Robert "Rocky" Balboa is the title character of the Rocky series. The character was created by Sylvester Stallone, who also portrayed him in all seven Rocky films. He is depicted as an everyman who started out by going the distance and overcoming obstacles that had occurred in his life and career as a professional boxer. While he is loosely based on Chuck Wepner, a one-time boxer who fought Muhammad Ali and lost on a TKO in the 15th round, the inspiration for the name, iconography and fighting style came from boxing legend Rocky Marciano.
The character is widely considered to be Stallone's most iconic role and is often considered the role that started his film career. He received critical acclaim for his performance in the first movie, earning Academy Award and Golden Globe Award nominations. When Stallone reprised his role once again in 2015 for Creed, his performance received wide acclaim and he received his first Golden Globe Award for Best Supporting Actor, along with his third Oscar nomination for Best Supporting Actor, the National Board of Review Award for Best Supporting Actor and several other accolades.
Video Rocky Balboa
Biography
Robert "Rocky" Balboa was born in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, on July 6, 1945 (one year before Sylvester Stallone's actual birth date). He was the only child in a Roman Catholic Italian-American family. The surname Balboa/Valboa (roughly meaning "beautiful valley") originates from a Galician-speaking town in Northwestern Spain, so it is likely he had some Iberian ancestry as well. When Rocky is spoken to by his priest, Father Carmine, it is apparent that he understands Italian very well, including a scene in which he translates for Tommy Gunn; however, it is undetermined how well he actually speaks the language as his responses are always in English.
During the scene in which Rocky takes Adrianna "Adrian" Pennino skating on Thanksgiving, he tells her, "Yeah - My ol' man, who was never the sharpest, told me - I weren't born with much brain, so I better use my body." This encouraged him to take up boxing. He trained very hard so he could grow up to be like his idol Rocky Marciano. Unable to live on the small pay of club fights, and being unable to find work anywhere else, Rocky got a job as a collector for Tony Gazzo, the local loan shark, just to make ends meet. By late 1975, Rocky had fought in 64 fights, winning 44 (38 KO'S) and losing 20. Rocky was proud that he never had his nose broken in a professional fight. His nickname is "The Italian Stallion", spawning from his Italian-American heritage.
Rocky (setting 1975-1976)
The film begins on November 25, 1975, in the slums of the Kensington section of Philadelphia. Rocky Balboa is fighting Spider Rico in a local boxing ring called the Cambria Fight Club (nicknamed "The Bucket of Blood") inside a chapel. In the second round, Rico hits Balboa with a headbutt, leaving a gash on his forehead. Enraged, Rocky delivers a vicious barrage of punches, knocking Rico out. The next day, Rocky stops by the J&M Tropical Fish pet store, and tries to talk to the shy pet-shop worker, Adrian Pennino. Adrian is very shy and scared of Rocky's tough appearance. Afterwards, Rocky goes to collect a loan for his loan shark boss, Tony Gazzo. Even though the client, Bob, didn't have all the money, Rocky didn't break his thumb, even though Gazzo ordered him to do so. Later, Rocky stops by the local boxing gym and finds that his locker was replaced by another local contender. Unknown to him, the gym's owner and grizzled former boxer, Mickey Goldmill, doesn't dislike him, but instead, always considered Rocky's potential to be better than his effort. When Rocky leaves for home that night, he sees a young girl named Marie, hanging around a bad crowd and walks her home. On the way, Rocky lectures her about staying away from the wrong people. However, once they get to her house, she tells Rocky "Screw you, creep'o." Rocky walks home, frustrated how nothing is going right in his life.
Balboa gets his big break when the undisputed World Heavyweight Champion Apollo Creed decides that he wants to give an unknown fighter a chance to fight for the title after his intended challenger, Mac Lee Green, broke his hand while training. Creed was told no other contender was available for a fight on New Years Day, which is only a month away in commemoration for the United States Bicentennial, it was inferred by Creed, with the accompanying worldwide audience. Creed chooses Rocky because he likes Balboa's nickname, 'The Italian Stallion'.
