# My Favorite Boxing Movies

- Link: https://brianejohns.com/2024/02/07/my-favorite-boxing-movies/
- Published: 2024-02-07T11:00:00-05:00
- Author: Brian Johns

## 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](https://brianejohns.com/2024/03/21/youth-vs-experience/) 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](https://youtu.be/F2UKuKxCJqc?si=QmQMRwI5YR8LS9bN).

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](https://youtu.be/6rFjszqCaiY?si=69iwprcKQzSgIFsy)
in Akron, Ohio. [I had played football for five years](https://brianejohns.com/2022/08/10/blog-you-are-your-own-worst-enemy/)
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.

![](https://i0.wp.com/brianejohns.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/02/IMG_4256.jpeg?resize
=640%2C416&ssl=1)

The 9th Grade UL Light Junior High Football Team – Fall 1979.

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](https://youtu.be/icoKDmxXPTA?si=ZVodscG-wsjEYj0g).

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](https://brianejohns.com/2023/11/03/friday-recommendation-21/)
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](https://youtu.be/xC6LQgVQlvE?si=0tMCeOfiPB1y3an6).

## Suggested Articles

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 * [“Sinawali Training is Useless”](https://brianejohns.com/2015/10/19/blog-sinawali-training-is-useless/)
 * [Tribute To Alan](https://brianejohns.com/2020/03/09/blog-tribute-alan/)
 * [My Martial Arts Beginning](https://brianejohns.com/2014/12/16/blog-my-martial-arts-beginning/)
 * [Is There A Connection between El Niño and Increased Crime?](https://brianejohns.com/2023/07/13/is-there-a-connection-between-el-nino-and-increased-crime/)

## Upcoming Project

Things have been a bit hectic the past few months. But I’m finally getting around
to a project I’ve wanted to do for a while. I hope to start blogging videos once
a week featuring tips by yours truly. The videos will be uploaded to VideoPress,
which is part of WordPress. As such, they will not be on YouTube. I plan to make
these posts publicly available for the first few weeks. Then it will be restricted
to blog subscribers. Stay tuned!

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Thank-You.png?resize=940%2C788&ssl=1)

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