"To me, Stevenson is a piece of sh**!"

Who's the most feared man in boxing? Contrary to popular belief, especially his own, it is not Floyd Mayweather, Jr. It is a man who can take your head off and finish a fight with just one punch. That man is (pictured @ left) WBO light heavyweight champion Sergey 'Krusher' Kovalev.

On Saturday night inside Boardwalk Hall in Atlantic City, NJ, the 'Krusher' lived up to his name as he systematically dismantled previously undefeated, but unheralded Cedric Agnew within seven rounds. For Kovalev (24-0-1, 22 KO's) that is like a bad night because the last time he actually had to go to the seventh round was seven fights ago in December 2011. However, it may have actually been his best performance to date for varying reasons.

First of all, he was fighting a boxer who had an extremely good defense and decent boxing skills. Kovalev showed he was much more than a one trick pony as he took what Agnew gave him and worked around it with his own use of boxing combined with power. Second is he showed that if taken into the second half of the fight, he's in shape to go there with no problem at all. At no point did the Russian destroyer seemed gassed or tired, even though he was throwing non-stop punches throughout.

However, the biggest thing Kovalev showed was he can perform to the same standards, even when faced with adversity. An illegal low blow by Agnew late in the first round dropped the champion to his knees. A head butt in the fourth round gave him a serious cut above his right eye and a shoulder blow from Agnew in the sixth cut him below his left eye. Though uncharted territory, none of this seemed to rattle Kovalev in his quest to get the job done. If anything, it lit a fire underneath him.

Though Agnew showed a seemingly impenetrable defense, Kovalev found an opening. It was to the left side of Agnew's body where Kovalev dropped the challenger with a left hook in the sixth and finished him with a straight job to the body in the seventh. For Kovalev it was his 22nd knockout in 24 victories.

With the WBC light heavyweight champion Adonis Stevenson sporting a similar record that features 20 KO's in 23 wins, it would seem that the division has a potential light's out, no pun intended, match made in heaven. The last time the light-heavyweight division saw a match-up of heavy hitters like this was 35 years ago in April 1979. That was when Philadelphia's Matthew Saad Muhammad, who had 35 KO's in his 49 victories, knocked out the then WBC champion Marvin Johnson, who himself had 35 KO's in 43 wins, in the eight round of a classic rumble.

Yet though these two indestructible forces should be on a collision course, it won't be happening anytime soon. That is because Stevenson, who has a title defense scheduled in May, has stated he is interested in fighting the "fly in the ointment" IBF champion in this division, 49 year old Bernard Hopkins. All respects due to the future hall of famer, but do we really want to see Hopkins clinching and using his dirty tactics to survive 12 rounds against Stevenson?

We don't and neither does Kovalev, who would love nothing better than the chance to fight Stevenson. He stated in his post fight interview, "This is boxing, I don't care if I lose; it's bound to happen, this is boxing." Refreshing viewpoint from a star in the making, who I've had the pleasure of seeing fight in person three times when he fought here in my hometown at The Sands Casino in Bethlehem, PA. One of those times, my friends and I actually found us on the hotel elevator with Kovalev before one of his fights.

When I confirmed who he was, he acknowledged us and was a genuinely nice guy; he even laughed along with us when we jokingly asked him if he wanted a shot of some Puerto Rican Rum we had in tow. However, don't mistake his kind demeanor for weakness. When asked on Saturday night what he thought about Stevenson not wanting to fight him, he succinctly responded, "I don't want to talk about him. To me, Stevenson is a piece of sh**t!" 'Nuff said.

Changing of the guard; yes and no

There was a changing of the guard, yes and no, during an entertaining boxing card Saturday night at The Sands Events Center in Bethlehem, PA. In one case, the young warrior was too much for the grizzled former champion; while in the other, a close decision loss, the former world champion's experience was just enough to get by.

