Meanwhile, crusading television journalist Mitchell Kane ( Jeff Goldblum) has finally gathered enough evidence to disgrace the unethical Sultan, but at the last moment, Kane is seduced by power and joins Sultan's squad. Conklin gets in shape quickly, regaining some of his old form, while Roper dismisses the fight as a joke - to the point where he puts on 25 pounds and is barely able to run after an ice cream truck. black fight continues to hold the prospect of a large payoff. Boxing pundits and officials easily see the scam unfolding and label the fight a disgrace. Thanks to shady dealing, Conklin suddenly is named the No. Conklin is uninterested in returning to boxing to face Roper, though he is eventually coaxed to do so through ego-stroking by Sultan and a promise of $10 million to help his quest in eradicating homelessness.Ĭonklin arrives in Las Vegas and starts to train for his return to the ring. Sultan and his unethical crew find Conklin in Cleveland, where he fronts a heavy metal band, advocates peace and Buddhism, and constantly preaches progressive social issues. Gerry Cooney fight next, he vows to either find or 'create' a white contender for Roper to face in the ring.Īfter failing to find a white boxer currently in the sport suitable by any means, Sultan discovers that Roper actually lost to a white boxer, Terry Conklin ( Peter Berg), back in his amateur days. Sultan predicts that a white contender, even one without a viable chance of winning, would create a huge payday like the Larry Holmes vs. After telling the attendees that the fight was a financial flop, Sultan concludes that boxing events have become far less profitable because audience members are tired of watching only black boxers fight each other. Jackson), a conniving and manipulative businessman who also acts as Roper's fight promoter. James 'The Grim Reaper' Roper ( Damon Wayans), the undefeated heavyweight boxing champ of the world, defeats his latest challenger with ease and visits an after-party thrown by Rev. The film was distributed by 20th Century Fox and was released on May 3, 1996. The film is a satire of racial preferences in boxing, and was inspired by Larry Holmes's 1982 fight with Gerry Cooney (who was known as 'The Great White Hope') and Mike Tyson's 1995 return fight vs. Jackson, Peter Berg, Damon Wayans, Jeff Goldblum, Jon Lovitz, Cheech Marin, John Rhys-Davies, Salli Richardson and Jamie Foxx.

The Great White Hype is a 1996 American sports comedy film directed by Reginald Hudlin.

Great white hype