Will Smith’s Boxing Background: Chris Rock Was in Real Danger at the 2022 Oscars

The slap of Will Smith on the face of a renowned comedian, Chris Rock, in the 94th Academy Award Ceremony at the Dolby Theatre has started the talks regarding the boxing background of the 53-year-old renowned actor.

Notably, Will Smith is famous for playing the role of ‘The Greatest Boxer of all Times’, Muhammad Ali, in a 2001 bio-pic sports drama. For displaying himself as Muhammad Ali, the actor took boxing training.

As soon as Smith rocked the cheerful gathering for the Oscars by slapping the comedian, many speculated that the latter was in real danger if the wrath of anger had ignited the trained Ali inside the winner of best actor award for the movie ‘King Richard’.

While hosting the Oscars, Rock poked a joke at Will Smith’s wife Jada Pinkett Smith, giving a reference from the movie ‘G.I. Jane’. However, it did not sit well with the actor, as he walked on stage and slapped right away on the face of Chris Rock. Till the man turned back in his place and started shouting, everyone attending the ceremony thought it was a staged drama.

Smith said, “Keep my wife’s name out of your f**king mouth.”

Eventually, the comedian switched the topic and continued.

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Will Smith Underwent legitimate Boxing Training for his movie ‘Ali’

When a great hero like Muhammad Ali is born, people become more curious to know about their personal journey in life. This eventually gives an opportunity to the film industry to showcase the highlighted events of the legends’ life through cinema perspective. But it became more important for the actor to inculcate the emotions and signature personality traits of the legend so that he can justify the character on the screen.

In the same process, Will Smith underwent some serious conditioning.

Smith trained to imitate the 15 round epic battle with Joe Frazier. He trained under Hollywood boxing trainer Darrell Foster to get in good shape.

He did long sparring sessions with different stablemates in the training camp. Moreover, he knocked out several of them while sparring. To check the reflexes, the actor underwent several padding sessions.

Though he trained decades back, he must have retained a few sets of skills. And while exchanging with Chris Rock, if he had unloaded his experience, then it might have created problems for the comedian.

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