This Thanksgiving the new boxing film "Creed" opens.

It's the latest installment in the "Rocky" franchise, so we thought we'd bring in writer and film historian Mark Jordan Legan to discuss some other prominent boxing films.

And of course, he starting with the grand daddy of them all, "Rocky."  Made for $1 million and shot in 28 days, the underdog film became a massive hit winning the Best Picture Oscar and launching a franchise that has grossed over $1 billion.

The now-familiar plot has Stallone starring as a down on his luck palooka, getting fifty bucks for low-end fights and collecting debts for a loan shark. 

Of course, another popular aspect of the film is the love story. Rocky falls in love with the shy Adrian, and despite loosing the fight - he wins her heart.

From 2010, David O. Russell’s "The Fighter" is based on the true story of two Boston brothers, Mark Wahlberg plays Micky Ward, a welterweight who is seen as a stepping stone, a fighter for up and comers to beat on their way to the top.

Mark says the film works as an amazing portrait of a highly dysfunctional family. Both Christian Bale as the drug addict older brother and Melissa Leo, as the domineering Mom-slash-manager deservedly won Best Supporting Oscars for their sterling work.

Finally we look at Martin Scorsese's 1980 film "Raging Bull." Based on the true life story of middleweight champ Jake La Motta, Robert DeNiro won the Best Actor Oscar for totally transforming himself into this troubled prize fighter. The film also introduced Joe Pesci to the world playing his younger brother and manager. 

Many consider "Raging Bull" to be one of the few movies that really captured what it was like inside the ring.