Fallen Champ: The Untold Story of Mike Tyson

Fallen Champ: The Untold Story of Mike Tyson is a 1993 film made by acclaimed American documentary filmmaker Barbara Kopple. Though Tyson was in jail serving a sentence for rape, Kopple used existing interviews with the boxer, as well as her own extensive interviews with those closest to Tyson, to explore the man's history. The film traces Tyson's story from his troubled and tumultuous upbringing, through his rapid ascendancy in the ranks of the boxing world and his subsequent struggle with the trappings of fame. Fallen Champ earned Barbara Kopple a Directors Guild of America award as Best Documentary Director of 1993.

Cast

Mike Tyson

as Self (archive footage)

Cus D'Amato

as Self (archive footage)

Don King

as Self (archive footage)

Robin Givens

as Self (archive footage)

Curtis Ratliff

as Self - Friend

Tracy Trey Travis

as Self - Friend

Louis Farrakhan

as Self (archive footage)

Joyce Carol Oates

as Self

Evander Holyfield

as Self (archive footage)

Larry Holmes

as Self (archive footage)

Reviews

Similar Movies

64 Day Hero

Documentary about the life and career of the 1940s and 1950s boxer Randy Turpin.

⭐ 0.0

Hatton

A definitive portrait of a unique, working-class hero, one of the world’s most beloved boxers - Ricky ‘The Hitman’ Hatton. This documentary, with incredible access to Ricky and unseen archive footage, charts his journey from the Hattersley estate near Manchester to headlining on the strip in Las Vegas is an emotional insight into a brilliant but flawed sporting hero. Raw and compelling, the documentary showcases this cautionary tale and inspirational story of a man forced to navigate a path through fragile relationships and broken dreams as he attempts to make sense of a life that appeared destined for a happy ending.

⭐ 8.0

Undisputed

A behind-the-scenes documentary detailing the biggest night in heavyweight boxing for a generation; Oleksandr Usyk & Tyson Fury’s first meet.

⭐ 0.0

Golden Girl

Golden Girl is a film about the forces at play around Frida Wallberg, WBC world champion. It's about putting it all on the line in a deadly sport. About rosy dreams that crash into a nothing less than brutal reality.

⭐ 5.7

Unforgivable Blackness: The Rise and Fall of Jack Johnson

The story of Jack Johnson, the first African American Heavyweight boxing champion.

⭐ 7.1

Counterpunch

As boxing's popularity wanes, three fighters at different stages of their career make sacrifices to pursue their dreams of becoming champions.

⭐ 6.6

Tough Guys

10 years before the debut of the Ultimate Fighting Championship. In 1979, Bill Viola and Frank Caliguri dreamed up a contest pitting barroom bigmouths against wrestlers, martial artists, boxers, bouncers and brawlers, billed as no-holds-barred new type of competitive fighting. When the fights succeeded beyond their wildest expectations, they were swept up in a chain of events that ended in the first mixed-martial arts ban in the nation. “Tough Guys” chronicles the inception of Caliguri and Viola’s first bouts and the colorful, crazy cast of fighters who made them a hit as well as the politicians who brought it all crashing down. The film brings to life a moment when the national martial arts craze was building to a crescendo as the economies of Pennsylvania steel towns were plummeting to levels of unemployment never seen, breeding desperate men looking for a chance to prove their worth and make some money in the ring.

⭐ 7.5

Pariah: The Lives and Deaths of Sonny Liston

Overcoming the seemingly insurmountable odds that life threw his way, Liston became heavyweight champion of the world when he knocked out Floyd Patterson in 1962. Eight years later, he died but friends questioned the cause of his death.

⭐ 7.5

One Night: Joshua vs. Ruiz

'One Night: Joshua vs. Ruiz' is a comprehensive look at the night Andy Ruiz pulled off the biggest boxing upset in decades.

⭐ 8.5

Zhilei Zhang vs. Joe Joyce II

Joe Joyce faces Zhilei Zhang in a rematch as he bids to get back on track for a world heavyweight championship fight.

⭐ 0.0

I Am Ali

Unprecedented access to Muhammad Ali's personal archive of "audio journals" as well as interviews and testimonials from his inner circle of family and friends are used to tell the legend's life story.

⭐ 6.8

When We Were Kings

It's 1974. Muhammad Ali is 32 and thought by many to be past his prime. George Foreman is ten years younger and the heavyweight champion of the world. Promoter Don King wants to make a name for himself and offers both fighters five million dollars apiece to fight one another, and when they accept, King has only to come up with the money. He finds a willing backer in Mobutu Sese Suko, the dictator of Zaire, and the "Rumble in the Jungle" is set, including a musical festival featuring some of America's top black performers, like James Brown and B.B. King.

⭐ 7.7

Bruno v Tyson

The full story of an epic in-ring rivalry and the fascinating personal relationship that went along with it.

⭐ 7.0

Le steak

The documentary is a portrait of former Canadian boxing champion Gaétan Hart, profiling both the ups and downs of his career in the 1970s and 1980s and his attempt to return to the sport in a 1990 fight. The film's title was inspired by "A Piece of Steak", Jack London's 1909 short story about a retired boxer struggling with poverty.

⭐ 6.5

The Panther

El Pantera is a documentary film that chronicles the rise of Mexican UFC star Yair Rodriguez as he strives to become the first ever Mexican born UFC champion.

⭐ 0.0

Viikinki

Documentary film about Tony Halme, masculinity and populism. The film follows how Tony Halme created a mythical, highly masculine freestyle wrestling character, The Viking, who gained fame both in the ring and in the public eye and eventually became captivated by it. With his brash speeches, Halme fired the starting shot for the rise of the Finns Party. The voice of a forgotten section of the population, a protest against the ruling elite, were the building blocks of Halme's popularity. Halme's great popularity has served as a good example of a populist figure, admired within the deep ranks of the nation, who comes from outside the political elite and changes the direction of politics. Also, despite - or perhaps because of - his openly racist statements, he was part of changing the political climate in Finland to a more acrimonious one.

⭐ 4.2

Day of the Fight

'Day of the Fight' shows Irish-American middleweight boxer Walter Cartier during the height of his career, on the day of a fight with black middleweight Bobby James, which took place on April 17, 1950.

⭐ 5.7

Floyd "Money" Mayweather

Floyd Mayweather is the man with the perfect boxing record. His career has spanned more than two decades. His nickname is Floyd 'Money' Mayweather for a reason. His bouts make millions upon millions of dollars in PPV revenue. From a simple start in life in Grand Rapids, Michigan, to headlining two of the biggest PPV events of all time. Floyd has proven time and time again that he is money. Whether it's taking on one of the best boxers in the world, Manny Pacquiao or fighting the king of the Octagon, Conor McGregor, Floyd 'Money' Mayweather puts on a show no matter the opponent.

⭐ 0.0

Kick Like Tayla

Kick Like Tayla shares a raw and unfiltered look into the life of AFLW player and boxing champion, Tayla Harris, as she confronts public and personal challenges, and channels her platform for good.

⭐ 5.0