Apollo Creed

Apollo Creed (August 17,1942-August 31,1985) was an American Boxer Champion. While tragically killed during a match in 1985 he remains a respected figure in sports history.

## **Biography**

Apollo Creed was born on August 17, 1942 in Los Santos County, California to a middle class mother and father. A Look into his ancestry would uncover a connection to slaves freed by the Canadian Creed family, who took the name for their own and a connection to Chicago Doctor Louis Creed. Apollo Creed played Jr league baseball, wrestling, and football in his childhood. While still in High School he became an amateur boxer in 1954 and rose to enough fame that he was chosen for an "Old vs New" bout in Las Vegas against Theodore "Wildcat" Grant. While he put up a good fight he still lost by knockout. He graduated in high school in 1960 and went back to boxing. In 1968, he fought another aging Boxer, Tony "Duke" Evers, who he asked to be his manager. Evers accepted, but at around that time boxing became a sport performed solely by Androids. Creed met and married Mary Anne in 1970. They had two children. In 1974, after an incident in which a man was critically injured impersonating his own android, a decision was made to make the sport human again and Creed returned to glory. By 1974, he had 46 wins, 0 draws and 0 losses. Many do not count his match against Ted Grant do to it being a special exhibition. He also fought in an exhibition match against a young Eichiro Hanma, a man which terrified him.

In 1975, Creed began setting up a big name fight for a Bicentennial. His intended match up Mac Lee Green hurt his hand training, other options such as Ernie Roman, Buddy Shaw were busy. Apollo felt Big Chuck Smith and Billy Snow were ill fits. Wanting a quick way to get a lot of publicity, Apollo chose a local underdog, Rocky Balboa, due to liking his nickname the Italian Stallion. Into 1976, Creed did not take the fight seriously until the first round when Balboa knocked him down, the fist knock down of his career, Balboa also became the first person to take Creed the full 15 rounds. The fight ended in a controversial split decision. Pressure led to a rematch. This rematch ended in Balboa's victory. Apollo acknowledged Balboa as the champion and retired in 1977. He livd a fairly modest life with his family in Los Santos. He was interviewed in 1978 when Rocky Balboa was chosen by an alien race to fight against a depowered Superman, which Rocky won.

In 1981, Creed agreed to train Rocky Balboa when he was defeated by Clubber Lang. The two had a third private fight in secret which Apollo won. In 1985, Soviet Boxer Ivan Drago challenged Rocky Balboa. He was also challenged by Apollo Creed, who came out of retirement for the fight. Creed was killed in the resulting battle. Balboa challenged and defeated Drago in the ring. Creed never learned that he had conceived and illegitimate child with a woman named Johnson, born Adonis Johnson Creed in 1986. Creed's soul is said to have been one of many to attempt to educate Soul 22 in the afterlife before he moved on.

## **Adonis Creed**

Born June 1, 1986. Adonis was raised solely by his mother until her death in the 1990's. In 1998, Adonis was spending time in a juvenile detention centre in Los Santos where he was discovered by Creed's widow Mary Anne, who revealed his heritage and legally adopted him. Inspired by his boxer father, Adonis began pursuing underground fighting, including being nearly killed in a fight against Baki Hanma in 2004, who spared his life. In 2015, Adonis resigned from his job at a security firm to commit to boxing. He tried to get Tony "Duke" Evers, son of his father's manager to train him but he declined. Adonis set out and found Rocky Balboa, who agreed to train him. Adonis was challenged by lightweight champion Ricky Conlan, gaining his respect. Creed ascended to the role of Heavyweight Champion. After a challenge by Viktor Drago, son of Ivan Drago, Creed became the Lineal Heavyweight champion.

## **Trivia**

-Apollo Creed is from the *Rocky* franchise and takes the role of the real life Muhammad Ali.

-The Creed Family includes Victor Creed and Graydon Creed from Marvel Comics

-Louis Creed is the main character of Stephen King's *Pet Semetary*

-Ted Grant is the boxer and superhero Wildcat from DC Comics. The fight is an allusion to his fight with Cassius Clay in *DC: The New Frontier*

-Robots Boxing alludes to *The* *Twilight Zone* episode "Steel"

-Eichiro Hanma is from *Baki the Grappler*. Apollo Creed takes the role of Muhammad Alai Sr, a blatant Ali analogue, though unlike Alai Sr, Creed is truly dead.

-*Superman vs Muhammad Ali* instead features Rocky Balboa in Ali's role as the story would be set after Rocky has become World Champion and succeeded Apollo Creed while Muhammad Ali was Champion at the time in real life.

-Soul 22 is from the Pixar Film *Soul.* Muhammad Ali is shown to have been one of their mentors.

-Adonis Creed is from the *Creed* series, though his younger years have him fill in the role of Muhammad Alai Jr from *Baki the Grappler*. Unlike Alai Jr, he is not saved by his father but instead by Baki choosing not to kill him.