Claim: Kirk Douglas is a person who acts.

Champion is a 1949 American film noir drama sport film based on a short story by Ring Lardner . It recounts the struggles of boxer `` Midge '' Kelly fighting his own demons while working to achieve success in the boxing ring . The drama was directed by Mark Robson , with cinematography by Franz Planer . The drama features Kirk Douglas , Marilyn Maxwell , and Arthur Kennedy .   The film won an Academy Award for Editing and gained five other nominations as well , including a Best Actor for Douglas .   Several clips from the film were used in Douglas ' 1999 film Diamonds to illustrate his character 's career as a boxer .