My Favorite Boxing Movies

Whenever folks ask me about my favorite boxing movies, I tell them I have two in mind. The first is “Rocky II.” My other all-time favorite boxing movie is “Raging Bull” starring Robert DeNiro.

Below is the trailer for “Raging Bull.” In my mind, this is perhaps the greatest boxing movie of all time. This movie had beautiful cinematography, storytelling, dialogue and, of course, fantastic boxing scenes. Of course, there is Robert DeNiro’s Oscar-winning performance in this great movie.

If you are not able to view the video, go here.

Since Carl Weathers passed away last week at 76, I will focus this post on my other all-time favourite boxing movie, “Rocky II.” While the first Rocky movie was great and deserved to win the Oscar for Best Picture in 1976, I have always preferred “Rocky II” largely because of Carl Weather’s performance as Apollo Creed.

Flashback: I was 14 going on 15 when “Rocky II” premiered. I remember watching the movie at the Rolling Acres Mall in Akron, Ohio. I had played football for five years and was getting serious about weightlifting. Carl Weathers’s performance in this movie opened my eyes to the results you can get from lifting.

Anyway, I LOVED playing football.

And it was heaven being in a football-crazy state like Ohio. Barberton High School was usually ranked among the top ten teams in the state during the 1970s. We were all Cleveland Browns fans. The Pro Football Hall of Fame was just down the road. Most of my friends in the picture below started football in the 3rd or 4th grade. Most of us were just starting to get into weightlifting around this time.

Surely, you can spot me in the above photo?

According to Google, “Rocky II” premiered on June 15, 1979. So the above photograph was taken approximately three months later.

What was it about “Rocky II” that resonated with me? It was Carl Weathers’s portrayal of Apollo Creed. Weathers was in superb shape for this movie. It wasn’t till years later I found out that he played professional football for the Oakland Raiders and the BC Lions in the CFL. While his pro football career was short, it explained his physical conditioning and athleticism in the Rocky movies. According to his biography, he was 30 while filming this sequel.

Fun fact: I rooted for Apollo Creed to beat Rocky in this movie. I had a hard time believing he would thoroughly dominate the fight and lose in the end.

I was blown away by Weather’s conditioning, boxing skills and portrayal of Apollo Creed. Sitting in the movie theatre, I said to myself, “Man, I’d love to have that kind of build. Imagine what I could do on the football field with that!“

While DeNiro was great in “Raging Bull,” I would rate Carl Weathers’ athletic performance in “Rocky II” as among the best in cinematic history. There was a clear difference between Weathers’ physical conditioning compared to Sylvester Stallone.

If you are not able to view the video, go here.

I don’t think it’s a coincidence that Stallone’s body looked markedly different in “Rocky III.” I would not be surprised if Carl Weathers inspired Stallone to revamp his physical conditioning after “Rocky II.” As a soon-to-be 15-year-old with minor acne, I was much more impressed with Weathers than Stallone in the physical conditioning department.

Of course, it was all acting. But Weathers was able to sell smooth athleticism along with an impressive build. Not many could pull it off back then or now. He was the perfect actor to play Apollo Creed. I can’t imagine anyone else playing this iconic role. As a 14-year-old football player and a beginner at lifting weights, I was deeply impressed with the dude.

Because of Weathers’s performance, “Rocky II” is my all-time favorite boxing movie. Further, Apollo Creed was my favorite boxer in the Rocky Universe. No other character comes close.

RIP Carl Weathers.

If you are not able to view this video, go here.

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