After getting picked by Apollo, Balboa reunites with his estranged trainer, Mickey Goldmill, who convinces Balboa that he can help get him prepared for this match. Mickey reveals that his career never got anywhere either, because he didn't have a manager, and he didn't want the same thing to happen to Rocky. At the same time, Balboa begins dating Adrian. Rocky helped Adrian to become more self-confident and stand up for herself. Rocky confides in Adrian before the fight that though he figured he wouldn't win, he wanted to at least "go the distance."
On January 1, 1976, at the Philadelphia Spectrum, Balboa has his match Creed, who didn't take the fight seriously during training. In the first round, Rocky knocks Creed down, the first time he had ever been knocked down in his career, and Creed breaks Rocky's nose, also for the first time in his career. Creed soon realizes that, although Balboa doesn't have his skill, he could deliver crippling, sledge-hammer like punches, and was stubbornly determined to keep fighting. The match becomes a long and grueling battle for both men. Rocky was almost knocked out in the 14th round, but managed to get back up, and deliver some hard body shots, breaking Creed's ribs just before the bell. The 15th round finally began, and Rocky managed to pummel Creed until the bell rang. Although Creed wins the match by a split decision, it was the first time an opponent has lasted the full 15 rounds against him. Both men, battered beyond belief, agree that there would be no rematch. Rocky was fine with this as he only wanted to go the distance with Creed. After the match, Adrian climbed into the ring and embraced Rocky saying, "I love you!"
Rocky II (setting 1976)
After the match, Creed changes his mind and demands a rematch under the stress of being humiliated by the press for failing to beat Balboa convincingly, as well as his own knowledge that he didn't give his best in the fight. Creed demands a rematch with Balboa, stating that he would fight him 'anywhere, any place, anytime' to prove to the world that Balboa's feat was merely a fluke. Rocky initially declines and retires from boxing, having surgery for retinal detachment, a condition that could lead to permanent blindness. He marries Adrian, who convinces him to live outside boxing. However, Rocky, a grade-school drop-out, soon realizes that he has no white-collar skills beyond the eighth grade, and in fact, he can barely read. The money he made in his real first match is easily and quickly frittered away, so Adrian re-claims her part-time job at the J&M Tropical Fish pet store. At first, Rocky seems to be unaffected by Apollo's smear campaign, but his inexperience with money causes him to run into financial troubles. Rocky struggles to find employment with decent pay, where he is fired from a commercial studio, turned down on an office job, and even laid off at the Shamrock Meat Packing facility. Despite Adrian's objections, after Apollo insults Rocky on national television and the newspaper, he agrees to the rematch. Without Adrian's support, however, Rocky becomes greatly discouraged, and could not draw any concentration into his training whatsoever, leaving Mick frustrated and worried. The now-pregnant Adrian goes into mental labor on the job due to over stress, and slipped into a coma after giving birth to her first child, Robert Jr. When Adrian is out of the coma, she promises her full support to Rocky. Together, Mickey and Rocky train hard, focusing on Rocky's speed and improving his right-handed punching (Rocky being a southpaw). At the same time, Apollo also focused on his training, taking this match much more seriously than the first one. The rematch is set for Thanksgiving. The match goes on for the full 15 rounds, with both Balboa and Creed falling to the canvas after Balboa lands a succession of left hands. Referee Lou Fillipo exercises his 10-count to the limit, and as both Creed and Balboa struggle to get back up, Creed falls back down in exhaustion. Rocky is able to get back up, from sheer determination and beat the 10-count, winning the rematch by knockout, thus becoming heavyweight champion of the world.
