Boxing Documentary "They Fight" To Become Hollywood Film In 2026

A boxing documentary will get the Hollywood treatment, with the story now serving as the basis for a major film. The new movie will star André Holland, Wendell Pierce, and Samira Wiley.

The 2018 documentary "They Fight," directed by Andrew Renzi, attracted media attention upon its release for its gritty depiction of teenage boxers from an after-school youth program in Washington, D.C.

The documentary looks at the real-life struggles young men face as they seek to find themselves in boxing. Coach Walt Manigan's Lyfe Style Boxing is a real after-school boxing program for youth.

A Star Studded Cast

The new film will follow a similar narrative arc: a former convict (Holland's character) returns to Washington, D.C. He finds employment at a youth center and boxing gym that faces potential closure due to a lack of funding. His love interest, Ketta (played by Emmy-winning The Handmaid's Tale star Samira Wiley), is there to support him.

A/Vantage Pictures and Andscape, a division of ESPN, will also help produce the film. Other film companies involved include Argent Pictures, North of Now, and Mandalay Pictures in association with Harper Road.

Child actors slated to feature in the film include Tussaint Francois Battiste and Anthony B. Jenkins, who fought for a spot on the 2017 U.S. Junior Olympic team.

The DMV area setting and the fact that it starts with Wendall Pierce have led some to compare it to the television show "The Wire." The American crime drama television series aired from 2002 to 2008 and featured a significant subplot about a reformed criminal who gets involved in a youth boxing program to avoid a return to criminality.

Several Major Boxing Films In The Works For 2026

The character Dennis "Cutty" Wise, played by actor Chad Coleman, was partly inspired by the real-life Baltimore boxing trainer Calvin Ford. Before finding redemption in boxing, Ford did federal prison time on multiple convictions for racketeering and conspiracy charges.

Ford went on to become the trainer of several prominent fighters, such as World Boxing Association (WBA) lightweight Gervonta Davis (31-0-1, 28 KOs)

Several major boxing films are slated for release next year, including "Giant," a biopic on the life of former world champion British-Yemeni boxer Prince Naseem Hamed and his coach, Brendan Ingle. That film will star Amir El-Masry and veteran Pierce Brosnan. It's Brosnan's first boxing role, but he is in good hands with Sylvester "Rocky" Stallone as an executive producer. It is scheduled for release in early 2026.

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