Coach PJ’s Top 5 Favorite Fight Scenes From The Movies
As a boxing coach, watching movies about martial arts, boxing, and kickboxing is always fun. These types of films usually have a meaningful storyline about how someone has risen from the bottom, found some success, loses it, and rises back up. You come away feeling inspired by the “fighter’s mentality.” All of that is great and inspiring, but I love a good fight scene! Of course, a great fight scene doesn’t just happen. It takes a trained eye, a talented fight choreographer, expert fighters, great actors, and excellent camera crews and editors to make these fight scenes come to life.
Here are my top five (5) favorite fight scenes in the movies, and don’t worry, I’m not going to spoil them for you. Watch them and see the magic for yourself!
Top 5 Favorite Movie Fight Scenes
Bloodsport
Video Link: Bloodsport (1988)
In this 1988 film featuring Jean-Claude Van Damme, the final fight is my favorite. Without giving it away, this is a great example of what it’s like to fight without being able to see.
The Raid 2
Video Link: The Raid 2 (2014)
This film won several film critic awards in 2014 for Best Foreign Film, Best Stunts, and Best Visual Effects. The fight scene to watch? The kitchen scene. This fight is filmed using real knives, and it took years to get the right choreography.
The Way of The Dragon
Video Link: The Way of The Dragon (1972)
I’ll set the scene. Bruce Lee and Chuck Norris. They fight once. In Italy. In the Colosseum. They only fight once, and it’s like watching Superman and Batman go head-to-head.
Creed
Video Link: Creed (2015)
Creed is one of every fighter’s favorite movies. I love this movie because there is a fight between Adonis and Leo “The Lion” Sporino, played by Gabriel Rosado. Rosado is a fighter from my hometown of Philadelphia, and he’s also one of the first professional fighters that I sparred with in my early career. From my experience, I can tell you that the fight between Adonis and “The Lion” is very realistic.
Enter The Dragon
Video Link: Enter The Dragon (1973)
Enter The Dragon is known for being the most successful martial arts movie to date. It’s also the last film that Bruce Lee completed before his death in 1973. In this film, the fight between Lee and O’Hara is my favorite. Bruce Lee shows his dominance and power despite his size. This is definitely a must-watch movie!
As you can tell, many of these films are classics, and the fight scenes have stood the test of time. I can watch them repeatedly, and each time that I do, I see something that I didn’t see before. I highly recommend you check out any that you haven’t already seen.
Even if you’re not a fighter, the inspiring messages that are conveyed through the actors and storylines will resonate with you. Plus, you may even find yourself ready to start boxing, even if you don’t plan to compete. Check out some of my boxing training videos and you can pretend you’re in the ring, just like these actors!
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The Author: PJ Shirdan is a FightCamp Founding Coach who claims that boxing wasn’t his first love, but it saved his life. PJ grew up in the Philadelphia area and played football as a young athlete. After a life-changing event, he found boxing as a way to heal, escape, and, ultimately, rebuild his life as he became a competitive fighter. PJ came to Los Angeles and continued to hone his skills as a boxer and as a NASM and TRX Certified Personal Trainer. He began to train other boxers, UFC fighters, and athletes using a holistic approach. This included mental and physical training, nutritional counseling, and empowering his clients with his hallmark motivational style. Today, he is known throughout the FightCamp Team as the go-to person to close out company-wide meetings with the same optimism and positive messages he delivers in his FightCamp workouts. When PJ isn’t filming workouts, he’s enjoying a great burger with his wife, Lindsey, and living his #BestDayEver. Coach PJ is also USA Boxing Coach certified.