Campeón sin corona

This is a standard maudlin drama about the rise and fall of a Mexican boxer. Our protagonist is a poor street vendor who happens to have a natural talent for boxing which managers and promoters of the sport are able to turn into wealth. Along the way, due to several sorts of hamartia, including an inferiority complex and problems handling the high life, the boxer experiences a fall.

While many of the characters sport strong Mexico city dialects, the acting an dialogue are mostly stiff, as is characteristic of the period. There are verbal encomiums or criticisms of Mexican society or of the poor shoved in here and there.

It might have appealed to audiences in the 1940s (it was nominated for Best Picture at the Ariel Awards), but today it's quite basic and its major value lies in the portrayal of the Mexico City dialect of the time period if you're interested in Mexican linguistics.

Honourable Mentions: The Hammer (2007). Adam Carolla plays a 40-year-old who decides to do a little bit of competitive amateur boxing before finally saying his last good bye to youth. He's funny as a comedian and the plot is tight and natural. A great boxing movie, to be sure.