Rocky Balboa | Rocky Wiki | Fandom powered by Wikia Edit One of Rocky's many endorsements. In the three years since winning the world heavyweight title, Rocky has had a string of ten successful title defenses and has seen his fame, wealth and celebrity increase. Rocky did better in commercials like he did last time and he earned those endorsements when he won the title. Meanwhile, Rocky's trainer Mickey worriedly eyes a young and hungry fighter named James "Clubber" Lang . Lang rapidly climbs the ranks with six consecutive knockouts and is now the number one contender for Rocky's heavyweight championship. Rocky at the ceremony of his statue. While unveiling a statue of himself at the steps of the Philadelphia Museum of Art, Rocky is publicly challenged by Lang. Lang accuses Rocky of selective matchmaking by intentionally accepting challenges from lesser opponents. Lang also questions Rocky's manhood to his wife Adrian enraging Rocky, who accepts his challenge. Rocky's trainer Mickey initially wants no part of the match and refuses to train Rocky.

After Rocky demands to know why, Mickey tells him that Lang was correct and all of his title defenses were fought against handpicked opponents in order to keep him successful, as well as to avoid more devastating injuries, such as the ones he suffered in the fight against Apollo Creed in their two matches. Mickey also tells Rocky that if he fights Lang, he would "kill (him) to death inside of three rounds" because Lang is younger, stronger, and hungrier than Rocky. Knowing this, Rocky questions his whole title reign and Mickey agrees to train Rocky for the fight, which Rocky declares will be his last. Rocky during his open training. Both fighters go in different directions in regards to their training for the fight. Lang works out alone in a spartan setting with very little equipment. Rocky, on the other hand, rents out a hotel ballroom and opens his training camp to the public with dozens of distractions that frustrate Mickey, who fears they will lead to disaster in the fight. Rocky get's knocked out and loses his title. Lang and Rocky meet at Philadelphia's Spectrum. During a melee before the fight, Lang shoves Mickey, who suffers a heart attack.

Rocky decides to call off the fight, but Mickey refuses and implores him to fight and win. As the fight begins, Rocky comes out aggressively and tries to knock out the challenger early. Lang, however, is unfazed by the early assault and quickly takes control of the fight. By the end of the first round Rocky is battered and bloody, and calls for Mickey. The condition of his trainer continues to distract him into the second round, where Lang knocks Rocky out to win the title. Rocky heads back to his dressing room, where Mickey has taken a turn for the worse. Rocky tells Mickey that the fight ended by knockout in the second round but does not say he lost. He tries to convince Mickey there is more to do, but Mickey simply says, "I love ya, kid," and dies in Rocky's arms. Rocky is devastated at losing his manager, mentor and father figure. Rocky goes into a deep depression fueled by Mickey's death, no longer sure if he was ever truly the champion. One night, he rides to his statue and in a fit of anger throws his motorcycle at it.

He then stops at Mickey's now-shuttered gym where he is confronted by Apollo Creed, who tells him that Rocky has lost his edge and needs to get it back. To do this, Apollo offers to train Rocky for a rematch with Lang. Rocky agrees and he, with Adrian and Paulie, follows Apollo to Los Angeles. Apollo's plan is to take Rocky back to the basics, from putting him and his family up in an old, unkempt hotel in Creed's old neighborhood, as well as returning to his old gym, where he hooks Rocky up with Duke, Apollo's former trainer. Rocky and Apollo celebrating Rocky getting his Eye of the Tiger back. Despite Apollo's best efforts at getting Rocky back into fighting shape, Rocky is still distraught and disillusioned. However, Adrian finally decides to talk to Rocky who, in his frustration, admits to being afraid and feeling responsible for Mickey's death. Through heated compassionate criticism Adrian is finally able to talk him out of his funk and convince him to get back on track, and with Apollo and Duke's expertise, Rocky develops into a completely different fighter by trading his power game for a quick hitting counter-attacking style, which confuses everyone including Lang. Rocky punching Lang during the fight.

The rematch is held at Madison Square Garden in New York City. At the start of the fight, Rocky sprints from his corner, fighting with a level of skill and spirit that no one expected. As a result, Rocky dominates the first round. After the bell, Lang is in a fit of rage and has to be restrained by his trainers. In the second round, Rocky starts as he did in the first. However, Lang gains the upper hand; from here he dominates Rocky, knocking him down twice. Getting up from the second KD, Rocky adopts a strategy that bewilders Apollo (and Lang) by intentionally taking a beating from Lang while taunting him for being unable to knock him out. The round ends with a verbal altercation between Lang and Rocky. Rocky knocks out Clubber Lang and regains his world title. In the third round, Lang (who is used to winning fights swiftly with knockouts in the early rounds) becomes increasingly angry and quickly exhausts his energy trying to finish Rocky off with repeated knockout blows, most of which miss the newly-agile Rocky. Rocky taunts the champion in order to psych him out, and the aggressive Lang is infuriated. He attacks even harder, walking into Rocky's trap.

The tide turns, and Rocky overpowers the winded and outboxed Lang, knocking him out and re-gaining the heavyweight championship of the world. Rocky and Apollo both throw punches at the same time to start the third fight. Afterwards, Rocky fulfills Apollo's vague "big favor": a private rematch with him at Mick's old gym. The film concludes with the fighters throwing their first punch simultaneously, but this time, after the two massive bouts between them previously, this fight is purely for pride and they fight in the spirit of friendly competition rather than as fierce rivals. Rocky IV: East vs. West Edit In 1985, Ivan Drago, an immensely muscular 6-foot 5, 261-pound Soviet boxer, arrives in the United States with his wife Ludmilla, and a team of trainers from the USSR and Cuba. His manager, Nicolai Koloff, takes every opportunity to promote Drago's athleticism as a hallmark of Soviet superiority. Motivated by patriotism and an innate desire to prove himself, Apollo Creed challenges Drago to an exhibition bout. Rocky has reservations, but agrees to train Apollo despite his misgivings about the fight.

He asks Apollo whether the fight is against the Russian, or "you against you". During a press conference regarding the match, hostility is created between Apollo and Drago's respective camps. The exhibition takes place at the MGM Grand Hotel in Las Vegas. Apollo enters the ring, wearing his old Uncle Sam outfit, in an over-the-top patriotic entrance with James Brown performing "Living in America" complete with showgirls. The bout starts tamely with Apollo landing several punches that have no effect on the Russian. It soon turns serious though, as Drago starts clobbering hard. Apollo is worn by the end of the first round. Rocky and Apollo's trainer Duke plead with him to give up, but Apollo refuses to do so, and tells Rocky to promise him not to stop the fight no matter what. The second round doesn't go any better, and despite Duke begging Rocky to throw in the towel, he reluctantly honors Apollo's wish. This turns out to have fatal consequences as Drago lands a final punch on Rocky holds a dying Apollo Creed. Apollo that knocks him to the ground, killing him. In the immediate aftermath, Drago displays no sense of remorse commenting to the assembled media: "If he dies...

he dies." Rocky gave the eulogy at his funeral, he didn't lose a best friend. He lost his brother figure and he thanked him for making him the greater fighter he was. Incensed by Drago's cold indifference and feeling a deep sense of guilt, Rocky decides to avenge Apollo's death by agreeing to fight Drago in Russia on Christmas Day in a 15-round bout. As the match is unsanctioned, he is required to forfeit the title. He flies to the USSR without Adrian, setting up his training base in Krasnogourbinsk with only Duke and brother-in-law Paulie to accompany him. To prepare for the fight, Drago uses very high-tech equipment, steroid enhancement, and a team of trainers and doctors monitoring his every movement. Rocky, on the other hand, throws heavy logs, chops down trees, pulls an overloaded snow sleigh, jogs in heavy snow and treacherous icy conditions and climbs a mountain. Adrian shows up unexpectedly to give Rocky her support after initially refusing to travel to Russia because of her doubts on his fighting chances. Her arrival increases Rocky's focus and enhances his training. Drago and Rocky square off before their fight.