Rocky III (setting 1976-1982)
Over the next three years, Rocky has successfully defended his title in 10 consecutive defenses against various contenders, amassing fortune, and worldwide fame in the process. In addition, Rocky also has an exhibition match against the World Heavyweight Wrestling Champion, "Thunderlips" (Hulk Hogan), with the match ending in a draw. However, in 1981, Rocky is challenged by an intense newcomer named James "Clubber" Lang (Mr. T), who has risen to the top of the rankings. Rocky begins having some issues with his trainer Mickey Goldmill due to his revelation of having faced "hand-picked" challengers that were "good fighters, but not 'killers'" which Lang seemingly is. Mickey insists that he would step down as Balboa's manager, if he chooses to fight Lang, but Rocky convinces him to train him for one last match. However, just like Apollo in the first film, Rocky does not put his heart into the training, and this reinforces Mickey's belief, that Rocky has become too comfortable (or "civilized") as champion. Before the match, pandemonium erupts backstage, with Lang shoving Mickey out of the way during a violent exchange of words with Balboa, sending the elderly trainer into cardiac arrest. Distraught over Lang's cold indifference, Rocky requests to call the match off, but Mickey and others urge him on, so Rocky goes to fight Lang no matter what. During the match, Rocky is brutalized by Lang and knocked out in the second round, losing his title; and adding to his defeat, Mick dies of a heart attack after the match, devastating Rocky. After the funeral, a depressed Rocky wanders the streets of Philadelphia until seeing the statue at the steps. In a fit of rage, Rocky throws his motorcycle helmet at the statue, and takes off until entering the now-abandoned Micky's gym. Despairing and lost, Rocky meets Apollo Creed inside the darkened gym, who explains to Balboa that when they fought, he won because he was competitive. He has the 'fire' Apollo no longer has, and the former champion convinces Rocky that he needs to get his fire ("the eye of the tiger") back. Along with his old trainer, Tony "Duke" Evers, Apollo offers to train Rocky for a rematch against Lang, taking Balboa to Los Angeles. While training on the beach, Adrian and Rocky furiously debate, while Apollo trains Rocky to help him get him "back to basics." After a while, Rocky manages to put his doubts behind him and retain his spirits. Fighting with a style very reminiscent of Creed's own boxing technique mixed with his own style, Rocky wins the rematch against Lang by KO, dodging and absorbing Lang's best blows and still standing, regaining his world heavyweight title. After the match, Rocky and Apollo meet again in Mickey's Gym, with Creed taking his "payment" for his training services: one last rematch, just the two of them, and no spectators.
Rocky IV (setting 1982-1985)
In 1985, Apollo Creed agrees to have an exhibition match against Soviet World Amateur Champion and Olympic Gold Medalist-turned-professional fighter Ivan Drago (Dolph Lundgren) in Las Vegas, with Rocky Balboa and Tony "Duke" Evers in his corner. Creed, past his prime but in the best shape, again not taking his opponent seriously, takes a serious beating by Drago in the first round, despite Rocky's orders to stop the fight. In the second round, Creed continues to be brutally beaten by Drago, falling limp in the ring and succumbing to his injuries, never to be alive again. Feeling responsible for Apollo's death and riddled with guilt by Drago's cold indifference, Balboa decides to take on Drago himself, but to do so, he has to surrender his championship. Rocky travels to the cold mountains of Russia and undergoes rigorous training. After much-needed training, his match against Drago takes place on Christmas Day in Moscow. With Evers assuming the role as his new trainer, Balboa trained hard using old-school methods within the mountainous terrain of Krasnoyarsk, Siberia, while Drago trained with state-of-the-art equipment and steroid enhancement.
During the match, Drago gains the upper hand in the early moments of the match, but in the second round, Balboa strikes back against Drago with a haymaker to the eye, cutting him. The match goes on in a bloody back-and-forth battle, with the Soviet crowd, who originally roots for Drago, begins cheering for Balboa, while Drago's handler becomes increasingly upset over his inability to finish Rocky. In the end, Rocky's superior stamina and determination to win perseveres and defeats the heavily-favorited Russian in the fifteenth round. After the match, Rocky gives an passionate thank you speech to the crowd while receiving a standing ovation both from the crowd and the politicians in attendance, effectively ending the Cold War by catalyzing the thaw in relations that would occur between the United States and the Soviet Union.
