In This Corner: 4 Amazing Songs Focused on the Sport of Boxing
The article highlights four songs that use boxing to explore resilience, injustice, fame and family hardship. Though the sport has less public prominence in the United States than it once did, its dramatic and sometimes tragic stories continue to inspire songwriters.
Paul Simon’s “The Boxer” uses a fighter as a metaphor for endurance; Bob Dylan’s “Hurricane” recounts the imprisonment of former champion Rubin Carter and doubts about his case. Warren Zevon’s “Boom Boom Mancini” refers to Mancini’s career and the bout in which South Korean boxer Duk Koo Kim died, while Bruce Springsteen’s “The Hitter” tells of bare-knuckle fights and a strained reunion with the narrator’s mother.
- Four songs draw on boxing’s stories and symbolism.
- Dylan’s “Hurricane” tells of Rubin Carter’s imprisonment.
- Springsteen’s “The Hitter” links brawling with family hardship.