The main event on Saturday night featured former light heavyweight and cruiserweight champion of the

world 37 year old Tomasz Adamek (49-3, 29 KO's) taking on 29 year old Vyacheslav 'The Czar' Glazkov (17-0-1, 11 KO's); both are pictured above. Meanwhile pictured at right, the featured bout had welterweight contender, Bethlehem's own, Ronald Cruz (20-3, 15 KO's), age 27, taking on former world welterweight and light middleweight champion Kermit 'The Killer' Cintron (35-5-2 (28 KO's). Both bouts went the distance, but were two different stories all together.

In the main event, both Adamek and Glazkov were busy boxing throughout the 12 round affair for the IBF North American heavyweight title, however there was one noticeable difference; Glazkov was beating Adamek to the punch. While Adamek remained busy throughout using his jab and throwing combinations behind it, Glazkov did the same and in the end the difference was noticeable. While Glazkov came away with a noticeable mouse under his left eye, Adamek had the same under his right eye only worse.

By the fourth round Adamek's eye was on it's way to swelling near shut and by the seventh round and each succeeding round in between till the end, the ringside physician and referee were in his corner checking his status. However, the eye was just the worst of it as Glazkov's continuous pressure and non-stop punches in bunches attack were turning Adamek's face into a distorted mess. In the end it was a clear-cut unanimous decision for the Ukranian who now becomes the number two-ranked heavyweight in the world.

There were heavy contingents for both fighters last night as chants in both Polish and Ukranian could be heard ringing throughout the arena the entire fight. However, when it was all over, the pro Glazkov fans were the only ones to be heard rejoicing. Yet, much credit to the pro Adamek Polish crowd in attendance; they stayed and cheered their fighter all the way up until he left the ring. When asked in his post fight interview if he would consider retirement, Adamek said, "I don't know right now. I have to take some time off and think."

Now before the Polish and Ukranian fans were being heard, it was all Puerto Rico in the house as both Cruz and Cintron were not only fighting for national pride, but for eastern Pennsylvania bragging rights as well. Cintron, who is from Reading, PA, only a one-hour drive from Bethlehem had his own crowd of fans who made their way to The Christmas City. However Cruz, the hometown favorite who literally lives about 10 minutes from the ring he fought in, had the majority of Boricuas on his side. This was a big step up in class for Cruz, but right from the start he showed no signs of intimidation.

From speaking to him and his trainer Lemuel 'Indio' Rodriguez before the fight, their game plan was to pressure the former champion. Ronald was going to put his head in Cintron's chest all night and constantly pressure him with body shots and hooks to the head. It sounded like the perfect plan and to Cruz's credit, he executed it, as best he could. There were two problems though.

One problem was Cintron himself; to his credit, unlike in previous bouts, Cintron showed no emotion. He appeared calm throughout the entire fight and worked his way out of Cruz's pressure; well sort of. This is where the other problem for Cruz came in. At no fault of his own, he got stuck with the worst type of referee for the fight and plan he was trying to implement.

Veteran referee Gary Rosato worked the Cintron/Cruz fight and did his job fairly; however therein lies the problem. Every referee has their own style in working fights, Rosato's style is to be quick to jump in and break the clinch, while other's, like Steve Smoger for example, tend to let the fighters work themselves out of the clinch. Rosato's style was a detriment to Cruz all night as every time he worked his way inside Cintron's guard where he wanted to be, the referee would immediately separate them instead of letting them duke it out.

The pro Cruz crowd caught on to this by the third and fourth rounds and could clearly be heard voicing their displeasure with chants of "Let them fight" and "What are you doing" every time Rosato would step in to break the clinch. No excuses, just that the term "Styles make fights" was never more prevalent than in this case. A different style referee may have made the difference between Cruz losing a unanimous 96-94 decision across the board and possibly winning an extra round or two in the judge's eyes, thus changing the outcome.

In the end, both Cintron and Cruz remain contenders, only one is back at the top of the rankings, while the other remains on the outside looking in for now. Cintron was gracious in victory stating in his post fight interview, "Cruz is a tough fighter who would give anyone in the division problems. I told him to keep his head up and keep working because he has a lot of potential."

UFC 170: What did we really learn?