Rocky V (setting 1985-1986)
After the bout with Drago, Rocky realizes that while he is showering, he has sustained some type of injury from the fight. His hands tremble relentlessly, and he tells Adrian that he is tired and wants to go home, but accidentally addresses her as Mickey. Upon returning to the United States (in a Soviet airplane), his press conference is interrupted by promoter George Washington Duke and Union Cane. They challenge him to a title fight called "Lettin' it Go in Tokyo." Rocky hints about retirement and leaves without accepting the challenge. Once returning home, Rocky goes to say goodnight to his son, Robert Jr., but once Rocky goes downstairs, he overhears Adrian and Paulie arguing, which turns out to be a dramatic life-changing situation. Paulie unknowingly had Rocky signed a power of attorney over to Rocky's investment accountant, who had embezzled and squandered all of his money on real estate deals gone sour. In addition, the accountant had failed to pay Rocky's taxes over the past six years, and his mansion was mortgaged by $400,000. Unwilling to go bankrupt, Rocky decides to participate in a few more fights, including the one against Union Cane, but Adrian demands Rocky to see a doctor first before doing so. Balboa's doctor, Presley Jensen, performs computer-simulated examinations, which reveals that Rocky is diagnosed with a condition called Cavum septum pellucidum, which is brain damage caused by extremely heavy blows to the head. The effects are seemingly permanent and irreversible. With such a condition, it would make it impossible for Rocky to continue boxing in any state. At Adrian's urging, as well as the doctor's support, Rocky acknowledges that it is time to retire, it which he reluctantly does so.
His only remaining asset is the now-closed Mickey's Gym, which had been willed by Mickey to Robert, making it untouchable by the IRS. After selling their mansion and auctioning some of their belongings, Rocky and the family now return to the old neighborhood, moving back into Adrian and Paulie's old house in South Philadelphia. Rocky reopens Mickey's Gym as a means of income, while Adrian returns to work at the J&M Tropical Fish pet store, where she was employed when she first met Rocky. Rocky asks Adrian, "Did we ever leave this place?" One day, Rocky meets a young ruffian boxer from Oklahoma named Tommy Gunn, and begins training him. Tommy slowly becomes an excellent fighter, but suffers some from being constantly put in Rocky's shadow; he is nicknamed "Rocky's Robot" by the media. As Rocky is training Tommy, he becomes so distracted, he ends up neglecting Robert. By Christmas Eve, Duke visits the Balboa residence, but Rocky explains that dealing with Duke would be dirty business. Late at night, Tommy regrets being Rocky's protégé, and leaves him for good. Adrian attempts to comfort Rocky, but Rocky's frustration boils over. After they reconcile, Rocky meets Robert, and they finally pick up the pieces.
Rocky is still anxious as he watches the match with Tommy facing off against Union Cane on television along with Paulie. As the match starts out small, Rocky begins to emote through the first couple of seconds of the fight as Cane becomes effective in hurting Tommy. As Tommy begins to make his adjustments as Rocky taught him, Rocky then mirrors his punches on a punching bag, which disturbs his family. Tommy wins the World Heavyweight title from Union Cane by knockout. Visibly proud of Tommy, Rocky is surprised that Tommy credited his success to Duke instead. However, Tommy is booed and ridiculed in the press--since he had never gone against a "real contender," he is not regarded as a real champion or heir to the belt. This motivates Tommy, with prodding from Duke, to publicly challenge Rocky to a fight.