Drago is introduced with an elaborate, patriotic ceremony that puts the Russian crowd squarely on Drago's side. Rocky turns up more muscular and confident than ever, but is booed by all in attendance. In contrast to his fight with Apollo, Drago immediately goes on the offensive and Rocky takes a fierce pounding. Rocky comes back toward the end of the second and silences the Russian crowd by landing a strong right hook that cuts Drago just below his left eye. While Drago is visibly shaken, Rocky is fired up and assaults Drago, which continues even after the bell rings. While Duke and Paulie cheer Rocky for his heroism, they remind him that Drago is not a machine, but a man. Ironically, Drago comments that Rocky "is not human, he is like a piece of iron" with his own corner reprimanding him for being "weak" in comparison to the "small American." Rocky punching Drago. The two boxers continue to hit each other over the next dozen rounds, with Rocky holding his ground despite Drago's powerful punches. His resilience rallies the previously hostile Soviet crowd to his side, which unsettles Drago to the point that he shoves Koloff off the ring for berating his performance.

Rocky finally takes out Drago in the 15th and last round, winning by knockout to the shock of the Soviet Politburo members watching the fight. Rocky defeats Ivan Drago. A bloody and battered Rocky gives a victory speech, acknowledging the mutual disdain at first between himself and the crowd. He says it is like the wider disdain between Russians and Americans, but that he and the crowd have come to respect and admire each other during the course of the fight. Rocky adds that the crowd has seen "two guys killin' each other, but I guess that's better than 20 million". Rocky finally declares, "If I can change, and you can change, then everybody can change!" The Soviet General Secretary stands and passionately applauds Rocky, and his aides follow suit. Rocky ends his speech by wishing his son a Merry Christmas, and throws his arms into the air in victory as the crowd applauds on Christmas Day. Rocky answering questions at the press conference.

Rocky V: Retirement and Return to South Philadelphia Edit At the press conference held at the airport upon returning home, a flamboyant promoter named George Washington Duke showed up and challenged Rocky to fight Duke's protege, Union Cane who had been declared the new heavyweight champion. Rocky, however, easily blew off the challenge and headed back home with his family. [1] That evening, Rocky overheard an argument between Adrian and Paulie. It turned out that during their stay in Russia, Paulie had inadvertently given power of attorney to the Balboas' shady accountant, who then disappeared with their fortune when the accountant duped Rocky and Paulie to sign a tax extension, but it wasn't a tax extension it was power of attorney. Rocky's accountant embezzled his fortune and had invested it in a real estate scheme that had crashed. He lost a lot of money on that investment and made Rocky broke. The family's lawyer also revealed that their mortgage was not entirely paid off, and that Rocky still owed six years of back taxes because of the accountant. The family's lawyer had a solution, if he accepted the fight against Union Cane he will be out of this debt no time.

Adrian didn't want him to fight again, but Rocky refused and is considering called Duke to schedule a fight against Union Cane. That would get his fortune back. But Adrian stopped him and asked him to see a doctor first. Rocky refused, but decided to go through with it for Adrian. There was bad news from the doctor, as he confirmed that Rocky was suffering from Cavum septum pellucidum, a condition common to boxers who take too many hard hits to the head. This effectively ended his fighting career. The announcement of Rocky's official retirement made headlines. Rocky declared himself bankrupt leading to his mansion and almost all of his possessions being repossessed, leaving him and his family broke. The only asset remaining was Mighty Mick's Gym, which had been willed to Robert by Mickey thereby keeping it safe from the accountant. [1] Rocky moving back into his old home. Luckily, Paulie had kept his old home in South Philadelphia, and in 1986, the family packed up and moved back into the modest home. Rocky assured Adrian that the move would only be temporary.

[1] Some time later, Rocky reopened Mickey's old gym, Mighty Mick's Gym, and was approached by a young fighter named Tommy Gunn . Tommy came from Oklahoma, and was eager to meet Rocky, with the intent of showing him how good of a fighter he was and hoped Rocky would become his manager after seeing him in action. At first, Rocky was unsure about the idea, not considering himself manager material, but he eventually began to see his younger self in Tommy, and feeling he could pass on some of Mickey's teachings to Tommy, he not only accepted to become his manager, but also offered him to stay with his family. Tommy could have helped Rocky get his fortune back if Rocky leads him to the heavy title. Starting then, Rocky began to relive the older days; he was Mick, and Tommy was Rocky, and since he had to retire, he felt that through Tommy, he would feel like he would win again, feel in his prime again. [1] This unfortunately had a bad side effect, as Rocky became so focused on his role as Tommy's manager, and Tommy himself, that he began to neglect his son, rapidly severing the bond between the two. That bond would be rekindled later.

Rocky passing on his famous boxing shorts to Gunn. The more Tommy fought, the more he became famous, but all for the wrong reasons. If the media referred to Tommy, it was indirectly through Rocky (i.e. "Rocky's Gunn aims at the title!"), and Tommy became frustrated for being trapped in Rocky's shadow. George Washington Duke tempted him with promises of fame and riches, and Tommy aligned himself with him instead of Rocky. Tommy dumped Rocky as his manager for Duke. He was also given a chance at the title, something he wanted very eagerly. During the match between Union Cane and Tommy, Rocky watched the match through television rather excitedly, cheering him on and even punching his punching bag in symmetry with Tommy's punches. Tommy punching Union Cane. When Tommy won the match, Rocky literally screamed and jumped in joy, and when Tommy was about to thank the man whom he described as the one that got him there, and Rocky smiled as he knew he was talking about him, or so he thought.

Hearing Tommy give all the credits to Duke and thank him for everything, followed by the crowd showing great displeasure towards Tommy, and praising Rocky instead, while on his end, Rocky lost all the excitement and his smile from the event, and after his son tried to recomfort him, Paulie asked him to go out with him to take his mind out of all of this. After being insulted by the media in comparison to Rocky, they told Tommy that match was a sparring session and Cane was a paper champion that he never won the belt from Rocky. He never fought a real champion and his frustration and rage fueled by Duke in his scheme to get Tommy to taunt Rocky into a ring, they both went to look for Rocky in town with the press and the camera crew, and after finding him, began taunting him into fighting him in a ring; Tommy, however, vented off his anger at Rocky, the very man who trained him to become the fighter that he is and the one who genuinely cared for him, who was prepared to ignore him until Paulie began criticizing Tommy. The new champion's response was to punch Paulie down, resulting in an angered Rocky to challenge him into trying to knock him down now.