UFC 170 took place on Saturday night at the Mandalay Bay Events Center in Las Vegas and while the main card provided a lot of quick finishes, what did we really learn from this event? For some reason, even though there were some fireworks involved, I came away feeling unsatisfied, which is unusual. Below are just a few thoughts I came away with after viewing this card.

The main event featured women's bantamweight (135 lbs.) champion Ronda Rousey (9-0, 1 KO, 8 subs) defending her title against former fellow Olympian Sara McMann (7-1, 1 KO 3 subs) and to Rousey's credit, she did what she was supposed to do; as a matter of fact, it took her only 66 seconds to do it. So why did I come away feeling like, "what's the big deal?"

For one, the UFC attempting to build Sara McMann as a formidable challenger solely based on her silver medal winning Olympic wrestling background probably had something to do with it. No slight towards McMann's MMA career, especially since she's only had one less fight total than Rousey, but who has she fought; Sheila Gaff in her UFC debut? It's why they went 'the battle of Olympians' route in promoting this fight. Rousey is clearly the cream of a thin crop.

Afterwards the telecast made a big deal about Rousey's 66 second finish being the fastest in UFC Women's bantamweight history. Hello, the UFC women's bantamweight division is exactly one year old; not much history to speak of here. This coupled with referee Herb Dean's stoppage possibly being a little too quick for my and many others tastes seems to taint it as well; more on this later.

However, Mike Goldberg and Joe Rogan going over the UFC's top ten ranking of its women's bantamweight division afterwards and making it sound like there were formidable opponents for Rousey there seemed like a slight towards our intelligence as MMA fans. Cat Zingano ranked as the number one title challenger is the only legit opponent at this point and she's earned it. However, she's recovering from a serious injury that has kept her out of action for nearly a year and has recently lost her husband under tragic circumstances; thus, how ready is she both physically and mentally?

None of this should reflect negatively towards Rousey as she continues to do what is asked of her inside the cage; though she still has a ways to go in terms of winning over the fans after her stint as a coach on 'The Ultimate Fighter'. At this point the only fight people want to see Rousey in is against Cristiane 'Cyborg' Santos, but even that may not be good enough. With Santos past of using performance enhancing drugs, questions would arise one way or another; and besides with Santos not even on the UFC roster, it is a moot point.

Some other quick thoughts on UFC 170 include that Daniel Cormier's first round finish of Patrick Cummins should be the last thing Cormier is recognized for; the finish was inevitable before it even started. However, Cormier making the 205 lbs. light-heavyweight limit with no problem and looking good doing it, gives a boost to a division that had been all but cleaned out by champion Jon Jones.

Rory MacDonald defeating Demian Maia via unanimous decision means nothing more than it's time to talk about my final thought, which has nothing to do with this fight. Referee Herb Dean, who I have previously lauded as the best in the business seemed to contradict himself Saturday night. In the second bout on the main card between Mike Pyle and TJ Waldberger, Dean was criticized and questioned for letting Pyle beat Waldberger senseless as the latter appeared to be clearly out and defenseless under Pyle's barrage of punches and elbows.

Yet, later on in the main event, which was also a championship fight, he was quick to jump in and stop the fight after one knee to the liver from Ronda Rousey dropped Sara McMann to her knees. Inconsistency on this night is just one problem I have with Dean; the other and more important is that if there was a fight you were going to let go a little more than others, it should have been the main event. From a fans standpoint, it's the reason you pay your money for; thus it's the one you want to see more of. To quote one of journalist Tony Kornheiser's favorite lines, "Am I wrong on this?"

If opportunity doesn't knock, kick the door open

On Saturday March 15th there is a huge and intriguing boxing card being held at The Sands Event Center in Bethlehem, PA. Being televised live on the NBC Sports Network, the main event features a heavyweight title eliminator between Tomasz Adamek (49-2, 29 KO's) and Vyacheslav 'The Czar' Glazkov (16-0-1, 11 KO's). However, the bout on the card that is creating the entire buzz here in the northeast, especially here in Bethlehem where the fight will take place is the co-main event.