While Rocky is at a local bar, Tommy steps in and insults Rocky. Paulie responds by sucker punching Tommy with, Rocky rapidly confronting Tommy, and challenging him. Rocky explains to Tommy that his ring is in the alley right outside. As both fighters head to the alley, Duke tries to persuade Tommy to not fight a street fighter, but Tommy squares up on him, saying that he does not own him, and wants his respect. Rocky then starts to beat Tommy quickly without giving him a chance, knocking him down. Rocky tells Tommy that, even though he admired him, he actually ruined their relationship. With Rocky's back turned, Tommy sucker punches him, and also starts attacking some of the bystanders on the side. Tommy gains the upper hand and tackles Rocky through a steel door into the street. The two engage in a street fight, which quickly garners attention of the media, which catches Robert and Adrian's attention as well. As the neighborhood gather around to witness the fight, Tommy's punches begin to slow down Rocky in his tracks due to his condition, and is knocked down, disoriented with Paulie at his side. Tommy is then restrained back from finishing Rocky off. Glimpses of Ivan Drago, his loss to Clubber Lang during his first fight with him, and Mickey's burial start to cloud his mind until he hears Mickey's voice, telling him that he is the champion and to get up. As Tommy walks away, convinced that he finally got what he wanted, Rocky rises up and calls him out for one more round, to which Tommy happily obliges. An adamant Duke reminds Tommy that if he loses this, he will terminate their partnership. In a turn of events, Rocky uses his brawling abilities to punish and humiliate Tommy. With his back toward a gate, Rocky dodges several hooks from Tommy and manages to push him towards the gate, shove him with brute force, and a powerful left hook to knock Tommy down again. Duke, who threatened to sue Rocky if he touched him, becomes infuriated at Tommy, which he gets up and tackles Balboa to the ground, and later lifting him up. Just as Robert joins the crowd, Rocky breaks free from Tommy's grip, performs a reversal that sends Tommy spiraling into a pile of trash cans. Both men now exchange punches with Rocky being the aggressor, making Tommy miss his shots. Rocky is then caught by a series of punches by Tommy, just as Adrian joins the crowd, but then manages to parry Tommy, and begins to walk him down with his devastating shots. Seeing the opportunity, Rocky goes to Tommy's body, then lands perfect headshots, and finishing with a right uppercut that sends Tommy to the grill of a bus, defeating his former protégé. As Adrian and Robert tend to him, Rocky tells Adrian that she was right. The neighborhood's cheer is then silenced by Duke as he tries to sarcastically commend Rocky. He confronts Duke, who still continues to threaten him with a lawsuit. Clenching his fist, he uppercuts Duke to the gut which lifts him off the ground, sending him to the hood of his own limousine, telling him "Sue me for what?" Rocky, Adrian, Robert, and Paulie walk away in good spirits as the neighborhood continue to cheer him on.
Sometime later, Rocky and his son run up the Philadelphia Museum of Art, where Rocky gives him a valuable possession of Mickey Goldmill's, that had been passed on to him by Rocky Marciano. The two make up for the tensions of the past few years, and head into the museum together.
Rocky Balboa (setting 2006)
In 2006, 20 years after the events of Rocky V, Rocky, now in his late fifties, lives a quiet live as a widower. He runs a small but rather successful restaurant called 'Adrian's', named after his wife who, on January 11, 2002, died of ovarian cancer. Rocky is no longer broke, and doing far better than he was in the years prior. Rocky visits Adrian's graveside regularly and each year, on the anniversary of her death, takes a tour of the old places, where their relationship began and blossomed: the now-closed J&M Tropical Fish pet shop where Adrian worked, the former site of the ice skating rink where they had their first date, and Rocky's old apartment, where they fell in love. Rocky's son, Robert Jr., is now working as a struggling mid-level corporate employee, and grows farther apart from his family over the years, but reluctantly joins Rocky to commemorate the anniversaries of his mother's death.
An episode of ESPN's program, Then and Now, airs featuring a computer animated fight simulation between Rocky (in his prime), and the current champion, Mason "The Line" Dixon. The simulation result sees Rocky winning by knockout in the thirteenth round, which stirs up discussion about the result if such a fight ever occurred. Inspired by the simulation and feeling he still has some issues to deal with ("stuff in the basement"), Rocky decides to return to the ring, and applies to renew his boxing license. Though Rocky passes the required physical with flying colors, the licensing committee denies his application, citing his advanced age and their moral duty to protect him from himself. Rocky responds to this with an impassioned speech of his own, however, and they change their minds to renew his license.
The brain damage Balboa is diagnosed with in Rocky V is not addressed in this film, but in interviews, Stallone has said that the storyline explanation would have been that Rocky's brain damage was within the normal range for boxers. When tested for brain damage in Rocky V, Rocky was suffering the effects of a severe concussion as a result of the Drago fight, but he never sought a second or more informed opinion because he intended to retire anyway.
