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   f you were
casting the part of a boxing manager, chances are Meg Ryan would not top the
list. Then again, there aren't many boxing managers like Jackie Kallen, on
whose life story Against the Ropes is based.
Kallen is the world's most successful female boxing manager, providing Ryan with the opportunity to further tinker with her "sweetheart" image following her darker work in the thriller, In the Cut. |
Kallen's life packs enough drama to earn her a biopic. Before discovering boxing, she worked as an entertainment journalist interviewing such legends as Elvis Presley and the Rolling Stones. In 1977, she interviewed six-time world champion boxer Thomas Hearns and was soon hired on as his publicist. Over the next decade, Kallen learned the ins and outs of the sport, and in 1988 she turned to managing. One of her fighters, James "Lights Out" Toney, went on to win the middleweight championship, and Kallen found herself at the top of the boxing scene. Of course, boxing being heavily dominated by men, Kallen's ascent was arduous, and despite all her accomplishments, she still fights for acceptance. Ryan was very excited to land the part of Kallen. Upon meeting her real-life counterpart, Ryan, according to The Detroit News, told Kallen, "This is my Erin Brockovich ." |
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Omar Epps (Dracula 2000) co-stars as Luther Shaw, who is reportedly a composite of several real-life boxers. Against the Ropes also marks the feature directorial debut of former sitcom star Charles S. Dutton, who also has taken a supporting role. —Dimetre Alexiou
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