That fight features a welterweight clash that is slowly building quite a stir. The fight features former IBF welterweight champion of the world Kermit 'The Killer' Cintron (34-5-2, 28 KO's) facing off against Bethlehem's own welterweight contender Ronald Cruz (20-2, 15 KO's). With Cintron originally being from Reading, PA, which is less than an hour west of Bethlehem, bragging rights is just one facet of interest in this tilt.

Cruz (pictured above) and Cintron, both heavy punchers of Puerto Rican descent, will be fighting for patriotic pride in this Puerto Rican heavily populated part of the country. However, while Cintron is looking to show he still has another title run left in him, Cruz is ready to show the world he's more than a fringe contender. Perennially ranked as one of the top 50 welterweights in the world the last couple of years while he's been on the come up, Cruz is ready to make a leap to the next level.

Cruz, who I've always known to be extremely humble and quiet, is normally one to let his hands do the talking. However, waiting for an opportunity that may never come knocking at his door, Cruz made a decision to kick the door open and create his own opportunity. That is why after his last fight in November, an impressive third round thrashing of rugged Hector Munoz, Cruz openly called out Cintron when he was asked who he would like to face next.

I asked Cruz about this and he told me, "He needed a fight and I needed to make some noise, so I went for it. Considering he's a former world champion originally from this area, I took the opportunity to call him out; luckily it worked itself out." And so because of Cruz's initiative and willingness to step up in competition, we have a very interesting fight coming up next month; one that can have serious implications for the winner, whoever it may be.

I spoke with Cruz's trainer Lemuel 'Indio' Rodriguez about going up against Cintron and he told me, "Ronald is ready for this challenge." He also went on to discuss with me their strategy in facing the former world champion, which I think is a good one; however, he asked me specifically not to divulge it publicly before the fight. Therefore, the world will have to wait till March 15th to see what it is and if it works.

Cruz, who is very active on social media, recently posted a link on his Facebook page to a video showing the tragic circumstances that took place last weekend during a boxing match in Mexico where a fighter ultimately lost his life after the bout. He did it to remind his many fans the sacrifices he and every other professional boxer makes when they step inside the ropes.

I asked him if thoughts of potential harm or concerns ever enter his mind when he steps into the ring. His response was, "I go in knowing the worst can happen, but I prepare myself the best I can to avoid that situation." However, he went on to tell me, "Right before my last fight as I hugged my family to tell them all I love them, which is something I always do, I noticed my 12 year old daughter hugged me tighter than normal. I told my wife about the hug and she explained that our daughter now understands the dangers that may befall me whenever I fight."

Quite compelling stuff, especially when you consider how heavy both Cruz and Cintron punch and what's at stake. Cruz has repeatedly said to his many fans on social media, "2014 will be my year." This fight against 'Killer Kermit' will go a long way in proving that if he wins and wins big.

Besides the heavy hitters at the top of the card, ticket holders may want to get there early as Cruz has a teammate who is making his professional debut on the undercard. What's the big deal about a pro debut you may ask? Well according to everyone I have spoken too, this kid may just be the next big thing out of 'Ron and Indio's Boxing Gym'.

An unknown prodigy of sorts who came to Bethlehem, PA from Caguas, Puerto Rico just two years ago, super bantamweight Luis Acevedo had over 96 amateur bouts on the island with less than 10 defeats on his record. This 22 year old told me he started boxing at the age of 8 years old at the urging of his father and has been doing it ever since. From top to bottom this card next month at The Sands looks to be the biggest one to date at this new Mecca for boxing here in the northeast.

UFC 169: Average "Super" night at the fights

On Super Bowl weekend the Ultimate Fighting Championship came to the Prudential Center in Newark, NJ with a super card on paper, but just like most Super Bowl games it just didn't live up to the hype. Unfortunately, what could've been never was and what was expected to happen did as there were no surprise endings. Here are a few thoughts on the key fights.

First off in the main event, interim and now only UFC bantamweight (135 lbs.) champion Renan Barao (32-1, 8 KO's 14 subs), now riding an almost nine year winning streak, may very well be the best fighter from his gym Nova Uniao; the significance behind that statement is that he is teammates with featherweight (145 lbs.) champ Jose Aldo. However, his first round finish of 'The California Kid' Urijah Faber (30-7, 7 KO's 17 subs), defeating him for a second time, says a lot.