Rocky's intentions were originally just to compete in small, local fights for fun and charity, but with the publicity of Rocky's return right on the heels of the embarrassing computer simulation, Mason Dixon's promoters convince Rocky to challenge the champ in an exhibition match at the MGM Grand in Las Vegas. Originally, also against fighting an aged Balboa, Dixon recognizes the opportunity to fight a legend, and hopes to end all prognosticating about who would win as well as contentions that he has never had a truly great opponent or memorable match. In the press, commentators dismiss Rocky's chances and the merits of the fight, assuming that it will be one-sided due to Rocky's age, despite their original excitement with Rocky's return to the ring, and their doubts regarding Dixon's ability.
As news of the bout spreads, Robert begins to feel more pressure from being Rocky's son, and 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 profound advice: 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 day after this debate, father and son meet over Adrian's grave and reconcile, which is when Robert announces that he has resigned from his job to be at Rocky's ringside. Rocky also reunites with his old trainer, Duke, and both men quickly realize that age and arthritis have sapped Rocky of any speed he once possessed. They decide to focus on his one major remaining weapon: power.
When the match finally begins, it appears to go as lopsided as everyone predicted, with Dixon's speed allowing him to punish Rocky at will, knocking him down twice early on. However, the champion soon realizes Rocky will not back down, and that the elderly Rocky "has bricks in his gloves". The tide turns when Dixon injures his hand while punching Rocky. This evens the playing field and allows Rocky to mount an offense, knocking Dixon down for the first time in the latter's career. During the subsequent rounds, Dixon's injury numbs up, which enables him to throw much harder punches and thereby pose a threat to Rocky. In the final round, it starts out slow for both combatants. After a brief exchange of punches, Dixon catches Rocky with a strong blow, knocking down Rocky for the third time. As Rocky takes the knee, he looks to Robert in the corner and has flashbacks of his time with Adrian, remembering what she said to him about never giving up. As he slowly gets up, the crowd, along with Marie, starts to chant his name, and he rises to Dixon's surprise. As the final thirty seconds unfold, Dixon manages to catch Rocky with quick punches; however, an emotional Rocky retaliates with devastating punches of his own. The two exchange punches, but Rocky gets the final blow before the bell rings. In the end, the two fighters go the distance and show their appreciation for each other. Before the winner is announced, Rocky and his entourage make their way out of the ring in celebration. As Dixon is announced the winner by split decision (Dixon wins in the theatrical release, Balboa wins in an alternate ending ), Rocky thanks each and every one of his group, and with Robert and Paulie by his side, they turn Rocky around and raise his arms as the audience gives him a heartfelt standing ovation. Dixon is finally recognized as being a warrior for fighting through every round and Rocky proves to the world that he is no joke, mirroring the ending of the first film.
After the fight, Rocky visits Adrian's grave and puts flowers on top, telling her, "Yo, Adrian, we did it", which is a play on the second film's line, "Yo, Adrian, I did it!". Rocky is last seen walking away from the grave and waving goodbye one last time.
Creed (setting 2015)
Since Rocky's very last fight, his brother-in-law, Paulie has died in 2012. In addition, his statue has been re-installed at the Philadelphia Museum of Art at the bottom of the steps. Three years later, Rocky is visited at Adrian's by Adonis "Donnie" Johnson Creed (Michael B. Jordan) - Apollo's illegitimate son, who grew up serving time in a juvenile detention center in Los Angeles. When Donnie grew up, he once worked as a securities firm, but eventually resigned to be a boxer, and moved to Philadelphia. Donnie meets Rocky at Adrian's restaurant, and requests him to train him, but is reluctant to come back to the sport of boxing after his severe brain trauma and a one-off comeback. Days after his initial offer, Rocky recommends him to his friend, Pete Sporino (Ritchie Coster), who currently runs Mighty Mick's Gym. After deep thought, Rocky finally agrees to takes Donnie as his new protégé.