Duke tried to stop the imminent fight by saying that Tommy would only fight in the ring. Rocky followed by saying, "My ring's outside." This triggered a street fight between the two former friends. Surrounded by a crowd, which was entirely on Rocky's side, Rocky took the initiative by punching Tommy down, then expressed his disappointment in how they should've been friends, like brothers, two fingers of the same hand, and walked off. However, Tommy got back up and attacked Rocky from behind. A few of the crowd attempted to help Rocky out of this back attack, resulting in them being punched out by a wild Tommy. After taking a brief beating from Tommy, Rocky began having flashbacks of his horrifying fight with Ivan Drago, and lost his focus almost completely over what was happening until he began having flashbacks of Mickey instead, with the words, "Get up and fight, you son-of-a-bitch, 'cause Mickey loves ya!" echoing through his head. Completely rejuvenated, Rocky got back on his feet, and taunted Tommy into fighting "one more round" with him. Cheered on by the crowd, which now included his wife and son, Rocky eventually knocked his former pupil out.

[1] Duke dumped Tommy Gunn and strip him from the title when he lost that street fight against Rocky. He then approached Duke, who threatened to sue him should he lay a finger on him, but Rocky knocked him down with an uppercut and nonchalantly asked him, "Sue me for what? Since he is broke" Rocky during the street fight with Tommy. Rocky completely moved on from the boxing world after the Tommy Gunn incident, and in 1995 , opened a small Italian restaurant in the neighborhood and he is really successful in the restaurant and doing better than he was back then. He named it Adrian's , after his beloved wife. The walls of the place were adorned with several family photos as well as magazine covers and pictures from throughout Rocky's fighting career. The patrons loved it when Rocky would visit their table and tell them stories about his past fights. [2] Rocky's world came crashing down in 2002 when Adrian succumbed to ovarian cancer .

Every year afterward, on the anniversary of her death, Rocky would visit Adrian's grave and tour all of the places ( Rocky's old apartment , the site of the old skating rink and J&M Tropical Fish , the pet store where Adrian worked for years) that held some significance to them. [2] By early 2005 , Rocky was pushing 60 and living out his days mainly focusing on his restaurant, he is no longer broke and doing a lot of better than he is now. No longer the huge celebrity he once was, he was content with the modest life he'd been living for the past fifteen years, although he continued to be recognized on the streets and receive friendly greetings from fellow Philadelphians. He even managed to reconnect with a woman named Marie , who, as a young girl, Rocky had saved from going down the wrong path in life. [2] Rocky Balboa: The Final Round Edit Mason Dixon. In 2006, Rocky Balboa has been retired from boxing for twenty years and lives a quiet life as a widower. His wife Adrian Pennino Balboa had died from cancer four years earlier.

He runs a small but very successful Italian restaurant named after her, where he regales his patrons with stories of his past. He is still a big shot celebrity and never forgot him wherever he goes. He also battles personal demons involving his grief over Adrian's death, the changing times, and his eroding relationship with his son Robert, a struggling corporate employee. Paul "Paulie" Pennino, Rocky's brother-in-law and best friend, continues to support him whenever he can and after Rocky closed Mickey's Gym after the Tommy Gunn incident. Mickey's Gym wasn't closed it was moved to a better location in Creed film. Paulie went back to his old job at Shamrock Meat. Late one night, Rocky reunites with a much older "Little" Marie, a once mischievous neighborhood girl that Rocky met when she was a child, now working as a bartender at the Lucky Seven (a bar Rocky once frequented in the mid-1970s), and a single parent of a teenaged son born out of wedlock: Stephenson, nicknamed "Steps". Rocky's friendship with the two quickly blossoms over the following weeks, and Steps takes to him as a father figure. Steps remind him of Rocky's son Robert.

Meanwhile on the professional boxing circuit, Mason "The Line" Dixon reigns as the undisputed world heavyweight champion. ESPN broadcasts a computer simulation of a fight between Rocky (in his prime) and Mason — likened to a modern-day version of The Super Fight, a 1970 computer simulation of a 15-round fight between Rocky Marciano and Muhammad Ali in their prime (that Marciano "won" by a KO in the 13th round) — which ends in a controversial KO victory for Balboa, riling the champ. In contrast, the simulation inspires Rocky to take up boxing again — an intention that goes public when he successfully renews his license. Dixon's promoters pitch the idea of holding a charity exhibition bout at the Mandalay Bay Resort and Casino in Las Vegas to bolster Dixon's falling popularity. Rocky was reluctant at first, when they came to his restaurant and offered him the proposition. But talking to Marie, he decided to go for it and take that exhibition fight. Rocky became a bigger celebrity and was offered a lot of endorsement deals with that fight thanks to Paulie.

With some hesitation, both men agree to the match, creating a media buzz that stabs at Rocky's has-been status and Dixon's credibility; Dixon having yet to face a challenging opponent. Robert later makes an effort to discourage Rocky from fighting, blaming his own personal failings on his father's celebrity shadow, but Rocky rebukes him with some advice: that to succeed in life, "it ain't about how hard you hit; it's about how hard you can get hit, and keep moving forward", and that blaming others won't help him. The next day, father and son meet over Adrian's grave and reconcile; Robert has quit his job to be at Rocky's side. Rocky sets straight to training with Apollo Creed's old trainer Duke who quickly surmises that the slow and arthritic Rocky can only compete by building his strength and punching power as much as possible. Rocky fighting Dixon The fight becomes an HBO pay-per-view event. Dixon easily dominates the first round only to injure his left hand against Rocky's hip in the second, after which Rocky makes a dramatic comeback: he manages to knock Dixon down once and then continues to surprise the audience with his prowess and chin against the much younger and faster fighter.

Dixon sends Rocky to one knee in the final round, but the elder fighter pulls himself to his feet for one last assault. The two opponents then continue to punish each other severely throughout the remainder of the final round, ending with the two fighters both still standing. Rocky thanks an appreciative Dixon for the fight and leaves the ring to the adulation of the crowd as the result is announced: A win for Mason Dixon by split decision. The fans still cheered for Rocky and he became a bigger celebrity for going the distance against Dixon. He finally got a chance to say goodbye to boxing for good. He never had a chance to back then after fighting against Ivan Drago. In the closing shot, Rocky returns home and visits Adrian's grave again; thanking her for helping him. Creed: Training Apollo's Son, Adonis Johnson Creed Edit Although Rocky is a southpaw , he will often switch stances and fight right-handed. He's a hybrid-fighter, possessing the qualities of an inside-fighter, brawler and swarmer. With the exception of his rematch against Clubber Lang where he fights as an outside-fighter, he advances quickly upon his opponents, driving them into the ropes and setting upon them with a devastating body attack.

