Actors as Boxers: Champs or Chumps?

[TitoFan]

Ok... the question outright:

Who in your opinion (professional actor) has done the best job of impersonating a real boxer inside the ring?

I still think the omission of Carl Weathers was a huge oversight.

[Primo Carnera]

Ok... the question outright:

Who in your opinion (professional actor) has done the best job of impersonating a real boxer inside the ring?

I still think the omission of Carl Weathers was a huge oversight.

Clearly Stallone doesn’t look like a boxer that could win a world title . But I think you’re being harsh, because isn’t it the whole point of the film? A low level guy from the street could become HW Champion of the World. That is the story , bit of a fairy tale of course.
But think about it, if Stallone was technically decent, there wouldn’t be a story.
Now my main beef about Stallone and Boxing centres around 2 other things.
1. That he was inducted into the IBHOF. That is a complete joke.
2. When he did the “Contender” series, found it totally embarrassing and cringeworthy that all these young pro boxers are sat round a lunch table hanging on his every word while he recounts stories and gives them “sage advice”, while SRL is hanging around unnoticed in the background. Totally cringe!

[Spicoli]

Much of the time when we think actor in role of boxer the majority of it is in ring and tends to be the lead in to their story, build to triumph and early career etc. One of the best I've ever seen as a kid was Requiem For a Heavyweight. It focused on the exact opposite end and it seems many of the boxing themed movies around the 30s thru 60s could be pretty dark. Mickey Rooney, Gleason and Anthony Quinn were spot on in this one. Opening line up shot is great too..looks like a run of current and past fighters of the era but can make out Willie Pep and Barney Ross and of course young Ali. Love the way it's shot.

[Memphis]

I like Day Lewis in the Boxer. I'm not sure about McGuigan saying he could have been British title level but as far the acting like a boxer job goes, he did that really well. He moved like a boxer pretty good and it was pretty authentic stuff. Boxing movies now will acknowledge the fact that fighters don't land 1000 bombs per round and remain upright ala Rocky, but The Boxer did it back then what was it 20 years ago? They were more set piece technical boxing matches that looked authentic and Day Lewis, well he lives and breathes it doesn't he.

Wahlberg in The Fighter was also good. He had a lot of prior training to fall back on and I think it helps if you're playing a real character as opposed to a fictional one. You can't go and play Micky Ward then start floating around the ring like Ali. You better have the left hook to the body nailed down.

[TitoFan]

Ok... the question outright:

Who in your opinion (professional actor) has done the best job of impersonating a real boxer inside the ring?

I still think the omission of Carl Weathers was a huge oversight.

Clearly Stallone doesn’t look like a boxer that could win a world title . But I think you’re being harsh, because isn’t it the whole point of the film? A low level guy from the street could become HW Champion of the World. That is the story , bit of a fairy tale of course.
But think about it, if Stallone was technically decent, there wouldn’t be a story.
Now my main beef about Stallone and Boxing centres around 2 other things.
1. That he was inducted into the IBHOF. That is a complete joke.
2. When he did the “Contender” series, found it totally embarrassing and cringeworthy that all these young pro boxers are sat round a lunch table hanging on his every word while he recounts stories and gives them “sage advice”, while SRL is hanging around unnoticed in the background. Totally cringe!

Fair points. First about your #1 and #2. Wow... don't even get me started on that. "Joke" is a mild word to use regarding the IBHOF thing. Whoever first brought up that idea at the IBHOF round table should've been laughed out of the room (and then flogged). It's disrespectful to every single person inducted in the Hall of Fame.

#2 if even worse. Stallone giving BOXING ADVICE??!! And with SRL in the room?? I'm glad I missed that. But then I was never a huge fan of "The Contender" in the first place.

Now on to Stallone. Harsh? Maybe. But even in 1976, they could've at least attempted to make the fight sequences just a tad more believable.

To begin with, Stallone couldn't box his way out of a paper bag. But that's why other actors have precisely spent MONTHS training in the gym under supervision..... to make themselves more believable.

But all this "punch me hard 100 times while I stand there WWE-style... and then miraculously I recover and punch YOU 100 times unanswered"..... is just ridiculous... even to the casual fan.

Yeah, yeah... it's a movie about the underdog triumphing in life and all that corny stuff. But seriously... Stallone as a boxer?

I guess by now you're probably thinking I'm not a big Stallone fan and you're probably right.

However... I did TOTALLY enjoy First Blood... which was his other signature movie and began a parallel slew of movies, giving Stallone his two achievements in Hollywood....... Rocky and Rambo.

[Primo Carnera]

Ok... the question outright:

Who in your opinion (professional actor) has done the best job of impersonating a real boxer inside the ring?

I still think the omission of Carl Weathers was a huge oversight.

Clearly Stallone doesn’t look like a boxer that could win a world title . But I think you’re being harsh, because isn’t it the whole point of the film? A low level guy from the street could become HW Champion of the World. That is the story , bit of a fairy tale of course.
But think about it, if Stallone was technically decent, there wouldn’t be a story.
Now my main beef about Stallone and Boxing centres around 2 other things.
1. That he was inducted into the IBHOF. That is a complete joke.
2. When he did the “Contender” series, found it totally embarrassing and cringeworthy that all these young pro boxers are sat round a lunch table hanging on his every word while he recounts stories and gives them “sage advice”, while SRL is hanging around unnoticed in the background. Totally cringe!

