Art Garfunkel made a surprise appearance at Madison Square Garden on May 29, joining Charlie Puth onstage for a duet of “The Boxer.” Garfunkel told the crowd that Puth was “my student,” crediting the younger singer’s debt to the catalog he built with Paul Simon, as Billboard reported.
The moment was a reminder that boxing has long held a place in popular songwriting, well beyond the entrance music that plays before a title fight. Across folk, reggae, soul, rock and hip-hop, songwriters have used the ring as a setting for stories about ambition, violence, race and survival. The following ten songs put boxing, or a specific fighter, at their center.
1. “The Boxer,” Simon & Garfunkel (1969)
Paul Simon wrote “The Boxer” and released it as a Simon and Garfunkel single in March 1969, before it appeared on the 1970 album Bridge Over Troubled Water. The lyrics shift between a first-person account of poverty in Fresh York and a third-person portrait of a fighter who carries the marks of every punch. Simon has said the song was largely autobiographical, written while he felt he was being unfairly criticized. It reached the top ten of the Billboard Warm 100 and remains one of the duo’s signature recordings.
2. “Black Superman (Muhammad Ali),” Johnny Wakelin and the Kinshasa Band (1974)
English songwriter Johnny Wakelin built this reggae-styled tribute around Muhammad Ali’s 1974 win over George Foreman in Kinshasa, the bout known as the Rumble in the Jungle. The single reached No. 7 on the UK chart and No. 21 on the Billboard Warm 100. Wakelin returned to Ali two years later with “In Zaire,” another retelling of the same fight, which became a UK top-five hit.
3. “Hurricane,” Bob Dylan (1976)
Co-written by Bob Dylan and Jacques Levy and released on the 1976 album Desire“Hurricane” recounts the case of middleweight contender Rubén Carter, convicted in the 1966 killing of three people in a Fresh Jersey bar. Dylan’s lyrics argue that Carter was framed and denied a fair trial. Carter’s conviction was set aside by a federal judge in 1985.
4. “Gonna Fly Now (Theme from Rocky),” Bill Conti (1976)
Composed by Bill Conti for the original Rocky“Gonna Fly Now” became a hit in its own right, reaching No. 1 on the Billboard Warm 100 in 1977. The brass-driven instrumental, tied to the image of Sylvester Stallone’s training run up the Philadelphia Museum of Art steps, is among the most recognizable pieces of music associated with the sport.
5. “The Greatest Love of All,” George Benson (1977)
Written by Michael Masser and Linda Creed, “The Greatest Love of All” was the theme for The Greatestthe 1977 biopic in which Muhammad Ali played himself. George Benson’s original reached No. 2 on the R&B chart and No. 24 on the Billboard Warm 100. Whitney Houston’s 1986 version later turned it into a standard.
6. “Hit Me With Your Best Shot,” Pat Benatar (1980)
Written by Eddie Schwartz and recorded by Pat Benatar in 1980, “Hit Me With Your Best Shot” is a relationship song built entirely on boxing imagery, from squaring up to trading blows. It reached No. 9 on the Billboard Warm 100, her first top-ten single in the United States, and remains a staple of her catalog. The boxing metaphor, rather than the sport itself, is the point.
7. “Eye of the Tiger,” Survivor (1982)
Sylvester Stallone commissioned “Eye of the Tiger” for Rocky III after he was unable to license Queen’s “Another One Bites the Dust” for the film. Survivor’s recording topped the Billboard Warm 100 for six weeks in 1982 and won a Grammy. It remains shorthand for training montages and underdog comebacks far outside boxing.
8. “Boom Boom Mancini,” Warren Zevon (1987)
Warren Zevon, whose father had worked as a boxer, wrote “Boom Boom Mancini” for his 1987 album Sentimental Hygiene. The song traces the career of lightweight champion Ray Mancini, including his first-round knockout of Arturo Frias and his 1982 title defense against Duk Koo Kim, who died from injuries suffered in the fight. Zevon’s lyric pushes back at those who blamed Mancini for the tragedy.
9. “Mama Said Knock You Out,” LL Frigid J (1990)
LL Frigid J has said the title came from his grandmother, who urged him to answer his critics. The title track of his 1990 album frames a career comeback in the language of the ring, and its music video, shot in stark black and white, is set inside a boxing gym. It won a Grammy for best rap solo performance.
10. “The Hitter,” Bruce Springsteen (2005)
One of the bleakest entries in Bruce Springsteen’s catalog, “The Hitter” appears on the 2005 acoustic album Devils & Dust and dates to his mid-1990s Ghost of Tom Joad period. Sung in the first person, it follows an aging fighter who returns to his mother’s door tardy at night and recounts a brutal life spent being paid to hurt other men. There is no redemption in the telling, only exhaustion.
