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Rocky Balboa
Rocky in the theatrical poster for Rocky III.
Statistics
Real name	Robert Balboa, Sr.
Nickname(s)	The Italian Stallion, Philadelphia's Favorite Son, The Philadelphia Slugger, The Iron Horse from Philadelphia
Rated at	Heavyweight
Nationality	American
Birth date	{{{birth_date}}}
Birth place	{{{birth_place}}}
Stance	Southpaw
Boxing record
Total fights	81
Wins	57
Wins by KO	51
Losses	24
Draws	2

Robert "Rocky" Balboa, Sr. (b. July 7, 1945) is a fictional boxer created and portrayed by Sylvester Stallone who has appeared in the Rocky series from 1976 to 2006. He is famous for being extremely tenacious and 'fighting with his heart', as his trainer Mickey Goldmill famously intones. His style, endurance, determination and pleasant personality greatly resemble the real life heavy weight champion, Rocky Marciano, even though the creation of the character was directly inspired by Chuck Wepner.

Contents 1 Biography 1.1 Humble beginnings: background 1.2 The breakthrough 1.3 The Stallion vs. The King: the rematch 1.4 The best of times and the worst of times 1.5 Hard times 1.6 Looking forward to the future 2 Personal life 3 Fight record 4 Character origin 5 Boxing style 6 References 7 External links

Robert Balboa was born on July 7, 1945 as the only child to a Roman Catholic family. Young Rocky was always insulted by his father due to his low intelligence. His father once told him that "if you can't use your brain, use you body instead". This advised him to take up boxing, here he trains very hard so he can grow up to be like his idol Rocky Marciano (hence the nickname). Not so soon, he quit school after the ninth grade. Up to 1975, Balboa was living in the slums of Kensington, Philadelphia working as an enforcer for a local loan shark while at the same time fighting the local club circuit (where he gained his nickname "The Italian Stallion"). By this time, Rocky had fought in 64 fights, winning 44 (38 knockouts) and losing 20. A source of pride for Balboa was that he had never had his nose broken in a professional fight, though this would happen in his first fight with Apollo Creed.

Balboa got his big break when Undisputed World Heavyweight Champion Apollo Creed decided that he wanted to give some local talent in Philadelphia a chance to fight for his title. After some debate, Creed chose to fight Balboa, whom Creed dismissed as a nobody. Local boxing trainer Mickey Goldmill agreed to take Balboa under his wing, and trained Balboa hard. Against all odds, Rocky went the distance with Creed. Though Creed won the fight by split decision, it was the first time an opponent had lasted the full 15 rounds of a championship fight.

In 1976, Creed desired a rematch with Balboa, hoping to dismiss some public opinion that Balboa had been the actual victor of their first fight or that Creed had fixed the bout. Rocky got the better of Creed this time, winning the rematch by knockout (in a heart-pounding sequence, when both Balboa and Creed fall to the canvas and struggle mightily to get up) and becoming heavyweight champion of the world.

Over the next few years Balboa would successfully defend his title in ten consecutive defenses against various contenders, including the German Heavyweight Champion. In addition, Balboa would also fight an exhibition bout against the World Heavyweight Wrestling Champion Thunderlips. However, in 1981, Balboa was challenged by a newcomer in the high ranks of boxing, James "Clubber" Lang. Balboa had some issues with his trainer Mickey Goldmill due to his revelation of having faced "hand-picked" challengers that were "good fighters, but not 'killers'"; Mickey insisted that he would quit as Balboa's manager if he chose to fight Lang, but Balboa convinced him to train him for one last match. Lang shoved Goldmill out of the way before the match, gravely injuring him, which threw Balboa off his game. He was then knocked out in the second round, losing his title; adding to his defeat, Goldmill died of complications from the injuries after the match, devastating Balboa. Despairing, Balboa was met by Apollo Creed, who offered to train him for a rematch and even gave him his signature red, white and blue trunks to wear. He won the second match with Lang by KO in the third round, regaining his World Heavyweight title.

By 1985, Creed and Balboa had been training together for quite some time, but Creed was itching to fight again after a five-year hiatus. He got his chance in a charity event at the MGM Grand in Las Vegas with a fearsome Soviet World Amateur Champion and Olympic Gold Medalist-turned-professional fighter, Ivan Drago. The fight started off in a lighthearted manner, with Creed dancing on stage with James Brown performing Living in America; Creed continued his cocky demeanor in the ring with quick, fancy footwork. He started off landing a few seemingly ineffective punches on Drago, but the tide turned quickly, as Creed was brutally beaten by the end of the first round. Balboa pleaded with him to quit the fight, but Creed insisted that he would not give up. In the second round, Creed was savaged by Drago, and fell limp in the ring just as Rocky threw in the towel. The bloody and unconscious Apollo then appeared to die in the ring, as he was being cradled by Balboa. Feeling responsible and facing overwhelming public outrage, Balboa set up a match with Drago, but there was a catch, as stipulated by the Soviets: the fight was to be held on Christmas Day in the Soviet Union.

After flying out to the USSR, Balboa was given nothing but a simple log cabin and seemingly endless reaches of snowy, mountainous terrain in which to train. Soviet KGB agents also followed his movements wherever he went. When it came time for the fight, Balboa faced a stadium, and by extension a country, full of Soviets cheering for Ivan Drago. The fight started off much as Drago's fight with Creed had, with Drago absorbing punch after punch with no visible signs of damage, while pounding on Rocky relentlessly. After two rounds of abuse, Balboa caught Drago with a haymaker to the eye and cut him, shocking the huge Russian and allowing Balboa an opening to pound Drago. The fight continued in a bloody back-and-forth battle, with the Soviet crowd slowly turning to Balboa’s side. The fight ended dramatically with Rocky knocking out Ivan Drago in the last few seconds of the fight. After the fight, Balboa announced to the crowd, with the help of the ring translator, that a war between two fighters was much better than one between two countries, saying that "If I can change, and you can change, everybody can change!" After the fight with Drago, Balboa started to experience spasms in his hands, an indication of how great the beating caused by Drago truly had been.