Rocky is well known for wearing opponents down over the course of a bout. Balboa's iron jaw allows him to take brutal punishment throughout his fights. With a will of steel, he is known for overcoming seemingly insurmountable odds to triumph over his opponents. It is this trait that inspires fans worldwide, sending the message that nothing is out of reach if one believes in himself. Balboa, as stated by Jim Lampley during the fight against Mason Dixon, is renowned for his " cast iron jaw, ferocious body attack, and will of steel; all of which carried him to victories over the years against physically superior opponents". Rocky has an uncanny ability to sense weakness in his opponents, seizing every opportunity to capitalize on a momentum shift in his fights. No matter how exhausted and battered, Balboa pushes his offensive edge. In the first title fight with Apollo Creed, announcer Stu Nahan refers to Rocky as a "bull in a china shop" after witnessing the offensive onslaught. Rocky retired as a 2 time world heavyweight champion and with a pro record of 57 wins (51 KO), 23 losses and 1 draw.

The fight scenes in the last movie, Rocky Balboa, are considered to be the most realistic in film history, with many boxing experts considering Stallone's in-ring performance to be his best ever. Notable quotes Edit "Ah come on, Adrian, it's true. I was nobody. But that don't matter either, you know? 'Cause I was thinkin', it really don't matter if I lose this fight. It really don't matter if this guy opens my head, either. 'Cause all I wanna do is go the distance. Nobody's ever gone the distance with Creed, and if I can go that distance, you see, and that bell rings and I'm still standin', I'm gonna know for the first time in my life, see, that I weren't just another bum from the neighborhood." Rocky "What did you say to the kid? It ain't about how hard you hit, it's about how hard you can get hit and keep moving forward. How much you can take and keep moving forward. Get up!" Rocky Balboa You ain't gonna believe this, but you used to fit right here, I'd hold you up to say to your mother, "this kid's gonna be the best kid in the world.

This kid's gonna be somebody better than anybody I ever knew." And you grew up good and wonderful. It was great just watching you, every day was like a privilige. Then the time come for you to be your own man and take on the world, and you did. But somewhere along the line, you changed. You stopped being you. You let people stick a finger in your face and tell you you're no good. And when things got hard, you started looking for something to blame, like a big shadow. Let me tell you something you already know. The world ain't all sunshine and rainbows. It's a very mean and nasty place and I don't care how tough you are it will beat you to your knees and keep you there permanently if you let it. You, me, or nobody is gonna hit as hard as life. But it ain't about how hard ya hit. It's about how hard you can get hit and keep moving forward. How much you can take and keep moving forward. That's how winning is done! Now if you know what you're worth then go out and get what you're worth.

But ya gotta be willing to take the hits, and not pointing fingers saying you ain't where you wanna be because of him, or her, or anybody! Cowards do that and that ain't you! You're better than that! Rocky Balboa Skills and Attributes Iron Jaw: Rocky is known for his iron jaw which he demonstrates in Rocky and Rocky II . Speed: Rocky gains dominating speed he demonstrates in Rocky III . Power: Rocky brutally attacks his opponents in the ring. Indomitable will: Rocky never gives up a fight unless knocked out or dazed to a point where he can't recover before the count. Customizations Rocky was mentioned in Mims ' song Like This . Although it is common knowledge that the screenplay for the first movie was the Ail/Wepner fight, Rocky the character is probably a combination of Rocky Marciano, Jake LaMotta, and Joe Fraizer. Rocky was on the muppet show. Rocky was originally meant to die in Rocky V were he would have lost the street fight and died as a result of Tommy Gunn's punches and the brain damage, dying in Adrian's arms. In real life the Rocky Statue is still in the Philadelphia Museum of Art next to the Rocky Steps.

In the movie it was taken out in Rocky Balboa, since Rocky's retirement lasted for 16 years. Sylvester Stallone got the idea of Rocky Balboa from the Chuck Wepner and Muhammad Ali fight. Wepner went the distance against a great fighter like him and knocked him down in one round.

Fights Ernesto Luigi (Winner by KO in Round 3 of 6) 1-0 Jimmy Payne (Winner by TKO in Round 4 of 6) 2-0 Elmer Cannes (Winner by KO in Round 1 of 6) 3-0 Otis Nando (Winner by KO in Round 2 of 6) 4-0 Channing Garner (Winner by KO in Round 6 of 6) 5-0 Shane Radcliffe (Winner by KO in Round 2 of 7) 6-0 Albert Jameson (Winner by KO in Round 5 of 6) 7-0 Tame Nepia (Loss by TKO in Round 4 of 6) 7-1 Colin Sharps (Winner by TKO in Round 8 of 8) 8-1 Tobey Cartis (Winner by TKO in Round 6 of 8) -9-1 Andrew Cundiff (Winner by DQ in Round 2 for "uncle bad touch) 10-1 Adam Calloway (Winner by KO in Round 1 of 8) 11-1 Oscar Santiago Lopez (Winner by KO in Round 3 of

 8) 12-1 Jerry Hannigan (Winner by KO in Round 7 of 8) 13-1 Alfredo Banks (Loss by Split Decision in 8 Rounds) 13-2 Alfredo Banks (Loss by Unanimous Decision in 8 Rounds) 13-3 Alfredo Banks (Winner by TKO in Round 9 of 10) 14-3 Glen Sanders (Winner by KO in Round 1 of 8) 15-3 Tobio Tenma (Loss by KO in Round 3 of 8) Jack Reid (Winner by KO in Round 8 of 8) 16-3 Jack Reid (Loss by TKO in Round 1 of 8) 16-4 Spider Rico (Winner by KO in Round 7 of 8) 17-4 Randy Tate (Winner by TKO in Round 1 of 8) 18-4 Gus Hankinson (Winner by KO in Round 2 of 8) 19-4 Sean Cabana (Winner by TKO in Round 8 of 8) 20-4 Al Thornton (Winner by KO in Round 8 of 8)

 21-4 Orlando Grogan (Loss by TKO in Round 1 of 8) 21-5 Javier Moniker (Loss by TKO in Round 7 of 8) 21-6 Austin Miller (Win by KO in Round 3 of 8) -22-6 Dave Cole (Loss by KO in Round 1 of 8) 22-7 Andrew Bolanos (Loss by TKO in Round 4 of 8) 22-8 Muhammad Abdi Conway (Winner by Unanimous Decision of 8 Rounds) 23-8 Lee Hazzard (Loss by Split Decision of 8 Rounds) 23-9 Bob Cray (Loss by TKO in Round 8 of 8) 23-10 Bob Cray (Win by Unanimous Decision of 8 Rounds) 24-10 Anthony Chapman (Loss by Unanimous Decision of 8 Rounds) 24-11 Gilberto Ashley (Loss by KO in Round 4 of 8) 24-12 Kirk Dusty (Winner by KO in Round 8 of 8) 25-12 Peter Hannuaer

 (Loss by KO in Round 2 of 8) 25-13 Milo Gennino (Winner by TKO in Round 7 of 8) 26-13 Art Molly (Winner by KO in Round 2 of 8) 27-13 Barry Shriger (Winner by TKO in Round 7 of 8) 28-13 Bo Christopher (Winner by KO in Round 4 of 8) 29-13 Jim Stinger (Winner by KO in Round 2 of 8) 30-13 Mike Wallace (Winner by KO in Round 3 of 8) 31-13 Ace Bean (Winner by TKO in Round 1 of 8) 32-13 Mikhail Stepanenko (Winner by Split Decision of 8 Rounds) 33-13 Joseph Shtore (Winner by KO in Round 1 of 8) 34-13 Bob Cray (Winner by TKO in Round 8 of 8) 35-13 Joseph Lazarski (Winner by KO in Round 7 of 8) 36-13 Emanuel Torez (

