Champs (film)

Last updated
Champs
Champs poster.jpg
Film poster
Directed byBert Marcus
Written byBert Marcus
Produced by
Starring
CinematographyJohn Tipton
Edited by
  • Derk Boonstra
  • Davon Ramos
Production
company
Bert Marcus Productions
Distributed byStarz
Release dates
  • April 19, 2014 (2014-04-19)(Tribeca)
  • March 13, 2015 (2015-03-13)(US)
Running time
85 minutes
CountryUnited States
LanguageEnglish

Champs is a 2014 documentary film focusing on boxers Mike Tyson, Evander Holyfield, and Bernard Hopkins. The film had its world premiere at the Tribeca Film Festival on April 19, 2014. [2] Starz released the film on March 13, 2015, in a theatrical release and through video on demand. [3]

Contents

Cast

Reception

Rotten Tomatoes, a review aggregator, reports that 67% of 27 surveyed critics gave the film a positive review; the average rating is 6/10. [4] Metacritic rated it 59/100 based on 13 reviews, which indicates "mixed or average reviews". [5] Eddie Cockrell of Variety called it "slick but cliched", although "Marcus and his team make up in substance what they fall short of in style." [1] John DeFore of The Hollywood Reporter wrote, "In his debut doc about superstar fighters, Bert Marcus offers more sociology than boxing fans may expect, using mean-streets origin stories not just for biographical intrigue but to comment on hardships his subjects faced later in life," as well as that the film is a "very polished doc has more on its mind than action in the ring." [6] Neil Genzlinger of The New York Times wrote that the film "needs a trip through a cliché-removing machine". [7] Robert Abele of the Los Angeles Times wrote that the documentary experiences "varied success" but "comes from a place of caring for an oft-maligned sport". [8] Nick Schlager of Slant Magazine rated it 2/4 stars and called it "an unfocused mishmash that thrives only when it fixates on footage of actual bouts". [9]

At Indiewire, Kevin Jagernauth wrote that it "examines what it means to be a man" and "while the director has no shortage of famous people showing up — Mark Wahlberg, Denzel Washington, Ron Howard, Spike Lee, Mary J. Blige, 50 Cent — their contributions are carefully and tastefully selected, with Marcus largely ceding to the more knowledgeable and less flashy experts, who are the ones that truly contribute the context to make Champs as insightful as it is", [10] and Zeba Blay described it as "more a social documentary than a sports documentary". [11] Ashton Morris of The Hot Zone said, "Bert Marcus, with keen intellect and whimsical creativity, illuminates a long ignored "issue" – that's putting it lightly – in a sport that has left its mark on the fabric of our country's history." [12] Alan Ng of Film Threat rated 8/10 and said, "You’ll find inspiration from the stories of its three subjects and make you think again about the gladiatorial game and business, we know as boxing". [13]

Additionally, various interviews with cast members the director were featured during the film's release, explaining that this film is more than just a boxing film. Sean Crose of Boxing Insider writes, "[p]erhaps that's why Marcus' new documentary, Champs, deals with more than just its main subjects: Mike Tyson, Evander Holyfield and Bernard Hopkins, respectively. Indeed, Marcus wants his film to start 'a conversation about really important issues.'" [14]

Related Research Articles

Mike Tyson American boxer and media personality (born 1966)

Michael Gerard Tyson is an American former professional boxer who competed from 1985 to 2005. Nicknamed "Iron Mike" and "Kid Dynamite" in his early career, and later known as "The Baddest Man on the Planet", Tyson is considered to be one of the greatest heavyweight boxers of all time. He reigned as the undisputed world heavyweight champion from 1987 to 1990. Tyson won his first 19 professional fights by knockout, 12 of them in the first round. Claiming his first belt at 20 years, four months, and 22 days old, Tyson holds the record as the youngest boxer ever to win a heavyweight title. He was the first heavyweight boxer to simultaneously hold the WBA, WBC and IBF titles, as well as the only heavyweight to unify them in succession. The following year, Tyson became the lineal champion when he knocked out Michael Spinks in 91 seconds of the first round. In 1990, Tyson was knocked out by underdog Buster Douglas in one of the biggest upsets in history.

Evander Holyfield American boxer

Evander Holyfield is an American former professional boxer who competed between 1984 and 2011. He reigned as the undisputed champion at cruiserweight in the late 1980s and at heavyweight in the early 1990s, and remains the only boxer in history to win the undisputed championship in two weight classes in the three belt era. Nicknamed "the Real Deal", Holyfield is the only four-time world heavyweight champion, having held the unified WBA, WBC, and IBF titles from 1990 to 1992, the WBA and IBF titles again from 1993 to 1994, the WBA title a third time from 1996 to 1999; the IBF title a third time from 1997 to 1999 and the WBA title for a fourth time from 2000 to 2001.

Buster Douglas American boxer

James "Buster" Douglas is an American former professional boxer who competed between 1981 and 1999. He reigned as undisputed world heavyweight champion in 1990 after knocking out Mike Tyson to win the title. His win over Tyson is regarded as one of the biggest upsets in boxing history.

Mills Bee Lane III is an American former boxing referee and professional boxer, a two-term Washoe County, Nevada, District Court Judge, and television personality.

Henry Durand Tillman is an American former boxer.

The Ring magazine was established in 1922 and has named a Fighter of the Year since 1928, which this list covers. The award, selected by the magazine editors, is based on a boxer's performance in the ring.

Mitch Halpern American boxing referee

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Francois Botha South African boxer

Francois "Frans" Botha is a South African former professional boxer and kickboxer. In boxing he competed from 1990 to 2014, and is perhaps best known for winning the IBF heavyweight title against Axel Schulz in 1995, but was later stripped after failing a drug test. He later challenged twice for world heavyweight titles in 2000 and 2002. Botha has competed against former Heavyweight Champions Mike Tyson, Wladimir Klitschko, Lennox Lewis, Michael Moorer and Evander Holyfield late in their respective careers. Botha participated once in mixed martial arts in 2004.