Now many may argue that the stoppage by referee Herb Dean was premature; however, my response to that is two fold. One is that Faber legitimately got caught and dropped by Barao, not once, but twice. Second and more importantly is that Urijah Faber telling Joe Rogan afterwards that he gave Herb Dean a "thumbs up" when Dean repeatedly asked him to "do something," is not intelligently defending yourself.

I'm sorry, as I'm a Faber fan, but when a ref asks you to "do something" while you turtle up on the ground taking punches, he's not looking for a thumbs up. Therefore, it's "thumbs down" on Faber for that move, however I will give him a "thumbs up" for acknowledging that Dean was just doing his job in looking out for the fighter. Bottom line, save the thumbs up or down for critiquing movies, not MMA fights.

As for Aldo (24-1, 14 KO's 2 subs), what can I say? He continues to do what he does best, literally kick the sh** out of his opponents as he tears up their legs with his brutal baseball bat swinging Muay Thai round kicks. While his teammate Barao is almost at nine years without a loss, Aldo just hit eight years this past November; to be a fly on the wall at Nova Uniao when those two are sparring each other.

As for Aldo's opponent Ricardo Lamas (13-3, 4 KO's 3 subs), he put up a good fight and it appeared he really was trying to win, but why did he wait till the fifth round to show it? Okay, Aldo and those kicks had something to do with it I know, I just wonder why a dominant wrestler like Lamas, who is vicious with his top game, waited till round three to finally attempt to shoot on Aldo. Why didn't he take a shot right from the start, possibly catching a cold hesitant Aldo in round one? Unfortunately, he's probably asking himself that very question this morning.

Finally, here are my thoughts on the featured bout between heavyweights Alistair Overeem and Frank Mir. A less muscular Overeem (37-13, 15 KO's 19 subs) appears to have made for a better 'Reem as he wasn't even breathing hard after three rounds of pouncing on Mir standing and on the ground. Good for him as he breaks a three fight skid, however not sure that calling out a retired Brock Lesnar, who he already beat, on a rumor that he may return means much.

As for former UFC Heavyweight champ Mir (16-9, 3 KO's 9 subs), after his fourth loss in a row, its obvious his best days are behind him; the question here is whether he should continue at all? On the outside looking in, it appears Mir's heart just isn't in it anymore. He seems willing to show up, but once there just doesn't seem to go after it. At only 34 years old, Mir has become less than a gatekeeper, he's become a journeyman.

The label as the best jiu-jitsu player in the heavyweight ranks just doesn't hold much weight anymore now that MMA has evolved since that was the case 10 years ago. His monumental arm-breaking submission of Rodrigo Noguiera is now over two years old and just a fading memory.

The word has always been that Mir is a strong family man and it appears that is where his heart is, which is great and commendable. However, MMA is not a hobby and definitely not at the UFC level. A former two-time champion, Mir has nothing else to prove. Therefore, don't be surprised if Mir takes a serious look in the mirror and sees what I already know.

Pros and Cons of being a number one title contender

If you're a professional mixed martial arts fighter competing in the Ultimate Fighting Championship, the major league of the sport, and you've worked your way into being the number one title contender, everything should be just about perfect. "Not so fast my friend," as ESPN College Football Analyst Lee Corso is known to say. Sometimes being in the driver's seat doesn't necessarily mean you have all the right answers; you still have to choose whether to turn left or right at the next intersection. Just ask Josh 'The Punk' Thomson. (Pictured above)

Thomson was on top of the world in terms of his MMA career, a long and illustrious one, and in the matter of 25 minutes, it all came screeching to a halt. Thomson, a former Strikeforce lightweight (155 lbs.) champion, had recently made a surprising and successful return to the UFC with a stoppage win over perennial top contender Nate Diaz. That performance, coinciding with the transition of the title from former champion Benson 'Smooth' Henderson to Anthony Pettis and an unfortunate injury to number contender TJ Grant, catapulted Thomson to replace Grant as the title contender; perfect scenario right?

