberg
Christian Bale
Amy Adams
Melissa Leo
Mickey O'Keefe
Jack McGee
Melissa McMeekin
Bianca Hunter
Erica McDermott
Jill Quigg
Dendrie Taylor
Kate B. O'Brien
An amazing film that follows the real life story of boxer Mickey Ward and his brother Dicky as they fight their own battles both in the ring and with addiction. It was directed by David O. Russell, and saw Christain Bale receive an Oscar award for his performance as Dicky. The film has many great songs included in its soundtrack including the classic jam “How You Like Me Now” performed by The Heavy.
Find the full The Fighter soundtrack here.
5. Bleed for This
Miles Teller
Aaron Eckhart
Katey Sagal
Ciarán Hinds
Ted Levine
Christine Evangelista
Amanda Clayton
Daniel Sauli
Tina Casciani
Gary Galone
Allie Marshall
Liz Carey
Directed by Ben Younger, “Bleed for This” is a tale of resilience. The film follows the story of real-life boxer Vinny Pazienza as he goes from World Champion to near paraplegic following a car accident. It’s an empowering film about Pazienza’s true struggle and how his willpower pushed him forward to get back to the top despite supreme hardship. The music in this film includes the song “Monkey” by icon George Michael which plays well into the movie's tone as the story progresses.
Find the full Bleed for This soundtrack here.
6. Ali
Will Smith
Jamie Foxx
Jon Voight
Mario Van Peebles
Ron Silver
Jeffrey Wright
Mykelti Williamson
Jada Pinkett Smith
Nona Gaye
Michael Michele
Joe Morton
Paul Rodríguez
This renowned biopic sees the legendary Will Smith step into the shoes of perhaps the greatest boxer of all time, Muhammed Ali. It’s a lauded film about a lauded athlete and is a solid effort all around including the direction by Michael Mann. Of the many engaging and intriguing elements of the composition of the soundtrack stands out, including the absolutely beautiful song “A Change is Gonna Come” performed by Al Green and written by Sam Cooke.
Find the full Ali soundtrack here.
7. Raging Bull
Robert De Niro
Cathy Moriarty
Joe Pesci
Frank Vincent
Nicholas Colasanto
Theresa Saldana
Mario Gallo
Frank Adonis
Joseph Bono
Frank Topham
Lori Anne Flax
Charles Scorsese
One of the greatest sports movies of all time crafted and by one of the greatest Director-Actor duos of all time. Raging Bull is Martin Scorcese’s Boxing magnum opus and follows the story of Middleweight Boxer Jake LaMotta, played by Robert DeNiro, as he rises through the ranks and balances family and boxing, mostly doing so poorly. There are many great songs in the film including “Cow Cow Boogie” by the legendary Ella Fitzgerald.
Find the full Raging Bull soundtrack here.
8. Warrior
Joel Edgerton
Tom Hardy
Nick Nolte
Jennifer Morrison
Frank Grillo
Kevin Dunn
Maximiliano Hernández
Bryan Callen
Sam Sheridan
Fernando Chien
Jake McLaughlin
Vanessa Martinez
Slightly outside the realm of boxing, but still comfortably in the realm of combat sports is the film “Warrior”. One of the few very good Mixed Martial Arts movies, this film–directed by Gavin O’Connor and starring Tom Hardy and Joel Edgerton–tells the story of two estranged brothers who enter a worldwide MMA tournament and continue to fight through the bracket while being at odds with each other over their father and other familial traumas. It’s a great film with great music including the literal classic “Symphony No.9 in D Minor” by Ludwig Van Beethoven which plays an important role in the movie as Brendan’s (Edgerton) training music.
Find the full Warrior soundtrack here.
9. Fat City
Stacy Keach
Jeff Bridges
Susan Tyrrell
Candy Clark
Nicholas Colasanto
Art Aragon
Curtis Cokes
Sixto Rodriguez
Billy Walker
Wayne Mahan
Ruben Navarro
Al Silvani
A classic 1972 film directed by John Hutson and starring Stacy Keech and a young Jeff Bridges. This movie is a Mentor-protege tale about an old washed-up boxer who takes a young fighter under his wing until the two come to blows as a result of the struggles they are both facing in life. The movie has a relatively light soundtrack but includes the song “Help Me Make It Through the Night” by the great Kris Kristofferson.
Find the full Fat City soundtrack here.
10. Million Dollar Baby
Clint Eastwood
Hilary Swank
Morgan Freeman
Jay Baruchel
Mike Colter
Lucia Rijker
Brían F. O'Byrne
Anthony Mackie
Margo Martindale
Riki Lindhome
Michael Peña
Benito Martinez
Perhaps Clint Eastwood's most renowned directorial effort and one of Hillary Swank's best starring roles. Million Dollar Baby is the story of an old veteran trainer (Eastwood) who reluctantly takes on a young student (Swank) as the two grow together to climb the ranks of the boxing world. The soundtrack for this film was similarly composed by Eastwood and contains some beautiful instrumentals including the song “Boxing Baby” written by Kylie Eastwood and Michael Stevens.
Find the full Million Dollar Baby soundtrack here.
