The Best Movie Cameos by Boxing Stars

They call boxing "the sweet science," and the nickname gives a certain level of insight into the sport at its core. 

It's more than fighting. Boxing is an art -form, and some of the greatest fighters in history have also been great performers. The sport often produces more than action by providing compelling theater that highlights the variety of skills necessary to make someone into a star.

It's no surprise, then, that boxing stars have often played roles in TV and film. Here we highlight a few of the best cameos from big-time boxers throughout history. 

The nature of a cameo is that of a limited role, and it's for that reason that boxers who played major roles (such as the late Tommy Morrison in Rocky V and Antonio Tarver in Rocky Balboa) are not included here. That said, here are the best boxer cameos in history.

Lennox Lewis/Wladimir Klitschko: Oceans 11

Back in 2001, when Oceans 11 was released, there was no dispute about who the top dog was in the heavyweight division. 

Lennox Lewis had won the undisputed heavyweight championship with a unanimous decision over Evander Holyfield in 1999, and a hiccup against Hasim Rahman not withstanding, he was still the best in the business. 

After years and years of heavyweight dominance, it's hard to believe there was a point when Wladimir Klitschko was nothing more than a rising prospect. But that's exactly what he was in 2001, a once-beaten fringe champion considered by most to be the next future star amongst the big boys.

It seemed a clash between Lewis (the champion) and Klitschko (the fast rising challenger) was all but inevitable, but it never took place. Nowhere, at least, except on the big screen.

The central plot of Oceans 11 revolves around a casino heist, and as everyone knows, a casino never has more cash on hand than during a fight weekend.

Lewis vs. Klitschko serves as the foil for the caper—complete with Jim Lampley's commentary and ring-walks—but the two men never actually exchange any blows in the ring. So, at least that was accurate.

Joe Frazier: Rocky

There are many who consider the career of "Smokin" Joe Frazier to be the inspiration behind the story of Rocky Balboa—the ultimate boxing underdog—in the iconic Rocky series of films.

Sylvester Stallone—who played Balboa—gave America dozens of memorable scenes of a low-level boxer attempting to win the fight(s) of a lifetime. His training regimen—which included running up the stairs of the Philadelphia Museum of Art and punching meat carcasses instead of a heavy bag—were believed to have been taken directly from Frazier's routines.

While he was given no credit for the inspiration, Frazier did make a cameo appearance in the first Rocky movie. He was announced as one of the luminaries in attendance for the fight, and even entered the ring to give both fighters advice before the big clash.

Sugar Ray Leonard: The Fighter

"Irish" Micky Ward is the type of fighter who made you love the sport of boxing. He never won a world championship, but he did capture three consecutive Fight of the Year Awards from The Ring Magazine for his 2001 bout with Emanuel Augustus, and his epic wars with Arturo Gatti in 2002 and 2003.

The 2010 film The Fighter chronicles the life of both Micky and his brother Dicky Eklund, and it features a cameo appearance by one of the greatest of all time—"Sugar" Ray Leonard.

Leonard appeared as a guest commentator for the fight between Ward and Mike Mungin, and there was a little taste of irony in this appearance.

Leonard had fought—and beaten—Eklund back in 1978. It was a prototypical "Sugar" Ray performance, and he won the fight by unanimous decision. But Eklund got his pound of flesh, and got Leonard to the mat. It was an odd sequence, and ultimately ruled a slip by the referee, but it appeared that a combination of a punch/push floored the future champion.

It remains one of the most interesting, and talked about, moments of "Sugar" Ray's illustrious career. 

Jake LaMotta: The Hustler

Jake LaMotta was a bartender in The Hustler.

For most people, Jackie Gleason will forever be remembered for his role as Ralph Kramden—the hot-tempered bus driver from The Honeymooners—but he was also a helluva pool player. 

So it was a no-brainer that he'd get the role of Minnesota Fats—one of the best known pool players in history—in the 1961 film adaptation of The Hustler. In the movie, Fats is challenged by a smalltime pool hustler named "Fast" Eddie Felson (Paul Newman), who travels cross-country to get a shot at the champ.

Lesser known was the role played by former boxing champion Jake LaMotta.

"The Raging Bull" didn't have much of a role—he only played a bartender—but his appearance added some extra star-power to an already loaded cast.

Roy Jones Jr.: The Matrix Reloaded

OK, so it's slightly more than a cameo. Call me a sucker for all things The Matrix and Roy Jones Jr.

When the first movie in The Matrix trilogy hit theaters in 1999, it was a mind-blowing experience. An entire false reality created around humans to hide the fact we've become slaves to a super-intelligent race of machines? 

Yikes!

Unfortunately, the follow-ups failed to capture either the novelty or success of the original. 

But they did capture Jones—who portrayed Captain Ballard, captain of another resistance ship in the real world—in The Matrix Reloaded, and ultimately joins Neo (Keanu Reeves) and Morpheus (Laurence Fishburne) quest to take down the matrix. 

Spoiler Alert: Unlike most of his fights in the ring, Jones does not meet a happy ending.

Lucia Rijker: Million Dollar Baby

You'd have a very hard time finding a female boxer more feared than Lucia Rijker.

Nicknamed "The Dutch Destroyer," Rijker retired from boxing with an undefeated 17-0 record with 14 knockouts. She was also an undefeated kickboxer who compiled an equally—if not more—impressive record of 37-0 with 25 wins coming by way of knockout. 

Scary stuff. Her only recorded loss came in an exhibition kickboxing match against a male opponent in 1994. 

So she was a logical choice to play the seemingly super-human and imposing champion in Million Dollar Baby.

Billie "The Blue Bear" (Rijker) has a reputation for dirty tactics and brutality in the ring, and her penultimate confrontation with Maggie Fitzgerald (Hilary Swank) produces one of the most emotional moments in the history of sports movies.

Don't watch it without tissues handy.

Mike Tyson: The Hangover

Mike Tyson and The Hangover. 

What more do you need to know?

If you haven't seen the film...first, what's wrong with you...and second, you already know that it centers on a trip to Las Vegas by a group of male friends that goes in all sorts of crazy and unbelievable directions.

This includes the kidnapping of a tiger from the famed former heavyweight champion Mike Tyson.

When Tyson finds out about his missing animal, he is none too happy and orders them to return it. Needless to say, that doesn't go too well. But this is one of those things you're just better off watching, and not taking my word for it.