Unfortunately, the real world of MMA does not always allow for such dream endings. Just as Grant had suffered an injury, killing his current opportunity at the title, the current champion Pettis also endured one. That injury would force him to be on the shelf for an extended period, so now Thomson was faced with a dilemma that often confronts title contenders; do you sit and wait for your promised shot or do you keep fighting and potentially risk losing it?

I know it seems simple enough, but for fighters who have an unbelievable thirst for competition and challenge, the decision often is to keep fighting. This was the case for Thomson who more than willingly agreed to take on former titleholder Henderson. What was in it for him? Well, the exposure of being in the main event of a card on the FOX network in front of millions could only catapult his career even further. However, you have to win first and as I stated previously, MMA doesn't always allow for the fairy tale finish.

Enter 'Murphy's Law', "Anything that can go wrong, will go wrong." In Thomson's case, his fight against number one ranked Henderson couldn't have gotten off to a better start. He dropped the champion immediately in the first round and eventually maneuvered his way on the ground to Henderson's back and into a body lock position. Looking good so far, but inevitably Henderson worked his way out of the position, back to his feet and the fight continued. No problem as Thomson was looking as comfortable standing and striking as he was on the ground; that was until his right hand broke.

At some point in the second round 'The Punk' breaks his hand and now his whole game plan goes out the window, turn to plan B and C, kick and continue to take Henderson down. Surprisingly he was able to do that, with relative success at times too, but Henderson now had his moments as well. Nonetheless, while he never hurt Henderson the rest of the way, nor had him in any danger, I thought he did enough to win the fight. Problem is, what I think doesn't matter.

Two of three judges saw it for Henderson, so now Thomson loses his title shot, breaks his hand and suddenly is even pondering retirement. If only he had decided to sit and wait for Pettis to heal; that's what featherweight (145 lbs.) title contender Ricardo Lamas did. Winner of his last four fights he became the next title challenger for champion Jose Aldo. However, ironically enough, Aldo sustained an injury which put him out of commission for a while.

Lamas, whose last fight was exactly one year ago today, decided to turn right instead of left though; he decided to wait it out. Sure it cost him exposure, money and everything else, but it did not cost him his shot; which he will take next week, during Super Bowl weekend on a Pay-Per-View. Lucky for Lamas right; not really, these are just pros and cons of being a number one title contender.

'Grudge Match' + Sam's Top Five Boxing Films

After being stuck indoors for two weeks due to surgery, I finally got out yesterday for a little while and went to the movies. I was even well enough to catch a comedy, where I was previously avoiding any laughter at all costs after post abdominal hernia surgery. I went to see 'Grudge Match' starring Sylvester Stallone and Robert DeNiro, which I enjoyed very much.

As I was watching it, I suddenly began to think of all the boxing movies made over time that I have seen. There are quite a few and I instantly began to rate them. Thus, the following is a quick review of 'Grudge Match' followed by my top five choices for best boxing movies to watch. Note that my top five picks is not an all-time list, but rather my personal choices; however, first up is a look back at the movie pictured at left.

The movie' Grudge Match', as the title suggests, is a score to settle rubber match between two over the hill retired professional boxers from the blue collar steel city of Pittsburgh, PA. Billy 'The Kid' McDonnan played by DeNiro and Henry 'Razor' Sharp' played by Stallone, are both responsible for the lone loss on each other's pro records. However, what has driven them all these years to settle the score isn't their hatred for one another or even so much the blemish on their records; it was a woman.

However, unlike your typical love triangle, there are a few twists and turns involved, which makes it more like an octagon. Ironically, the UFC's octagon makes a memorable appearance in this film, thanks to a great cameo by none other than UFC fighter Chael Sonnen. The twists and turns in the form of a female love interest, her son and grandson, an old trainer and a want to be Don King boxing promoter all make for interesting scenarios and lots of laughs.

