Sucker Punch follows black British teens Leon and Troy from cleaning a South London boxing gym to a final faceoff in the ring as former friends in the biggest grudge match of their lives.
Grudge matches are far from new in boxing—in fact, promoters depend on the story of the fight outside the ring to raise excitement and pull ratings. Here’s a quick tour of famous grudge matches that lead up to 1980s London.
Famous Boxing Grudge Matches
Muhammad Ali v. George Foreman – “The Rumble in the Jungle”
This fight, staged by famous boxing promoter Don King, took place on October 30th, 1974 in Kinshasa, Zaire (now known as the Democratic Republic of Congo). Ali had recently returned to boxing after being stripped of his title as Undefeated Heavyweight Champion for evading the Vietnam War draft. Foreman had since won the World Heavyweight title. Foreman was considered a relentless and brutal fighter, but his power could not stand up to Ali’s “rope-a-dope” strategy used to evade Foreman’s punches. Ali won after eight rounds and regained his title as Heavyweight Champion.
Muhammad Ali v. Joe Frasier – “The Thrilla in Manila”
Muhammad Ali fought Joe Frasier on October 1st, 1975 in Manila. The fight was for the Heavyweight Championship titled and lasted 15 rounds, with Ali coming out victorious after Frasier’s trainer threw in the towel. The grudge between Ali and Frasier was mutual, but probably instigated by Ali’s endless stream of insults towards Frasier for his less graceful fighting style. This fight is probably the most famous of Ali’s, and perhaps the most famous boxing match to date.
Sugar Ray Leonard v. Roberto Duran – “The Brawl in Montreal”
Leonard and Duran fought on June 20th, 1980 in Montreal’s Olympic stadium for the Welterweight Championship title. Leonard was a media favorite after winning the Olympic Gold Medal for the US at the 1976 Olympics. Duran was from Panama, and originally a Lightweight Campion. He disliked Leonard and badmouthed him in efforts to hype the fight and intimidate Leonard. Duran was a fast fighter and won the fight unanimously. The two continued to feud after this fight, and scheduled a rematch for that following November. This rematch was the infamous “No más” fight in which Leonard won by forcing Duran to surrender.
—Arianna Gass