Boxing is a sport with storylines that Hollywood screenwriters couldn’t dream up. When it comes to the sweet science, truth is not only stranger than fiction, it also packs a more dramatic punch. Here is Boxing Empire’s Ranked! Knockout Boxing Documentaries that you can stream right now.
What’s My Name | Muhammad Ali
Muhammad Ali’s legacy lives on through NBA superstar LeBron James, who produced this HBO documentary about the GOAT. There are numerous documentaries on the champ, but What’s My Name | Muhammad Ali has a unique approach by delving into Ali’s trials, tribulations, and triumphs through his own words. Directed by Antoine Fuqua (Training Day, Southpaw), the two-part doc lays down the “more than an athlete” ethos that King James lives by. Now streaming: HBO GO
China Heavyweight
An individual sport like boxing makes for an interesting analogy in Communist China. Award-winning filmmaker Yung Chang’s hard-hitting documentary has a classic sports movie structure but is told through a new lens. China Heavyweight premiered at Sundance and tells the story of a former boxing star turned coach, who travels far and wide through rural China to recruit wide-eyed talent who dream of bringing home Olympic gold. Now streaming Amazon Prime, iTunes
Cradle of Champions
Cradle of Champions is a gritty documentary that tells the riveting story of three young fighters urban odyssey through the legendary Golden Gloves tournament, which was once the most illustrious amateur tournament in the world but still offers a fighting chance at life-changing opportunities. Plus, Teddy Atlas is in it, and we will watch anything that he’s brilliantly babbling in. Now streaming Amazon Prime, Showtime Anytime, YouTube.
Counterpunch
This Netflix doc gamely follows a trio of different fighters in various stages of their careers who all share the same goal of becoming champions. Counterpunch sheds fresh light on what these underdogs face in the ring, but the cutthroat underbelly of the sport itself. Now streaming on Netflix.
The Real Rocky
Did Sylvester Stallone steal the story for Rocky from Chuck Wepner? That’s just one of the too-good-to-be-true storylines explored in this must-watch ESPN 30 for 30. The Real Rocky documents the rough-and-tumble life and times of a New Jersey tough guy turned underdog contender, who knocked down a legend (Muhammad Ali) and took him the distance… sound familiar? It sure did to Wepner, who sued the actor, eventually settling out of court in 2003 for an “undisclosed sum.” Now streaming on Amazon Prime.
Sons of Cuba
Cuba is a boxing hotbed that has dominated the Olympics (73 medals overall), yet has remained under the radar because their amateur world champions weren’t allowed to fight professionally until 2013. How could a poor, tiny island produce such boxing giants as the only three-time Olympic gold medalists Teofilo Stevenson and Félix Savón? Director Andrew Lang’s Sons of Cuba takes a peek behind the Fidel Castro curtain, following three young hopefuls as they train for Cuba’s National Boxing Championship for Under-12’s tournament. Now streaming Amazon Prime.
Unforgivable Blackness: The Rise and Fall of Jack Johnson
No “Best of Documentary” list can be complete without a Ken Burns entry. The legendary non-fiction filmmaker (The Civil War, The Vietnam War, Baseball) is the perfect storyteller to take on the complicated rise and fall of Jack Johnson, the first African-American Heavyweight Boxing Champion of the World, whose victories over white opponents would cause race riots. Now streaming Amazon Prime, Kanopy.
When We Were Kings
When We Were Kings is the undisputed champion of boxing docs, and arguably movies. It’s one of those timeless classics that you will watch over and over again if you come across it on the flat-screen. The 1996 Oscar-winning documentary directed by Leon Gast chronicles the epic tale of the “Rumble in the Jungle” between George Foreman and Muhammad Ali. “The Greatest” is at the top of his game both inside and outside the ring, helping bridge the gap between African Americans and their complicated relationship to Africa. Now streaming HBO Go, Netflix.
