"Real Steel" has Sugar Ray Leonard trading blows with Hugh Jackman

(CBS) In what's being described by some as "Rocky" meets "Transformers." the  film  "Real Steel" is considered the top contender  at the box office this weekend.

Set in the not-too-distant-future world, where professional boxers have been replaced by steel-based robots, the movie stars Hugh Jackman as a would-be champ turned small-time promoter who teams up with his son to build the ultimate mechanical fighter.

Throughout the film, the Australian actor is  featured sparring in the ring and, in preparation for these fight scenes, Jackman trained with one of the best of the best. During production, Jackman received real-life instruction from Sugar Ray Leonard, one of the world's most celebrated boxing champions.

"I knocked [Sugar Ray] out three times," Jackman joked with CBS News' Sandra Hughes, "But, I can't talk about it because, you know, he's the champ of the world and all."

Sugar Ray Leonard himself pointed out that his Jackman's training  wasn't merely centered on strengthening blows. "I taught Hugh not just about throwing punches, but to show the motion behind, the conviction, the commitment of throwing a punch," Leonard told Hughes.

Audiences can see whether Leonard's training with Jackman actually paid off this weekend  as "Real Steel" opens nationwide in both traditional and IMAX theaters.