One of my favorite Letterboxd reviews I’ve ever written reads as follows: 

“Creed so good I wish boxing was real.” 

It’s not my favorite because it got a bunch of likes or anything, though it seems at least my old coworker seems to share my sense of humor. It’s my favorite because it’s a combination of my favorite Olive Garden meme and what I believe to be a deep social commentary on the state of boxing. 

The boxing in “Creed” (2015) is really good. Adonis Creed’s (Michael B. Jordan) final fight with “Pretty” Ricky Conlan (Tony Bellew) is a blow-for-blow slugfest that kept me on the edge of my seat during every round. 

In contrast, I regret watching the only men’s boxing match I have seen in the last few months. The infamous Jake Paul versus Mike Tyson fight on Netflix wasn’t a slugfest;, it was a snoozefest. 

I should qualify this by saying that the undercard fight between Katie Taylor and Amanda Serrano was phenomenal. I plan to watch their rematch on July 11, which is a tribute to just how phenomenal these women are at their sport. 

But, Serrano-Taylor is the exception rather than the norm in terms of real-life boxing content I consume. Rare are the times when I plan to watch a boxing match, and every major fight I have ever followed, from Floyd Mayweather versus Manny Pacquiao to Paul-Tyson, has been a major letdown. 

And this has only gotten worse with the infusion of influencers into boxing. I am not a Paul hater. I think he’s an absolutely brilliant marketer and storyteller who has created a fantastic narrative surrounding himself and his career. I also think he’s a decent boxer, and I’m actually rooting for him to keep winning against better opposition. I think that would be fascinating. 

I do think he’s alone in that endeavor. Countless other celebrities have tried boxing, and none are good. And all they do is steal attention from boxers who are actually good at what they do.

It’s gotten to the point where boxing and celebrity culture are so intertwined that you don’t know where one starts and the other begins. It shouldn’t be normal for rumors to swirl about LeBron James and Stephen A. Smith getting in the ring together, or any other celebrities who are in a public feud. 

LeBron-Stephen A. would be the worst boxing match of all time, no matter how it ended. If they both tried their hardest, James would knock out Smith in three seconds, which would be funny, but an expected and boring outcome. And if James took any longer than that, it would be a clearly rigged bout. 

Which is how I felt watching Paul-Tyson. Paul has claimed he could have knocked out Tyson, some say Tyson could have gotten Paul in the second round, and I firmly believe that both of them should have tried to do so. No more of this dancing around for 10 rounds to earn a paycheck. Boxers need to fight to win, and fight to win by way of knockout specifically. Any other attitude is a disservice to the sport. 

Jordan’s boxing in “Creed” shouldn’t be more entertaining than the best real boxers in the world. And yet it is, which is a testament to the film. I am very grateful that the filmmakers worked very hard on the action. Shout-out to director Ryan Coogler and the whole team, because they did a fantastic job with the boxing scenes. 

But every other sport’s depiction on screen tends to be far worse. I love “Ted Lasso,” but I wouldn’t say the soccer in it is dynamic. I can’t recall a single football movie where I didn’t cringe during the scenes where they actually play. Baseball action is especially bad. Actors usually have such a tough time looking like athletes, but with modern boxing, it is the real thing that pales compared to the fiction. 

Ultimately, I hope my timeline is filled with less Bryce Hall and more Jesse “Bam” Rodriguez. I can’t single-handedly change that, but I will commit to paying more attention to boxing outside of the mainstream consciousness and celebrity drama. Taylor-Serrano is first on the list, and I will add more fights to my calendar as soon as possible.

But, I’ll also probably watch “Creed II” (2018) and “Creed III” (2023). Keep an eye out for my Letterboxd reviews on those. 

Ethan Inman is a senior writing about sports films that have taken on a new meaning compared to when they were released. His column, “The 35mm Yard Line,” runs every other Thursday, and he is also a sports editor for the Daily Trojan.