Southpaw and the Sordid Side of Boxing

Southpaw could be called the despondent "R-rated Rocky". The Jake Gyllenhaal movie deals with a boxer's fall from grace due to personal and financial tragedies. The sad tale is an amalgamation of the post-career life of many famous boxers that had it all and lost everything.

A sad truth about the boxing game is there comes a time when the big paydays are gone. When a lifestyle is designed to be covered by the big payday years, this go downhill relatively quickly when they stop. Savings only take a person so far....and that is if there are any savings to begin with. The life story of many famous boxers shows debts far exceeded anything saved, Just run a Google search on "Boxers Who Ended Up Broke" for a litany of sordid stories.

Southpaw is a little overly melodramatic in spots. The grim nature of the feature makes the whole proceedings a bit of a downer until the upbeat Hollywood ending. Overall. the film is a solid look at the undesirable and not-so-glamorous side of the professional boxing industry.