Everyone loves a true underdog story, a modern day tale that often features prominently in the sport of boxing. Put together a few punches and a competitor at rock bottom, looking for a way up, and you have a classic boxing film on your hands! With so many of these films playing on our human nature to empathise with the underdog, it’s no wonder that boxing films like Raging Bull and Rocky have gone on to become classics in the history of cinema. With their ability to make an impact on audiences in any social climate and stand the test of time, the boxing world continues to fascinate audiences in modern cinema, with films like Southpaw and more recently Bleed For This packing a real punch.

In honour of the DVD, Blu-Ray and Digital release of Bleed for This on March 27th, we take a look at some of the past knockouts of the genre, as we countdown the greatest ever boxing movies to hit the big screen.

Rocky (1976)

A film that would skyrocket Sylvester Stalone’s career and launch a global franchise, Rocky is the epitome of a great sports film. Rocky Balboa (Stalone) is a struggling boxer from Philadelphia who works as a debt collector for a loan shark. Spending occasional time in the ring, Rocky is a small-time fighter looking for an in. His chance comes when a champion boxer, Apollo Creed, comes to Philly with the aim of fighting a local boxer. At the same time, Rocky comes across a shy woman, Adrian (Talia Shire), who happens to be the sister of his best friend Paulie. While Rocky and Adrian’s romance heats up, Creed sets his sights on Rocky being the man he fights. After months of training, the intense fight takes place, setting the stage for what would be one of the greatest upsets in boxing.

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