Edgar Ramirez Is Roberto Duran In First Trailer For 'Hands Of Stone'

Not that boxing movies ever really went away but they do seem to be experiencing a comeback. Last year saw Jake Gyllenhaal star in Southpaw, which admittedly didn't do as well as expected. But there was also Creed, which more than defied expectations, including an Oscar nomination for Sylvester Stallone. And now this year sees Edgar Ramirez lace up the gloves as legendary boxer Roberto Duran in Hands of Stone.

The first trailer has arrived and it looks like exactly what fans of the sweet science would hope for. Co-starring Robert De Niro as renowned trainer Ray Arcel, the film largely focuses on Duran's incredible series of bouts against "Sugar" Ray Leonard, who will be played by Usher Raymond.  Here's the official synopsis:

HANDS OF STONE follows the life of Roberto Duran (Edgar Ramirez), the Panamanian fighter who made his professional debut in 1968 as a 16 year‐old and retired in 2002 at the age of 50. In June 1980, he defeated Sugar Ray Leonard (Usher Raymond) to capture the WBC welterweight title, but shocked the boxing world by returning to his corner in their November rematch, famously saying the words “no mas” (no more.)

Harvey Weinstein famously commented that Southpaw would earn Gyllenhaal his first Oscar win, and that obviously didn't happen. Maybe it will be Ramirez who gets it instead? If the response is strong enough you can bet Weinstein will give it the appropriate push.

Directed by Jonathan Jakubowicz with John Turturro, Ruben Blades, Ana de Armas, and Ellen Barkin co-starring, Hands of Stone opens August 26th.