Fair points. First about your #1 and #2. Wow... don't even get me started on that. "Joke" is a mild word to use regarding the IBHOF thing. Whoever first brought up that idea at the IBHOF round table should've been laughed out of the room (and then flogged). It's disrespectful to every single person inducted in the Hall of Fame.

#2 if even worse. Stallone giving BOXING ADVICE??!! And with SRL in the room?? I'm glad I missed that. But then I was never a huge fan of "The Contender" in the first place.

Now on to Stallone. Harsh? Maybe. But even in 1976, they could've at least attempted to make the fight sequences just a tad more believable.

To begin with, Stallone couldn't box his way out of a paper bag. But that's why other actors have precisely spent MONTHS training in the gym under supervision..... to make themselves more believable.

But all this "punch me hard 100 times while I stand there WWE-style... and then miraculously I recover and punch YOU 100 times unanswered"..... is just ridiculous... even to the casual fan.

Yeah, yeah... it's a movie about the underdog triumphing in life and all that corny stuff. But seriously... Stallone as a boxer?

I guess by now you're probably thinking I'm not a big Stallone fan and you're probably right.

However... I did TOTALLY enjoy First Blood... which was his other signature movie and began a parallel slew of movies, giving Stallone his two achievements in Hollywood....... Rocky and Rambo.

I feel awkward fighting Sly’s Corner so to speak. But most of the other guys that spent months learning and making themselves more believable, were playing a real Boxer , so they had to.
But Stallone was playing.......a Bum, a street guy. Pure fantasy.
And if it appealed more to the purists, the series would NEVER have been the success they were.

[TitoFan]

Ok... the question outright:

Who in your opinion (professional actor) has done the best job of impersonating a real boxer inside the ring?

I still think the omission of Carl Weathers was a huge oversight.

Clearly Stallone doesn’t look like a boxer that could win a world title . But I think you’re being harsh, because isn’t it the whole point of the film? A low level guy from the street could become HW Champion of the World. That is the story , bit of a fairy tale of course.
But think about it, if Stallone was technically decent, there wouldn’t be a story.
Now my main beef about Stallone and Boxing centres around 2 other things.
1. That he was inducted into the IBHOF. That is a complete joke.
2. When he did the “Contender” series, found it totally embarrassing and cringeworthy that all these young pro boxers are sat round a lunch table hanging on his every word while he recounts stories and gives them “sage advice”, while SRL is hanging around unnoticed in the background. Totally cringe!

Fair points. First about your #1 and #2. Wow... don't even get me started on that. "Joke" is a mild word to use regarding the IBHOF thing. Whoever first brought up that idea at the IBHOF round table should've been laughed out of the room (and then flogged). It's disrespectful to every single person inducted in the Hall of Fame.

#2 if even worse. Stallone giving BOXING ADVICE??!! And with SRL in the room?? I'm glad I missed that. But then I was never a huge fan of "The Contender" in the first place.

Now on to Stallone. Harsh? Maybe. But even in 1976, they could've at least attempted to make the fight sequences just a tad more believable.

To begin with, Stallone couldn't box his way out of a paper bag. But that's why other actors have precisely spent MONTHS training in the gym under supervision..... to make themselves more believable.

But all this "punch me hard 100 times while I stand there WWE-style... and then miraculously I recover and punch YOU 100 times unanswered"..... is just ridiculous... even to the casual fan.

Yeah, yeah... it's a movie about the underdog triumphing in life and all that corny stuff. But seriously... Stallone as a boxer?

I guess by now you're probably thinking I'm not a big Stallone fan and you're probably right.

However... I did TOTALLY enjoy First Blood... which was his other signature movie and began a parallel slew of movies, giving Stallone his two achievements in Hollywood....... Rocky and Rambo.

I feel awkward fighting Sly’s Corner so to speak. But most of the other guys that spent months learning and making themselves more believable, were playing a real Boxer , so they had to.
But Stallone was playing.......a Bum, a street guy. Pure fantasy.
And if it appealed more to the purists, the series would NEVER have been the success they were.

Burgess Meredith (R.I.P.) would be extremely proud of you.

Ok... I'll cut Stallone some slack... although I'm still not a fan.

However, two things:

1. Those WWE-style punching trades used in Rocky were STILL ridiculous to even the most casual boxing fans. In real life Stallone would've been out from a mere jab from Carl Weathers.

2. I still think Stallone was a better fit for Rambo. First Blood I re-watched many times.

[NoSavingByTheBell]

stopped into this gym in 2018 on my way to work one day, cool place Church Street in Flatbush section...anyway for what its worth:

[TitoFan]

Nice... two boxers critiquing boxing movies.

I thought they were way too kind on Rocky but hey... they're just trying to be nice. Cringed when one of them brought up Rocky in the Hall of Fame. (shudder)