Wanting to train in the old-school style, Donnie moves in with Rocky, staying in Paulie's former room. While Donnie notices an old picture of Rocky and his son, Robert (an actual picture of Sylvester Stallone and a young Sage Stallone), Rocky reveals that Robert had moved to Vancouver with his girlfriend, because of the difficulties he faced trying to be independent in Philadelphia, but does check on his father every now and then. Pete, who initially wanted Rocky to be a part of his son, Leo's (Gabriel Rosado) team, challenges Adonis to a fight his son, in which Rocky shows reluctance again, but then both agree. Instead of training at Mighty Mick's Gym, Rocky takes Adonis to train at Front Street Gym, where he surprises Donnie with a corner team and apparel. Before the fight, Pete pulls Rocky aside to address the rumors of Donnie being Apollo's son, which Rocky confirms and tells him that he should not speak of it to anyone else. After Donnie's win, the media heavily publicized the story of Apollo's infidelity, which catches the eye of Tommy Holiday (Graham McTavish), who is looking for the final person to fight his trainee, light-heavyweight champion "Pretty" Ricky Conlan (Tony Bellew). While training, Rocky suddenly grows weak, vomits, and collapses in the gym. After doing a string of test ordered by the doctors at the emergency room, Rocky is diagnosed with an early case of non-Hodgkins lymphoma, making him confront his own mortality; the deadliest fight he's ever been in. At first, Rocky was hesitant to the option of chemotherapy as he remembers the pain Adrian experienced as she underwent treatment for ovarian cancer.
After a bitter argument with the former heavyweight champion, Donnie, greatly impacted by his coach's diagnosis, makes a pact with Rocky that they would fight their battles together, as Donnie prepares for his bout with Conlan and as Rocky undergoes treatment. As Donnie moves on in training, the effects of treatment begin to weaken Rocky, and because of this, Donnie acts as a caregiver to Rocky while helping him get up and go to the restroom and uses the medical facility to his advantage; shadowboxing in the corridors and running up the stairs, passing doctors and nurses. With the match taking place in Liverpool, a calm Rocky teaches Donnie the hysterics that would ensue during the pre-fright press conference when Conlan tries to play mind games, and later helps in Donnie's girlfriend Bianca (Tessa Thompson) surprising Donnie in his hotel room. During the match, Balboa stands in Donnie's corner along with Bianca. Before the final round, Rocky grows concerned about the injuries that Donnie has sustained and tells him he's stopping the fight. However, Donnie wants to prove that he is "not a mistake", which emotionally impacts Rocky. He then tells Donnie that he wishes that he had the chance to thank Apollo when Mickey died, but it doesn't match his appreciation of Donnie's tenacity that motivated him in his battle against his illness, and tells him that he admires him.
The film concludes with Donnie taking a frail, but rather improving, Rocky back to the steps of the Philadelphia Museum of Art, in which he says is his "most favorite place." Both look toward the Philadelphia skyline, remaining positive about their futures.
Maps Rocky Balboa
Personal life
Balboa resides in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, and married Adriana "Adrian" Pennino in 1976. They were married for 26 years. The two have a son, Robert "Rocky" Balboa Jr., who unlike his father goes by Robert.
After Adrian's death in 2002, Rocky and his brother-in-law Paulie live together for a short time, then Paulie moves in with an unnamed girlfriend. Now living completely alone again, Rocky cannot come to terms with present-day living and constantly thinks about the past. With the help of Paulie and reunited long-time acquaintance Marie, Rocky begins to move on with his life and in the process restores his relationship with his only child, his son Robert. Rocky's relationship with Marie is established as platonic in the film, but a hint of a romantic interest is revealed with a kiss on the lips the night before the last fight of his life.
Character origin
The name, iconography, and fighting style of Rocky Balboa were inspired by the legendary heavyweight champion Rocky Marciano from Brockton, Massachusetts and from the 5 times world champion Roberto 'Manos de Piedra (Hands of Stone)' Duran, from Panama, where the Balboa is the official currency. Balboa was also inspired by other fighting legends: Joe Frazier, for his Philadelphia origin, training methods and victory against Muhammad Ali (the inspiration for Apollo Creed), and Jake LaMotta, for his Italian-inner city roots, ability to absorb many blows and his rivalry with Sugar Ray Robinson, which heavily resembled Rocky and Apollo's. However, it was the not-so-legendary Chuck Wepner who inspired the movie and Balboa's underdog personality.
