Recognized as sports television’s best storyteller and the leading TV platform for boxing in the U.S., HBO Sports presents four of its acclaimed boxing documentaries and an Emmy®-nominated HBO Films drama on consecutive Tuesday evenings this summer on HBO2. Featuring HBO Sports’ trademark blend of unseen archival footage, home movies, revealing interviews and unique storytelling, the festival launches July 7 with the powerful ALI-FRAZIER I: ONE NATION… DIVISIBLE, a Peabody Award winner, and concludes Aug. 4 with MUHAMMAD ALI’S GREATEST FIGHT.
Films include:
ALI-FRAZIER I: ONE NATION… DIVISIBLE (July 7, 5:00 p.m. ET/PT) chronicles the remarkable events and personalities surrounding the fight that defined the cultural divide of the United States in the ‘60s and early ‘70s. In what many boxing observers considered “The Fight of the Century,” the two undefeated heavyweights met at New York’s Madison Square Garden for a contest that was much more than a title bout. The documentary received a George Foster Peabody Award in 2001.
LEGENDARY NIGHTS: THE TALE OF GATTI-WARD (July 14, 5:30 p.m.) is a fresh look at one of boxing’s greatest rivalries, the three-fight slugfest between Arturo Gatti and Micky Ward, which aired on HBO. Mark Wahlberg, who played Micky Ward on the big screen, narrates the 2013 presentation.
TAPIA (July 21, 6:30 p.m.) uses first-person narration and archival footage to explore the achievements, personal demons and ultimate redemption of former five-time world champion Johnny Tapia, who died in 2012 at age 45. Narrated by Liev Schreiber, the 2014 film takes an intimate look at Tapia’s life from an impoverished upbringing in New Mexico to the height of ring glory.
JOE LOUIS: AMERICA’S HERO… BETRAYED (July 28, 4:45 p.m.) tells the story of the legendary boxer and his tremendous impact on segregated America. The 2008 documentary reveals how the grandson of slaves became one of the greatest heavyweights of all time, served as an iconic figure in World War II and endured numerous setbacks with dignity and class.
MUHAMMAD ALI’S GREATEST FIGHT (Aug. 4, 6:15 p.m.) looks at the former heavyweight champion’s historic battle with the United States’ Supreme Court after refusing to be drafted for the Vietnam War at the height of his career. Starring Christopher Plummer, Frank Langella and Benjamin Walker, the 2013 HBO Films drama was nominated for two Emmys®, including Outstanding Television Movie and Outstanding Directing for a Miniseries, Movie or a Dramatic Special (Stephen Frears).
Following its Tuesday night presentation on HBO2, each film will also be available on HBO On Demand®.