Winner by KO in Round 5 of 8) 37-13 Wade Eastwood (Winner by Unanimous Decision of 8 Rounds) 38-13 Tully Bernard (Loss by KO in Round 7 of 8) 38-14 Doc Skinner (Loss by TKO in Round 1 of 8) 38-15 Lateef Atwood (Win by Split Decision of 8 Rounds) 39-15 Lincoln Stephens (Loss by KO in Round 8 of 8) 39-16 Jose Rizo (Loss by Split Decision of 8 Rounds) 39-17 Levi Hernandez (Loss by Unanimous Decision) Lorenzo Sebastian (Loss by Split Decision of 8 Rounds) 39-18 Andrew Santo (Winner by KO in Round 3 of 8) 40-18 Conrad Li Tang (Winner by KO in Round 3 of 8) 41-18 Jack Reid (Loss by Majority Decision of 8 Rounds) 41-19 Tully Bernard (Loss by KO in Round 8 of 8) 41-20 Tully Bernard (Winner by Split Decision of

 8 Rounds) 42-20 Arturo Reyes (Winner by TKO in Round 12 of 15) 43-20 Jonny Rangel (Winner by DQ in Round 1, bite to the ear) 44-20 During the movies Spider Rico (Winner by KO in Round 2 of 8) 45-20 Apollo Creed (Loss by Split Decision of 15 Rounds) 45-21 Rocky II (1976) Apollo Creed (Winner by KO in Round 15 of 15) 46-21 Rocky III (1976-1981) Trevor Faus (Winner by KO in Round 1 of 12) 47-21 Joe Czak (Winner by KO in Round 2 of 15) 48-21 Big Yank Ball (Winner by KO in Round 6 of 10) 49-21 Vito Soto (Winner by KO in Round 10 of 15) 50-21 Bobby Jalali (Winner by KO in Round 3 of 15) 51-

21 Dave Fossan (Winner by KO in Round 2 of 12) 52-21 Flip Folsom (Winner by KO in Round 2 of 15) 53-21 Joe Green (Winner by KO in Round 2 of 12) 54-21 Matt DeLarue (Winner by KO in Round 5 of 15) 55-21 Philip Hammerman (Winner by KO in Round 3 of 15) 56-21 " Thunderlips " (Draw by Unanimous Decision of 1 Round) 56-1-21 James "Clubber" Lang (Loss by KO in Round 2 of 15) 56-1-22 James "Clubber" Lang (Winner by KO in Round 3 of 15) 57-1-22 Apollo Creed (Informal match, Rocky later claims Apollo won the fight).

Rocky IV (1985) Toby 'The Atomic' Elliott (Informal bar fight, loss by TKO Round 6 of 15). Ivan Drago (Winner by KO in Round 15 of 15) 58-1-22 Rocky V (1990) Tommy Gunn (Street fight, Rocky won). Rocky Balboa (2006) Apollo Creed | Rocky Wiki | Fandom powered by Wikia Ivan Drago (killed in exhibition bout with Drago) ''Stay in school and use your brain. Be a doctor, be a lawyer, carry a leather briefcase. Forget about sports as a profession. Sports make ya grunt and smell. See, be a thinker, not a stinker.'' - Apollo Creed Apollo Creed (August 17, 1942 - August 31, 1985) was the main antagonist in Rocky and Rocky II and a deuteragonist in Rocky III and Rocky IV . He was initially portrayed as the World Heavyweight Champion until Rocky Balboa defeated Apollo Creed in the rematch in Rocky II. He is portrayed by Carl Weathers .

Contents Edit When Apollo Creed is first introduced, he is the reigning Heavyweight Champion of the World. It is after his next scheduled opponent is unable to fight in a heavily publicized Bicentennial bout that Creed comes up with gimmick to keep from canceling the fight. He decides to give an unknown a shot at the title. He is attracted by Rocky's nickname, The Italian Stallion, and decides to offer him the bout. Creed is one of the most important supporting character in the series, as is solely responsible for Balboa's claim to fame, and his recapturing of the title after his initial defeat at the hands of Clubber Lang and Mickey's death later that night. Creed's fatal defeat at the hands of Ivan Drago is the reason Rocky decides to fight the Russian, to avenge his death, an act which gave Balboa his greatest win. Apollo Creed is married to Mary Ann. They have two children, a son and a daughter. He was with his trainer, Tony "Duke" Evers from a young age. He is from Los Angeles, California. Until his first fight with Rocky, no other fighter had ever gone the distance with Creed.

It is revealed in the film Creed that Apollo cheated on his wife resulting in another child who was born posthumously, a son, named Adonis. Rocky Legends An early fight that Apollo had. The video game Rocky Legends showed a prequel to the films, showing "Career Modes" detailing the fights of the four main boxers in the films. In Apollo's career mode, Apollo Creed is shown fighting in the minor circuit. His first match is against Tony "Duke" Evers . Following that match, a vignette is shown where Evers congratulates Creed for beating him, and remarks he is getting too old and weak for active boxing. Creed tells of his plans to make it big as a future champ, and offers a worthy boxer such as Tony his chance to oversee that by becoming his manager. Apollo faced many opponents on his way to the top. (This storyline is contrary to the films, where it's revealed that Duke "practically raised him.") Rocky Edit Apollo as he tries to find a new fighter to fight. Apollo Creed first appeared in the 1976 Oscar-winning film Rocky as the charismatic, intelligent, and undefeated 34-year-old World Heavyweight Champion.

A planned Bicentennial fight against number one contender Mac Lee Green was scheduled for January 1, 1976, which Apollo gladly hypes whenever someone places a microphone in front of him. However, Green hurts his left hand in training and the other top ranked contenders, such as Ernie Roman and Buddy Shaw , are either busy or don't believe that they can get into shape in time. Unwilling to waste the time, effort and money he's already invested in the fight, Creed comes up with a promotion that will generate huge publicity; he will offer an unknown local fighter an opportunity to battle Creed for the title, in a match in Philadelphia , Pennsylvania. Upon reviewing the local boxers in Philadelphia, Creed is drawn to a club fighter named Rocky Balboa because Balboa is Italian and has a catchy nickname, "The Italian Stallion". Apollo also explains his choice by saying: "Who discovered America? An Italian, right? What better way to celebrate its 200th birthday than to get it on with one of his descendants?".