Donovan "Razor" Ruddock is a Jamaican-born Canadian former professional boxer who competed from 1982 to 2001 and in 2015. He is known for his two fights against Mike Tyson in 1991 and a fight against Lennox Lewis in 1992. Ruddock was also known for his exceptionally heavy punching; one of the best examples of his left hand power was his knockout of former WBA heavyweight champion Michael Dokes in 1990. His favoured weapon at the ring proved to be a highly versatile half-hook, half-uppercut left-handed punch he called "The Smash" which accounted for the majority of his knockout wins -- it also happened to be his major downside throughout his career. Being a left-handed puncher fighting out of the orthodox stance, he didn't throw a single right hand during most knockout flurries.

Mike Tyson in popular culture

Mike Tyson is an American former World Heavyweight boxing Champion. Tyson, ranked by ESPN as the No. 1 Most Outrageous Character in modern sports history has appeared in numerous popular media in either cameo appearances or as a subject of parody or satire.

Mike Tyson vs. Evander Holyfield Boxing competition

Mike Tyson vs. Evander Holyfield, billed as Finally, was a professional boxing match fought between Evander Holyfield and Mike Tyson for the WBA heavyweight championship on November 9, 1996, at the MGM Grand Garden Arena in Paradise, Nevada. The bout was Tyson's first defense of the WBA title that he had won from Bruce Seldon on September 7 of that year.

Showtime Championship Boxing is a television boxing program airing on Showtime. Debuting in March 1986, it is broadcast live on the first Saturday of every month. Showtime Championship Boxing, which is very similar to HBO World Championship Boxing, features Mauro Ranallo on play-by-play, Al Bernstein as the color analyst, Jimmy Lennon as ring announcers, and Jim Gray as reporter.

The Sugar Ray Robinson Award is given to the Boxing Writers Association of America's Fighter of the Year.

Tommy Brooks is a boxing trainer and a former boxer. He is best known as the trainer of Evander Holyfield.

Evander Holyfield vs. Mike Tyson II Boxing competition

Evander Holyfield vs. Mike Tyson II, billed as the Sound and the Fury and afterwards infamously referred to as The Bite Fight, was a professional boxing match contested between Evander Holyfield and Mike Tyson on June 28, 1997, for the WBA Heavyweight Championship. It achieved notoriety as one of the most bizarre fights in boxing history, after Tyson bit off a part of Holyfield's ear. Tyson was disqualified from the match and lost his boxing license, though it was later reinstated.

Buster Douglas vs. Evander Holyfield Boxing competition

Buster Douglas vs Evander Holyfield, billed as "The Moment of Truth", was a professional boxing match contested on October 25, 1990 for the WBA, WBC, and IBF heavyweight championships. The bout took place at the Mirage in Paradise, Nevada, USA and saw Douglas making the first defense of the titles he won from Mike Tyson in February 1990.

Evander Holyfield vs. George Foreman Boxing competition

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Evander Holyfield vs. Larry Holmes Boxing competition

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Evander Holyfield vs. Carlos De León

Evander Holyfield vs. Carlos De León was a professional boxing match contested for the undisputed cruiserweight championship between WBA, and IBF champion Evander Holyfield and WBC champion Carlos De León. The bout took place on April 9, 1988 at Caesars Palace in Paradise, Nevada.

References

  1. 1 2 Cockrell, Eddie (2015-03-15). "Film Review: 'Champs'". Variety . Retrieved 2015-04-06.
  2. ↑ Slattery, Luke (2014-04-24). "Mike Tyson 'Takes Inventory' in Tribeca Doc 'Champs'". Indiewire . Retrieved 2014-10-07.
  3. ↑ Greene, Steve (2015-03-13). "Here Are All the Movies Opening Today, March 13; What Will You See?". Indiewire . Retrieved 2015-04-06.
  4. ↑ "Champs (2015)". Rotten Tomatoes . Retrieved 2020-01-13.
  5. ↑ "Champs". Metacritic . Retrieved 2015-04-06.
  6. ↑ DeFore, John (2014-04-25). "Champs: Tribeca Review". The Hollywood Reporter . Retrieved 2014-10-07.
  7. ↑ Genzlinger, Neil (2015-03-12). "Review: 'Champs' Tyson, Holyfield and Hopkins Recount Careers". The New York Times . Retrieved 2015-04-06.
  8. ↑ Abele, Robert (2015-03-12). "Review Uneven 'Champs' goes distance with Mike Tyson, other fighters". Los Angeles Times . Retrieved 2015-04-06.
  9. ↑ Schlager, Nick (2014-04-19). "Champs". Slant Magazine . Retrieved 2014-10-07.
  10. ↑ Jagernauth, Kevin (2014-04-28). "Tribeca Review: Boxing Documentary 'Champs' Brings The American Dream Ringside". Indiewire . Retrieved 2014-10-07.
  11. ↑ Blay, Zeba (2014-04-21). "Tribeca Review: 'Champs' Spotlights Career Trajectory Commonalities Of 3 Champion Boxers". Indiewire . Retrieved 2014-10-07.
  12. ↑ Ashton, Morris (2014-05-01). "THZ Exclusive: "Champs" Review". The Hot Zone. Retrieved 2014-10-08.
  13. ↑ "Champs review | Film Threat". Film Threat . 26 March 2019. Retrieved 18 May 2020.
  14. ↑ "Champs Director Bert Marcus: "There's No One That Can't Relate to This."". BoxingInsider.com. 3 March 2015. Retrieved 18 May 2020.
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