Boxing News: Mickey Rourke Has Something to Say

Mickey Rourke, star of the film “Barfly,” based on Charles Bukowski’s thinly disguised autobiography about booze and literature, and one of the few Tinsel Town golden boys to have actually turned pro (6-0-2, 5 KOs), is lacing up the rhetorical gloves and taking it to the competition.

In this instance, Rourke has ridiculed claims by fellow actors Will Smith and Russell Crowe, both of whom said that they could be professional boxers, because they portrayed Muhammad Ali and James J. Braddock respectively on the screen.

Rourke, whose plastic surgery belies his pugilistic past, insists that Hollywood stars, even those with Academy Awards, have a snowball’s chance in hell against serious fighters – despite training as boxers for their roles in “Ali” and “Cinderella Man.”

The 49-year-old Rourke had nothing but contempt for Will Smith's assertion he could last a round with retired heavyweight champion Lennox Lewis. Mickey is right. Even an out-of-shape Lewis eats guys like Will Smith for breakfast. He would be an appetizer, a light snack for Lennox the Lion.

“No way,” Rourke says, does Smith compete with the former champ. “Lennox Lewis is a friend of mine. [Will Smith] couldn't last. When actors say they could be professional fighters they're full of crap. With a capital K.”