Evers warns Apollo against facing Balboa since he fights left-handed, but Apollo brushes off the idea that he could be anything resembling a legitimate threat, pledging to knock him out in three rounds. Evers raises concern again when he sees Balboa in a television interview, training by punching sides of beef in a meat packing plant - breaking the ribs - however, Apollo puts more effort into giving everyone a good show rather than training for the bout. Apollo dressed up for his fight with Rocky. For the fight, Apollo dresses up like both George Washington and Uncle Sam in the pre-fight festivities (with his matching trademark "stars and stripes" boxing shorts) is in a jovial mood until Rocky knocks him down in the first round with a single uppercut. It's the first time Creed has ever been knocked down in his career. He then endures a grueling 15-round fight with Balboa, who manages to get to his feet after Creed takes him down with an uppercut in the 14th round in what appears to be the end of the match. This was the first time anyone had ever taken the champion the full 15 rounds. Apollo and Rocky during their fight.

Both fighters are beaten, bloodied, and bruised by the end of the bout - Rocky with severe eye damage and Apollo with internal bleeding, caused by broken ribs. Apollo gains a controversial split decision victory, and neither fighter wants a rematch. Rocky II Edit The second film picks up immediately after the end of the first, which shows ambulances taking Creed and Rocky to the ER. With the flurry of press, Creed, going against his earlier stance, denounces the fight as a fluke and challenges Rocky to finish the fight right there, which nearly happens when both men get out of their wheelchairs and look ready to brawl, only to be restrained by hospital employees. Later, when things have calmed down, Rocky goes to the recuperating Creed, and asks for Creed to be truthful if he gave his all in the fight against him. Creed replies in the affirmative. Creed's desire for a rematch with Balboa intensifies when it becomes clear that the prevailing public opinion is that Creed had either gotten lucky, or the judges were fixed in his favor. Evers tries to pacify Apollo that it was he who won by decision.

Creed remains frustrated by the feeling that he didn't truly 'beat' Balboa, and continues to be haunted by negative fan mail. Evers pleads with Creed to not fight Rocky again. His reason is that despite the horrific beating Rocky received from Creed, Balboa kept coming after him. Rocky has married his girlfriend, Adrian, after recovering from the first fight, and is not keen on fighting again, especially given Adrian's disapproval. Rocky hopes to cash in on his new fame by making commercials, but this doesn't pan out. Rocky decides he wants to fight again, but is discouraged by Mickey because of an injury to his eye in the first fight. It is not until Creed challenges Balboa to a second fight on Thanksgiving Day, 1976 using various humiliation tactics that Mickey decides to train Rocky for a second fight.

Creed insists at the press conference that he would "drop him like a bad habit" and tells Rocky when he leaves "Come November, you're mine!" In a press interview during training, he also insists that Rocky "cannot last five minutes in the ring with a superior athlete like me!" Creed plows through sparring partners and trains harder than ever before, with the intention of punishing Balboa for the embarrassment eleven months earlier. Apollo punching Rocky during their second fight. Apollo hands Rocky the title and congratulates him on the victory, Apollo now respects Rocky as a fighter. Unlike their first fight, Creed dominates Balboa throughout the second fight, managing to thwart Rocky's strategy of fighting right-handed. Despite this, he is unable to make good on his promise of an early knockout victory, as Rocky absorbs his punches. By the final round, he is well ahead on points and Evers begs Apollo to go on the defensive, as he'll win if he makes it to the end of the match; Apollo refuses, desperate to knock Rocky out rather than win on points. Apollo endures a substantial beating in later rounds, when it becomes apparent he cannot knock Balboa out, and Balboa begins landing his own punches on the tiring Creed.

At the beginning of the 15th round he tells Rocky, "You're going down", to which Rocky replied, "No way". After going toe-to-toe for much of the final round, Creed is knocked down by a left from Balboa, with Balboa falling down in exhaustion as well. Rocky is able to get up by the count of 9, but Creed is unable to pull himself up and is counted out, losing the match and the championship by knockout, his first professional loss. Apollo retires from boxing soon after. Even though he has lost, he gains his respect from the crowd back since it feels that he fought and lost in a fair fight. The fight also results in Creed finally acknowledging Balboa's ability as a fighter, rather than seeing him as a fluke. Rocky III Apollo's reaction to what Clubber Lang is saying to him. Apollo training Rocky. In the third film, Apollo (39 years old) appears at the first fight between James "Clubber" Lang , 23 years old, and Rocky Balboa, 34 years old, as a guest analyst, a match in which Lang defeats Rocky by KO in the second round.

Before the match, the former champion Creed steps into the ring to greet the fighters. When he steps up to Lang, the latter slaps away Creed's hand and mockingly and rudely insists that he "don't want no has-been in my corner". He further says, "You want to jump, Creed? Jump." When Creed walks away stunned at this rude display from the belligerent challenger, Lang laughs at him and calls him a "chicken". Creed then wishes Rocky luck, telling him to 'give everyone a present' and knock out Lang. Following the match, Rocky's beloved manager Mickey dies. Determined in part to put the disrespectful brute in his place, Creed finds Rocky at Mickey's gym and they agree to have Apollo take over as Balboa’s manager. The pair travels to the 'Tough Gym' in Los Angeles, California where Creed used to train in preparation for a rematch with Balboa. Creed encourages Rocky not to ignore the naysayers that say he is too old, but instead refocus himself. During this talk he states, "Now when we fought..

you had that eye of the tiger." This quote is referred to throughout the movie, including the film's theme song, "Eye of the Tiger" by Survivor. Creed mentions that Rocky will owe him "a big favor" once he wins, which he does not specify at first. Rocky's training is geared toward making him quicker and more agile, to counter the larger, stronger brawler. Apollo teaches Rocky how to fight like Apollo Creed. Rocky has trouble concentrating during his training, suffering from guilt over Mickey's demise and self-doubt. Adrian helps Rocky recognize this as a simple fear of losing again and convinces him that he can't let fear control his life and that he has to fight again, not to prove a point, but to live without fear. Rocky and Apollo celebrating after Rocky get's his ''Eye of the Tiger'' back. Rocky agrees and begins to put his fear aside. Creed helps Rocky rediscover the fire inside, which he had lost in the time leading up to the Lang fight, that had won him the title. Creed calls this fire the "eye of the tiger". Before the match begins, Creed expresses his confidence that Rocky will win.

He gives Rocky his signature "colors" (Apollo's stars and stripes boxing trunks) to wear during the fight (and tells him to wash them afterwards). Rocky dominated the first round, but the second round is to Clubber's favor with Rocky barely landing any punches. Between the second and third rounds, Creed shouts at Rocky not to test Lang, but Rocky protests he knows what he is doing with the "rope-a-dope". During the third round, Lang is weakened from wasting all his strong punches on Rocky, and is knocked out. Rocky wins the rematch and regains his title as Heavyweight Champion. Rocky and Apollo both throws punches to start the third fight. Throughout the training, Creed repeatedly told Rocky, "Remember, when this is over, you owe me a favor", but left it at that. After defeating Clubber Lang, Creed reveals the cost of his training - a second rematch with Rocky. However, this fight is not a bloody battle in an arena, but a friendly sparring match at Mickey's Gym. Rocky happily accepts the challenge. The film ends showing each boxer hitting the other at the same time, symbolizing the equality of their greatness.

