BoxRec

Name songs that have a boxing reference lyric.

I like Waylon Jennings version of The Boxer.

Dylan's classic The Hurricane. Not sure how much of it, if any, is factual. And they say Bob don't sing dat song no more.


Here's another. Which classic album covers feature world champions?

Some are just fighting references, but there are not a lot of boxing references in pop songs for sure.

I fought the law
The Authority song
Zanzibar
The Boxer
I am the greatest
My Way
Boot to the head
Beat me daddy eight to the bar
Eye of the tiger
Saturday Nights allright for fighting
The Hurricane
Song for Sonny Liston

I'm no fan of rap but Mama Said Knock You Out.

Warren Zevon had a song about boom boom mancini.

The best is...

Mark Knopfler's "Song for Sonny Liston"

Decagon wrote:I read something about Zab Judah appearing in a rap video.

Dec, You might be mistaking the Corey Spinks-Zab Judah fight for a Rap Video.

You didnt see Spinks entrance?......never mind.

expug---You need to really dumb things down for Decagon, he's very slow!

Collins2000 wrote: Here's another. Which classic album covers feature world champions?

I believe the Sgt. Pepper's album has Sonny Liston and Ali on it. Am I right?

Also I believe Bob Dylan has a song about Davey Moore.

Just Sonny on the Sgt Pepper Album

Wasnt there a song from the seventies called "Black Superman", that has a line about Ali?

BoxBuzz wrote:Just Sonny on the Sgt Pepper Album

And then there's the cover of "Band on the Run"

What song mentioned Liston beating Patterson?

Sonny Liston was on the Sgt Pepper album cover.

John Conteh was on the Band on the Run album cover.

Sherlock wrote:

Collins2000 wrote: Here's another. Which classic album covers feature world champions?

I believe the Sgt. Pepper's album has Sonny Liston and Ali on it. Am I right?

Also I believe Bob Dylan has a song about Davey Moore.

The song sung by Bod Dylan dedicated to Davey Moore is a good song.

Nicasio Quintero a Mexican artist norteno singer, sang a song about Julio Cesar Chavez called "Julio Cesar Chavez" in the lyrics he talks about how he grew up with Chavez and how he played soccer and how Chavez always said he would one day be a World Champion. Another norteno artist named Ramon Ayala did another song about Chavez also called "Julio Cesar Chavez" his song was glorifying Chavezs succes in the ring. Im sure their are other Mexican artist but these are the ones that im aware of.

Just thought i'd bring up this topic because it was pretty interesting. I just heard some band called Sun Kil Moon, apparently they're named after a Korean Bantam weight. (found that out after doing some wikipedia research ) Anyway, they have a few songs that mention boxers. It seems that the band members are fans of boxing or at least the lead singer is. They have a song titled "Salvador Sanchez" which mentions Benny Paret and Pancho Villa. They also have a song called "Duk Koo Kim". I've only heard "Salvador Sanchez". It's pretty interesting, I couldn't quite make out all the lyrics, but what I could make out was pretty interesting. Each boxer gets two stanzas one that mentions their greatness and tragic unexpected death, and another that mentions where they're from. As for Duk Koo Kim, i've never heard it, but I'm pretty sure it's about the fighter who tragically lost his life against Boom Boom Mancini. There's plenty of other songs out there i'm sure.

I thought i'd give this a bump. I heard a bit more of Sun Kil Moon. (After searching for their album for awhile I found it.) It's not the music i'm used to, but i'd reccommend it to anybody who's a fan of music and boxing. Songs like "Pancho Villa" (which is basically an acoustic version of "Salvador Sanchez") are tragic, yet almost inspiring while "Duk Koo Kim" is also tragic, it's a little different, it almost transports you to a place where time doesn't exist. You'd have to listen to it to know what I mean. After researching a little more, I found they have a song titled "Find Me, Ruben Olivares". I have not heard it though. It's a great CD though all around (even though the lyrics are a bit difficult to understand at first, it adds to the tragic style of the music, it sounds like this guy really is singing with feelings of pain and sadness) I'm a huge fan of music as I am a huge fan of boxing so i'd be interested in hearing about any other songs that are good that have something to do with boxing. Just thought i'd give this topic a bump. There are a few websites where you can preview this band's songs. The CD I own is called, "Ghosts of the Great Highway," It's one of those CD's to listen to when you want to relax or you're feeling down. Just a great CD. I've read somewhere there's another verse to "Salvador Sanchez" about a boxer named Battling Suki, or something like that. I'm not familiar with this fighter. Maybe someone here is. He must be an old time fighter.

Grandmaster Melle Mell & The Furious Fives "The Message" mentions Sugar Ray.

"All the children in the daytime, Dallas at night. Can't even see the game or the Sugar Ray fight"

Prince Busters "Earthquake On Orange Street" mentions Muhammad Ali & Sonny Liston.

expug wrote:Warren Zevon had a song about boom boom mancini.

Yeah, there is a line in it about fighting Bobby Chacon. Haven't heard it in a long time.

Bob Dylan's The Hurricane was on his 1975 album Desire, which is regarded as one of his better albums. Dylan and a host of other folks including Muhammad Ali banded together to try and free Ruben Carter and get him a new trial for a murder he had been convicted of during a botched robbery attempt. There was even a benefit concert for Carter in MSQ called Night Of The Hurricane headlined by Dylan along with Joan Baez and Joni Mitchell. Ali was on hand as well. I actually have a bootleg recording of the show. Carter did get a new trial but was convicted again and sent back to jail. He was eventually pardoned and the last I heard Carter, ironically enough, was working as a D.A. He wrote his book The 16th Round during his years in prison.

As already mentioned, Dylan also did Who Killed Davey Moore.

Theone, the entire song Black Superman was about Ali, not just one line. It came out not too long after he beat Foreman.

A couple other boxing reference songs I can think of off the top of my head here are Love TKO by Teddy Pendergrass and You Beat Me To The Punch by Mary Wells. Of course, Miles Davis did an entire album called Jack Johnson.

No Mercy By Nils Lofgren. Fightin by Thin Lizzy. Then their was Burnig Heart by Survivior the lesser known sequel song to Eye of the Tiger.

Kostya Tszyu has his own entrance music which is hilarious to me.

"Who you gonna call,
Who you gonna call

Kostya Tszyu
Kostya Tszyu