Boxing style
Rocky Balboa fights as a southpaw (left-handed). In the second film, against Apollo Creed, he comes out orthodox and Mickey intends for him to switch back to southpaw late in the last round, but Balboa refuses saying "no tricks, I ain't switching". Mickey tells him that Apollo is ready for him (if he continues using his right) and so towards the end of the round, he does indeed lead with his left. The real reason for this is Sylvester Stallone tore his pectoral muscles in training, but the idea was probably taken from the great left-handed boxer "Marvelous" Marvin Hagler who would sometimes come out orthodox to confuse opponents.
Rocky was an all-or-nothing brawler coming into his first bout with Creed; however, under the training of Mickey, he began to develop his boxing skills ahead of the rematch, which he eventually mastered. During his reign as world champion, he became a world class 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 often advances quickly upon his opponents, driving them into the ropes in order to attack the body. Balboa's best attribute is without question his near-superhuman ability to absorb a multitude of the hardest hits without falling -- an attribute he often employs on purpose to wear down his opponents, sacrificing defensive strategy to land his own punches. Because of this rare talent, Balboa can afford to keep his hands in position to strike rather than up high to block. Because he takes more punches than he throws, it is easy to overlook his incredible punching power. Rocky also has an uncanny ability to sense weakness in his opponents, often capitalizing on every shift in momentum possible. He is acknowledged as having the most devastating body attack in the sport, with his body blows causing internal bleeding in Creed and breaking Drago's ribs. After going two rounds with Balboa, Ivan Drago told his trainer (in Russian), "He's not human, he's like a piece of iron." Mason Dixon once remarked about Balboa: "that guy's got bricks in his gloves." These qualities, in concert, helped land him a high percentage of KO victories over the course of his career.
Honors
Rocky Balboa was named the 7th greatest movie hero by the American Film Institute on their 100 Years... 100 Heroes and Villains list. Additionally, he was ranked #34 on Empire Magazine's compilation of The 100 Greatest Movie Characters. Premiere magazine ranked Rocky Balboa #64 on their list of The 100 Greatest Movie Characters of All Time.
The Rocky character is immortalised by a bronze statue erected near the Rocky Steps in Philadelphia recalling the famous scene from the original Rocky movie.
In 2011, Sylvester Stallone was inducted into the International Boxing Hall of Fame for his work on the Rocky Balboa character, having "entertained and inspired boxing fans from around the world". Additionally, Stallone was awarded the Boxing Writers Association of America award for "Lifetime Cinematic Achievement in Boxing."
A poll of former heavyweight champions and boxing writers ranked Balboa as the best boxer in the film series.
In 2014, Rocky Balboa was the Inaugural Induction to the Fictitious Athlete Hall of Fame.
Merchandising
Hasbro intended to license Rocky and make him a member of the G.I. Joe toyline, as they had with wrestler Sgt. Slaughter and began negotiations with Stallone's representation. Marvel Comics' G.I. Joe: Order of Battle profile book came out during the negotiations and included Rocky as a current Joe member, specializing in hand-to-hand combat training and an example of what it means to persevere under seemingly impossible odds. Balboa also appeared on the cover of the issue. In the meantime, Stallone's agents made a deal with Coleco to produce Rambo figures in order to compete with the G.I. Joe line. Hasbro, who was working on a toy prototype at the time, decided to end negotiations at that point. Marvel ran a retraction in the third issue of the limited-run series indicating that the character was not, and never had been, a part of G.I. Joe. The trade paperback edition of the series, published in July 1987, omitted the page featuring Balboa altogether.
Between 2006 and 2008, Jakks Pacific released six series of figures, each focused on one of the movies in the film series. Additionally, two "Best Of" series were released, as well as several collector's box sets, boxing ring playsets, and limited edition exclusive figures.
See also
- Little Mac
References
External links
Source of article : Wikipedia
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