Rumors of the third fight would persist for decades afterward, but the outcome was apparently not known to anyone but the two fighters until 2015, when, asked by Apollo's son Adonis Johnson Creed , Rocky confided that Apollo had won. Rocky IV and Death Edit With his character's death, Carl Weathers departed the franchise after Rocky IV. In Rocky V, the fifth installment of the series, after Rocky Balboa defeated Ivan Drago, Apollo's trainer Duke congratulated Rocky by showing that he made everyone proud, especially for Apollo by holding up his red, white, and blue trunks. Apollo was thereafter only mentioned briefly in past tenses, including a flashback scene between Mickey and Rocky before Balboa's first fight with Creed where Mickey states "Apollo won't know what hit him". Rocky's pupil Tommy Gunn also claimed to have been a fan of Rocky since his first fight with Apollo, Tommy was eventually allowed to wear Creed's trunks. During Tommy's fight with Union Cane, Rocky commented that it was like his own first fight with Apollo.

Later during Rocky's street fight with Tommy, he began to hallucinate and saw images of Apollo's death at the hands of Drago, believing that he was about to suffer the same fate. However a vision of Mickey telling him to get up, gave Rocky the strength to win the street fight. In the 6th installment of the Rocky franchise, Rocky is seen paying tribute to Apollo by telling customers at his restaurant stories about his friendship and fights with him. During the commentary before the Rocky vs Mason Dixon fight, a montage of Rocky's opponents was shown which included his two fights against Apollo. Creed: The Legacy Lives on Edit Because the original film was released in 1976 during the reign of Muhammad Ali , it is reasonable to assume that, with Ali being considered the quintessential boxer by having defeated some of the best of the time, Creed was based largely on him, although his public image is more in the vein of Sugar Ray Leonard or Joe Louis. Like Ali, Apollo was an outside fighter, relying on his speed and power to get through fights. His jab-cross-hook combination were his mainstay, and also just like Ali, Creed's defense was heavily contingent upon his speed.

Apollo used Ali's "float like a butterfly, sting like a bee" philosophy, being able to bob and weave and frustrate his opponents. A notable difference was that though Creed had Ali's unorthodox hand positioning, he ducked, bobbed and weaved in the classic style, as opposed to Ali who preferred to move backwards, in contradiction to boxing's basic tenets, but with a delightful degree of success. Perhaps the reason for this was that only Ali could do be that unorthodox and look convinving; where most boxing instructors would tell you that you can't land a punch when you're retreating backwards, Ali did that too with alarming regularity. But just like Ali, Creed was susceptible to taking a lot of damage during fights because of the level at which he held his hands, a fact which ultimately proved to be his undoing. By the second film, he also has the bolo punch (wind up one fist and punch with the other) in his arsenal, which seems to be a result of the punch being oft-used by then welterweight champion Sugar Ray Leonard . This punch, originated by Ceferino Garcia, a world middleweight champion hailing from Phillipines, is a variation of the feint.

One of the fists is winded up in rather spectacular fashion; the catch there is that the opponent may expect a punch from this hand or, sensing a trap, from the other. Whichever hand the opponent focuses on, the aggressor here may easily throw the other. This is more of a humiliating, crowd pleasing punch. A clear example was seen in the now famous no mas bout between welterweights Sugar Ray Leonard and Roberto 'Hands of Stone' Duran. In Rocky I a reporter asked him if it was a coincidence that he was fighting a white man on the most celebrated day in our country's history; to which Apollo replied, "I don't know about that.

Is it a coincidence that he's fighting a black man on the most celebrated day in our country's history?" Wins and Losses 48 Wins (47 KO) 2 Losses 0 Draws Opponents Tony Duke-Win by way of KO4(1-0)1968 Sam Monroe-Win by way of KO1(2-0) Troy Miller-Win by way of KO2(3-0) Joe Adams-Win by way of KO3(4-0) Wirgill Abrams-Win by way of KO2(5-0) John Barklie-Win by way of KO3(6-0) Billi Snow-Win by way of KO4(7-0) Maurizio Medina-Win by way of KO1(8-0) Randie Tate-Win by way of KO3(9-0) Jack Jaed-Win by way of KO2(10-0) Jose Mendosa-Win by way of KO6(11-0) Marco Chaves-Win by way of KO5(12-0) Dipper Broun-Win by way of KO3(13-0) Bob Cray-Win by way of KO5

(14-0) Razor Robinson-Win by way of KO4(15-0) Big Chak Smith-Win by way of KO9(16-0) Salvador Martinez-Win by way of KO1(17-0) Carlos Arguelo-Win by way of KO2(18-0) Big Chak Smith-Win by way of KO10(19-0) Alan Jerar-Win by way of KO11(20-0) Georgie Fulmer-Win by way of KO12(21-0) Wolfgang Peltser-Win by way of KO9(22-0) Ken Klassen-Win by way of KO1(23-0) Foloud(Fantom)Mkkallum-Win by way of KO8(24-0)25.02.1972-Won Champion Tittle Franklin Nixon-Win by way of KO2(25-0) Mike Dallas-Win by way of KO1(26-0) Floud(Fantom)Mkkallum-Win by way of KO1(27-0)07.09.1973 Cameron

 Whitaker-Win by way of KO3(28-0) Jared Taylor-Win by way of KO4(29-0) Shane Letterman-Win by way of KO7(30-0) Donald Ryder-Win by way of tKO1(31-0) Kit Yankee-Win by way of KO6(32-0) Andrew Thomas-Win by way of KO2(33-0) Antonio Brown-Win by way of TKO9 Gary Khan-Win by way of KO3(34-0) Quil Hall-Win by way of KO3(35-0) Paul Burch-Win by way of KO5(36-0) Vince Kennedy-Win by way of KO9(37-0) Francis Hellerd-Win by way of KO8(38-0) Seth Jackson-Win by way of KO1(39-0) Chak Wepner-Win by way of TKO15(40-0) Tony Quimby-Win by way of KO4(41-0) Dewey Stern-Win by way of KO3(42-0) Billy Calihan-Win by way of

 KO5(43-0) Rico Jameson-Win by way of KO2(44-0) Ernie Roman-Win by way of KO1(45-0) Carl Hamilton-Win by way of KO3(46-0) Rocky Balboa-Win by Decision (47-0) January 1, 1976 Rocky Balboa-Loss by KO, RD 15 (47-1) November 25, 1976 Rocky Balboa (Informal match, Rocky later claims Apollo won the fight).

Mickie Golberg-Win by way of TKO14(48-1) Ivan Drago-Loss by KO, RD 2 (dies after fight)-(Exhibition only) Notable quotes Rocky IV | The Rocky Balboa Wiki | Fandom powered by Wikia The Rocky Balboa Wiki Share Rocky IV is a 1985 boxing film, the fourth and most financially successful movie of the Rocky franchise. [1] Rocky Balboa (played again by Sylvester Stallone ), plans to retire from boxing after regaining his title from James "Clubber" Lang in Rocky III . An unknown amateur boxer from the Soviet Union , Ivan Drago (played by Dolph Lundgren ), however, makes a bid to enter the U.S. boxing ranks. After an exhibition match with Apollo Creed goes horribly and tragically wrong, Rocky must step in and challenge the Russian boxer himself to avenge the passing of his friend. Contents Edit The story opens with " Eye of the Tiger " during the climax of Rocky's rematch against Clubber Lang , where Rocky defeated Lang with a KO in the third round to regain his title. The picture then fades and we see Apollo Creed presenting his favor to Rocky shortly after the Lang fight for helping him train .

