Rocky II (1979)

This film opens with the fight that was at the end of Rocky (1976).  Rocky Balboa (Sylvester Stallone) and his opponent, champ Apollo Creed (Carl Weathers) are whisked off to the hospital afterwards to heal their injuries.  Rocky took the worst of the beating.  Once out of the hospital, Rocky marries Adrian (Talia Shire), and he promises her he will not box anymore.

However, life outside of the ring proves to be a major challenge.  Rocky is signed to do a commercial, but the project is scrapped when it is discovered that the boxer can't read the cue cards -- Rocky is illiterate.  A job comes up at a meat packing plant, but due to budget cuts, Rocky is laid off.  Without a high school diploma, opportunities for the former boxer are few.  There are bills due, and Adrian is pregnant.

Meanwhile, Apollo, embarrassed by how Rocky stood up to him during their fight, wants a rematch ASAP. Apollo, with the help of his coach (Tony Burton) and PR team, launch a campaign to lure Rocky back to the ring.  Mickey (Burgess Meredith) is willing to train Rocky again.  Pauly (Burt Young), Rocky's brother-in-law, is willing to support him.  But Adrian isn't happy about the idea, and it causes friction between her and her husband.  Also, Rocky has his doubts -- can he handle Apollo again, or was it just luck?

I love these characters, and the whole film has a realness about how these people interact with each other and live.  This is one of those rare movie sequels that lives up to the original film.  One of my favorite aspects of this movie as in the previous film is Burgess Meredith, who barks orders as Rocky's old school boxing coach.  I remember Meredith mostly from playing the Penguin on the old "Batman" TV series (1966-1968).  In other roles, Meredith was either playing mild-mannered guys, like the bank employee caught up in a nuclear war on a famous episode of "The Twilight Zone" (1959-1964) or sophisticated men.  Meredith does a great job playing a guy whose seen a lot in the boxing world.

The fight at the end is truly brutal.  Even though I knew the ending before I ever saw the movie, I still clapped and yelled as if I was watching a real match.

Tyson (2008)

James Toback directed this documentary about the boxer who was once known as "The Baddest Man On The Face Of The Earth".  "Iron" Mike Tyson became the youngest heavyweight boxing champion at the age of twenty, beating out Floyd Patterson's record of being the youngest champ.  The film opens with the fight where Tyson captured the win.

Tyson does most of the talking, which is a switch from other documentaries where there a lot of talking heads discussing the main subject.  The soft-spoken man who breaks into sobs about the close relationship he had with his late trainer Cus D'Amato is in stark contrast to the fighter who brutally beat down opponents.  Tyson appears in middle age to be a much more contemplative person.  The fighter is one who has regrets, but who has learned to recognize patterns that led to past problems.  All of those problems are highlighted -- the time spent in jail on rape charges, the substance abuse, biting Evander Holyfield's ear during a fight, the failed marriage between Tyson and actress Robin Givens, losing his title belt to Buster Douglas.  But there's the feeling that the angry juvenile delinquent from New York still bubbles underneath the surface.  This is a excellent documentary that sheds some light on a man who is praised and downgraded at the same time.

Cinderella Man (2005)

Jim Braddock, (Russell Crowe) a boxer, is doing well at the beginning of the film. But then, the Great Depression takes its toll on him and his family. A broken hand keeps him out of the ring for awhile. He's reduced to begging for work at the docks to provide for his wife Mae (Renee Zellweger) and their three kids. Then his fast-talking manager, Joe Gould (Paul Giamatti), gets him another fight. Braddock is expected to lose, because he is considered to be washed up.

The plot focuses mainly on Braddock's struggle to keep his family together during tough economic times. Braddock is shown as a proud family man, a regular guy who just wants his kids to have a little more than he did. His wife never attends his matches in person, because she can't take seeing her husband get hit. Yet, she supports his decision to fight. As Braddock moves up in the ranks, his struggle brings hope to his family, and others as well.

There was a real Jim Braddock, who was a boxing champion in the 1930's. He eventually retired from boxing after losing to Joe Louis. The movie covers events leading up to a defining fight against Max Baer (Craig Bierko). There are some inaccuracies in the film. For example, Baer is made out to be a out-and-out villian, when he wasn't that bad. Otherwise, this is one of the better boxing-themed movies.

Mr. Crowe won an Oscar for his performance in Gladiator (2000). Mr. Giamatti was an odious radio executive in Private Parts (1997). Ms. Zellweger was the lead in Bridget Jones Diary (2001). Boxing fans will recognize the older man playing one of Braddock's corner men during the fights. It's Boxing Hall of Famer Angelo Dundee, the man who trained Muhammad Ali.

"ESPN Classic Ringside"

Using archival footage and commentary from boxing experts, this three-hour show goes in-depth into the sport. Each episode focuses on great boxers (Muhammad Ali, Rocky Graziano, Sugar Ray Robinson, etc.) as well as historic bouts (Ali vs. Frazier, Robinson vs. LaMotta, Leonard vs. Hagler, etc.).

Ringside is hosted by ESPN sports commentator Brian Kenny, and various boxing world figures appear to discuss the athletes and fights. Burt Randolph Sugar, the most well-known boxing historian, and trainer/boxing analyst Teddy Atlas are regulars. Trainers like Angelo Dundee and Emmanuel Stewart, and boxers like Ray "Boom Boom" Mancini and George Foreman weigh in with their opinions and recollections. The show is shot in Gleason's Gym, a world-famous boxing gym located in Brooklyn, NY. This show is must-see-TV for any boxing fan.

Brian Kenny and Teddy Atlas are commentators on ESPN's "Wednesday Night Fights" and "Friday Night Fights".