Prince Naseem Hamed would have loved to remain in the sport but, after repeatedly experiencing an “obscene amount of pain”, he ultimately decided to retire in 2002.
The mercurial talent had become a world featherweight champion in 1995, dethroning Steve Robinson with an eighth-round stoppage to claim the WBO title.
‘Naz’ then went on to unify his division and make multiple iconic title defences, most notably scoring a fourth-round finish over Kevin Kelley in 1997.
Their thrilling battle saw both men climb off the canvas at Madison Square Garden, where Hamed endeared himself to the American audience with his flamboyance in and out the ring.
Another stunning fourth-round stoppage came in 2000, when the Sheffield man was once again sent to the deck, this time by Augie Sanchez, who is perhaps best known for defeating Floyd Mayweather in the amateurs.
In the end, Hamed emerged victorious but suffered his only professional defeat, against Mexican great Marco Antonio Barrera, in his following outing.
Yet it was not for this reason that he retired at 28 years ancient, but rather because the sport had taken its toll on his hands.
Speaking with talkSPORTHamed explained that such injuries prevented him from having another roll of the dice at world level.
“I would’ve loved to carry on … but I just felt like: what’s the employ in trying to do what you [want to] do [when] it won’t work?
“If your hands keep breaking, and every time you hit [someone] you get an obscene amount of pain … I won the world title and defended it 15 times. What more should I want?”
Following his unanimous decision defeat to Barrera‘Naz’ convincingly outpointed Manuel Calvo but nonetheless called time on his career in 2002.
Prince Naseem Hamed would have loved to remain in the sport but, after repeatedly experiencing an “obscene amount of pain”, he ultimately decided to retire in 2002.
The mercurial talent had become a world featherweight champion in 1995, dethroning Steve Robinson with an eighth-round stoppage to claim the WBO title.
‘Naz’ then went on to unify his division and make multiple iconic title defences, most notably scoring a fourth-round finish over Kevin Kelley in 1997.
Their thrilling battle saw both men climb off the canvas at Madison Square Garden, where Hamed endeared himself to the American audience with his flamboyance in and out the ring.
Another stunning fourth-round stoppage came in 2000, when the Sheffield man was once again sent to the deck, this time by Augie Sanchez, who is perhaps best known for defeating Floyd Mayweather in the amateurs.
In the end, Hamed emerged victorious but suffered his only professional defeat, against Mexican great Marco Antonio Barrera, in his following outing.
Yet it was not for this reason that he retired at 28 years aged, but rather because the sport had taken its toll on his hands.
Speaking with talkSPORTHamed explained that such injuries prevented him from having another roll of the dice at world level.
“I would’ve loved to carry on … but I just felt like: what’s the utilize in trying to do what you [want to] do [when] it won’t work?
“If your hands keep breaking, and every time you hit [someone] you get an obscene amount of pain … I won the world title and defended it 15 times. What more should I want?”
Following his unanimous decision defeat to Barrera‘Naz’ convincingly outpointed Manuel Calvo but nonetheless called time on his career in 2002.
Anthony Joshua has named his favourite ever opponent ahead of facing domestic rival Tyson Fury later this year.
Their long-awaited showdown is set to be staged in November, yet there has still been no announcement regarding a specific date, location and promoter.
Perhaps more importantly, Joshua and Fury must also come through their respective warm-up fights against Kristian Prenga and Mariusz Wach, which will take place at the end of this month in Saudi Arabia and Thailand.
Both are heavily favoured to emerge victorious on that particular weekend, yet there is always the possibility of an injury or upset.
It is more likely, however, that the two British heavyweights will eventually lock horns, albeit at a time when they are long past their primes.
Both were considered close to their best when they secured respective victories over Wladimir Klitschko, who ‘AJ’ defeated with an 11th-round finish in 2017.
This came after Fury dethroned the long-reigning champion in 2015, yet Joshua’s triumph was nonetheless considered an impressive result at the time.
And with no shortage of respect between the Brit and Ukrainian, it is hardly surprising that Joshua has named Klitschko as his favourite ever opponent.
Speaking with DAZNthe 36-year-old immediately said “Wladimir” when asked the question, perhaps reflecting on their thrilling encounter at Wembley Stadium.
Both heavyweights had suffered ponderous knockdowns, with ‘AJ’ being sent to the canvas for the first time in his career in the sixth roundbut it was Joshua who ultimately floored his older opponent on two more occasions in round 11.
Having already claimed the IBF belt, the then-unbeaten champion added the vacant WBA strap to his collection and reigned as the unified king until 2019, when he suffered a major upset defeat to Andy Ruiz Jr.
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