Meanwhile, Ivan Drago ( Dolph Lundgren ), a highly intimidating 6 feet 5, 260 pound Soviet boxer, arrives in America with his wife Ludmilla ( Brigitte Nielsen ), an Olympic gold medal swimmer, his manager, Nicolai Koloff ( Michael Pataki ), and a team of trainers headed by grizzled Russian coach Igor Rimsky ( George Rogan ), and the Cuban Manuel Vega ( James "Cannonball" Green ) to challenge the best American fighters. His manager takes great pride in showing off the hi-tech equipment which aids in improving Drago's performance. As a demonstration, Drago throws punches at a machine that measures the hit's strength, exceeding 1800 psi per punch. Motivated by patriotism and a desire to prove himself, Apollo is desperate to step back into the ring in an exhibition bout against Drago. Rocky has reservations, but comes round to supporting his friend by helping to train him for the fight. Apollo sets the match between himself and Drago in Las Vegas . With Rocky in his corner, Apollo flamboyantly makes an even bigger show than when he first fought Rocky - including fireworks and a patriotic theme .

Starting the fight in his trademark manner, Drago manages to catch him off-guard quickly and batters Apollo with a series of devasting punches. At the break, Rocky pleads with Apollo to quit the fight, but Apollo is determined to finish, which only leads to tragedy when he collapses and dies after he hits the canvas from Drago's continuous blows. File:Drago.PNG Devastated by the death of Apollo, Rocky comes to the decision he must avenge his death by agreeing to fight Drago in his home country. Supported by Apollo's manager Duke and his brother-in-law Paulie, he flies to the Soviet Union to train. Unlike Drago, who is attached to electrodes, is constantly monitored by computers, and works out with ultra hi-tech equipment (and what are implied to be anabolic steroids ), Rocky gets down to business carrying logs; chopping wood and pulling a sleigh. When Adrian shows up unexpectedly, providing more reason to succeed, Rocky trains harder than ever, and ends his training run by running up to the top of a mountain and screaming Drago's name. After intense preparation for both fighters, the two men finally meet in the ring.

Much like Apollo did in the previous fight, the Soviets introduce Drago with an elaborate, patriotic ceremony that puts the attending audience squarely on the side of Drago, leaving Rocky to be fiercely booed. In contrast to his fight with Apollo, Drago immediately goes on the offensive, repeatedly pounding Rocky, casually shrugging off his punches. After a pulverizing first round, with Drago easily winning, Rocky comes back toward the end of the second and lands a shot that cuts Drago just below his eye. Rocky then goes after Drago and lands a barrage of punches on Drago's midsection and head. After the round, Duke tells Rocky that Drago is not a machine, he's a man. Ironically, Drago regards Rocky as "not human, like a piece of iron"At this point, the fight becomes a fierce battle of wills between the two boxers. Drago's confidence drops round after round due to Rocky's seemingly limitless endurance, allowing Rocky to get in under his guard and pound him relentlessly. By the fourteenth round, the crowd has been won over by Rocky's determination and is cheering him on.

Koloff, fearing retribution from the Soviet Premier, goes over to Drago and berates his performance, telling him to win. Drago's response is to pick up Koloff by the throat, and proclaim that he only fights for himself. In the final round of the fight, Rocky and Drago trade punch after punch. Eventually, Balboa manages to overcome Drago knocking him out, to the shock of Soviet premier (who strongly resembles the then Soviet leader Mikhail Gorbachev ) and his aides. Following his victory, Rocky gives an impassioned speech to the crowd, acknowledging their initial and mutual disdain for each other, and how they've come to respect and admire each other during the fight. The entire Soviet premier applauds Rocky after his speech. Production Edit Wyoming doubled for the frozen expanse of the Soviet Union. The small farm where Rocky lived and trained was located in Jackson Hole , and the Grand Teton National Park was used for filming many of the outdoor sequences in Russia. The PNE Forum at Hastings Park in Vancouver , British Columbia , served as the location of Rocky's Soviet bout. The site would later house production of another U.S.-Soviet sports film, Miracle .

Sylvester Stallone has stated that the original punching scenes filmed between he and Dolph Lundgren in the first portion of the fight are completely authentic. Stallone wanted to capture a realistic scene and Lundgren agreed that they would engage in legitimate sparring. One particularly forceful Lundgren punch to Stallone's chest slammed his heart against his breastbone, causing the heart to swell and his breathing to become labored. Stallone, suffering from labored breathing and a blood pressure over 200, was flown from the set in Canada to St. John's Hospital in Santa Monica and was forced into intensive care for eight days. Stallone later commented that he believed Lundgren had the athletic ability and talent to fight in the professional heavyweight division of boxing. [2] Additionally, Stallone claimed that Lundgren nearly forced Carl Weathers to quit in the middle of filming the Apollo versus Drago exhibition fight. In one take for the Creed-Drago fight scene, Lundgren tossed Weathers into the corner of the boxing ring. Weathers retaliated by throwing an authentic punch at Lundgren's face. Lundgren reportedly threw a right hook which left Weathers unconscious for several minutes.

Upon regaining consciouness, Weathers shouted profanities at Lundgren while leaving the ring and announcing that he was quitting the movie and calling his agent. Only after Stallone forced the two actors to reconcile did the movie continue. This event caused a four day work stoppage while Weathers was talked back into the part, while Lundgren had to be forced into toning his aggressiveness down. [3] Casting Edit Sportscaster Stu Nahan makes his fourth appearance in the series as commentator for the Apollo/Drago fight. Warner Wolf replaces Bill Baldwin (who had died in 1982) as co-commentator. Apollo Creed's wife Mary Anne ( Sylvia Meals ) made her third of three appearances in the series, the first being in Rocky. Stallone's then-wife, Brigitte Nielsen , appeared as Drago's wife, Ludmilla. The Soviet premier in the sky box during the Rocky-Drago match strongly resembles contemporary Soviet leader Mikhail Gorbachev . Actor David Lloyd Austin later played Gorbachev in The Naked Gun and played Russian characters in other films.

Music The soundtrack for the movie included " Living in America " by James Brown ; the film's music was composed by Vince DiCola (who also composed the soundtrack for The Transformers: The Movie that same year), and also included songs by John Cafferty and The Beaver Brown Band , Survivor , Europe , Kenny Loggins , and Robert Tepper . Go West wrote "One Way Street" for the movie by request of Sylvester Stallone . DiCola replaced Bill Conti as the film's composer. Conti, who was too busy with the first two Karate Kid films at the time, would return for Rocky V and Rocky Balboa . Rocky IV is the only film in the series not to feature original music by Conti. However, it does features arrangements of themes composed by Conti from the previous film in the series such as "The Final Bell." According to singer Peter Cetera , he originally wrote his best-selling solo single " Glory of Love " as the end title for this film, but was passed over by United Artists, and instead used as the theme for The Karate Kid Part II . Reception

Question: Who did Rocky fight in ?
Answer: Ivan Drago