Co-starring Kim Basinger, who has aged quite gracefully, Alan Arkin, Kevin Hart and Jon Bernthal, 'Grudge Match', was better and funnier than I had expected. Though it won't make my top five list, it was very entertaining and definitely worth two hours of your time. Besides, though it doesn't make my list, not surprisingly, its stars Stallone and DeNiro do.

Now onto my top five boxing films that you should see and please remember that these are my choices, not necessarily an all-time list; though I would argue that four of my five would easily make any all-time list. Nonetheless, I put that disclaimer out there for anyone who wants to scream at me for leaving off such noteworthy films such as 'The Hurricane' or 'The Cinderella Man'; both excellent movies.

5.) 'Streets of Gold' (1986) -

This movie may be unknown to many, but not to me. I actually went to see this movie in the theater when it was released and have enjoyed it ever since. A little known film starring Klaus Maria Brandauer and two young talented actors at that start of their careers in Wesley Snipes and Adrian Pasdar, this movie is about a former amateur boxer from the Soviet Union who was not allowed to compete on the national team because of his Jewish descent.

He later migrates to the largely Russian populated Brighton Beach section of Brooklyn, NY where he comes upon two promising club fighters, which he eventually coaches and turns into U.S. National team members. This movie may not stand up to the other four on this list in terms of caliber, but for heartwarming storyline and pure amateur boxing, it should be viewed. Try it, you may like it.

4.) 'Million Dollar Baby' (2004) -

The first of three Academy Award winners on this list, this movie won four Oscars in total including Best Picture, Best Actress and Best Supporting Actor. Starring Hillary Swank as a humble girl with aspirations of pursuing a boxing dream, along with Clint Eastwood and Morgan Freeman as gruff old boxing trainers, this film is an emotional roller coaster.

Eastwood, who won an Oscar for his directing, masterfully takes you on a ride which puts you on the highest of highs, only to drop you into the lowest of lows in an instant. Whether you're a fan of boxing, let alone women in boxing, you owe it to yourself to see this movie.

3.) 'Requiem for a Heavyweight' (1962) -

As a fan of Anthony Quinn, old black and white films and boxing, 'Requiem' is a match made in heaven. Starring the aforementioned Quinn as Mountain Rivera, a once ranked, but now washed up journeyman fighter, this movie does for boxing what 'The Wrestler' did for wrestling; show you the sad, but true side of the sport.

Also starring Jackie Gleason as Rivera's shady manager and Mickey Rooney as his loyal trainer, this is a must see for any true boxing fan. I just happen to come upon this movie as a kid and it has stuck with me ever since. A definite all-time classic!

2.) 'Raging Bull' (1980) -

For many this should be number one on the list and for good reason. Starring Best Actor winner Robert DeNiro in his memorable performance as the legendary Jake LaMotta, 'Raging Bull' is another true, but tragic portrayal of the life of a boxer. A champion's life is not all glitz and glamour and DeNiro gives his usual star turn in showing us as much.

Also starring Cathy Moriarty and a couple of young soon to be well known fixtures in the film industry, especially in the mob movie genre, Joe Pesci and Frank Vincent, this could easily be number one on this list. How it lost to 'Ordinary People' in the Best Picture category is extraordinary.

1.) 'Rocky' (1976) -

Flip a coin and 'Raging Bull' along with 'Rocky' are at the top of any boxing movie list; so why do I go with 'Rocky' here? Well, I could argue that 'Rocky' won the Best Picture Oscar, where 'Bull' didn't. However, it's even simpler than that; this movie touches me in a way that the other doesn't. I don't know if it's the underdog theme or the Philadelphia background, but 'Rocky' still resonates with me personally whenever I see it.

This is the one that made Stallone a star and actually proved he can act. Burgess Meredith's turn as an old time trainer is the standard all other's will follow and the performances by Talia Shire and Burt Young are noteworthy. Let's face it, 'Raging Bull' is a classic, but 'Rocky' is a part of America's lexicon and for that, along with its great picture value, it is number one on my list.

If you love boxing the way I do, you owe it to yourself to see these movies. However, if you love movies, but don't necessarily love boxing, you still owe it to yourself to watch these movies.