In 1986 his doctor discovered that Rocky had suffered significant brain damage, caused by repeated blows to the head. As a result, Rocky was forced to retire. His brother-in-law, Paulie, took a foolish risk with Balboa's fortune by granting power of attorney to their accountant, which led to Balboa losing all of his money. He was then forced to return to the Philadelphia slums from where he was raised. Though retired from boxing himself, Balboa started training an up-and-coming fighter, Tommy Gunn, who is also his wingman. Gunn slowly became an excellent fighter, but by Christmas 1988 he ended up leaving his trainer Balboa over an argument about whether Balboa was holding him back and won the World Heavweight title from Union Cane in January, 1989. However, he was ridiculed in the press- since he had never fought Rocky, he was not regarded as a real champion or heir to the belt. This motivated Gunn to challenge Rocky to a fight. Balboa initially declined, but their tension culminated in a street brawl in which Balboa defeated Gunn.

In 2006, 30 years after Apollo Creed chose Rocky Balboa to fight him , the aging (60 years old) champion is living out his days running a small Italian restaurant in Philadelphia, Adrian's; though his financial troubles are behind him, his wife has since died and his son is finding it difficult to get out of the shadow of his still famous father. One day, watching ESPN at a bar, he sees a computer-generated version of a hypothetical fight between the past champ, Rocky (in his prime), and the present one, Mason "The Line" Dixon. The fight has Rocky winning by knockout in the 11th round, and it stirs up some commotion. Hoping to save face by proving that he can easily beat the former champion, Dixon challenges Rocky to a exhibition fight. In the press, commentators dismiss Rocky's chances, assuring that the fight will be one-sided and embarrassing. After convincing his son of why he still has one fight left in him, and training one last time, Rocky gets back in the ring. As the fight begins Rocky goes toe-to-toe against Mason, in later rounds Rocky shocks the public as a sixty year old fighter exchange punches with a much younger fighter (even knocking Mason down once in the early rounds), in the end Mason wins by split decision, but not in the public's opinion, and Rocky leaves the ring for the last time being ovated by the crowd.

Balboa is a good friend of Paulie Pennino, whose sister, Adrian Pennino married Balboa from 1976 up to her death in 2003 after succumbing to ovarian cancer. During her life with Balboa, Adrian was always supporting him during his matches and in fact was his motivation and inspiration to win.

Adrian also bore Rocky a son, Robert Balboa, Jr., in 1976, which was actually a complicated birth leading Adrian to be temporarily into a coma.

Aside from Paulie, Rocky has allies in Spider Rico, the late Apollo Creed, and many others who once had competitions with him.

In total, Rocky Balboa was involved in "complete" fights against seven opponents:

• 1975: Spider Rico (Win-KO)
• 1976: Apollo Creed (Loss-SD)
• 1976: Apollo Creed (Win-KO)
• 1977: Joe Czak (Win-KO)
• 1977: Big Yank Ball (Win-KO)
• 1978: Vito Soto (Win-KO)
• 1981: Thunderlips* (Draw)
• 1981: James "Clubber" Lang (Loss-KO)
• 1981: James "Clubber" Lang (Win-KO)
• 1985: Ivan "Death from Above" Drago (Win-KO)
• 1989: Tommy "The Machine" Gunn (Street Fight) (Win-KO)
• 2006: Mason "The Line" Dixon (Loss-SD)

(*) - wrestling vs. boxing

Total record 57 wins (51 KO), 23 Losses, 1 Draw.
Res.	Opponent	Type	Rd	Location	Date	Notes
Loss	Mason Dixon	Split decision	10	Las Vegas, Nevada	26-02-2007	Charity Exhibition Rocky made an incredible comeback after not fighting for nearly 20 years
Win	Ivan Drago	KO	15	Moscow, Russia	25-12-1985	Exhibition Rocky gave title up to fight Drago, He then retired in 1986 due to brain damage
Win	Clubber Lang	KO	3	New York City, New York	31-10-1981	Rocky wins the World Heavyweight Championship Goes into semi retirement, remains Ring magazine champion
Loss	Clubber Lang	KO	2	New York City, New York	15-08-1981	Title defense, Rocky loses title
Draw	Thunderlips	Draw	N/A	N/A	10-02-1981	Charity match
Win	Unknown	KO	N/A	N/A	29-01-1981	Title defense
Win	Unknown	KO	N/A	N/A	07-09-1980	Title defense
Win	Unknown	KO	N/A	N/A	17-03-1980	Title defense
Win	Unknown	KO	N/A	N/A	24-08-1979	Title defense
Win	Unknown	KO	N/A	N/A	09-01-1979	Title defense
Win	Unknown	KO	N/A	N/A	03-10-1978	Title defense
Win	Vito Soto	KO	N/A	N/A	16-02-1978	Title defense
Win	Big Yank Ball	KO	N/A	Las Vegas, Nevada	13-11-1977	Title defense
Win	Joe Czak	KO	N/A	N/A	01-08-1977	Title defense
Win	Unknown	KO	N/A	N/A	06-04-1977	Title defense
Win	Apollo Creed	KO	15	Philadelphia, Pennsylvania	27-11-1976	Rocky wins the World Heavyweight Championship
Loss	Apollo Creed	Split Decision	15	Philadelphia, Pennsylvania	01-01-1976	For the World Heavyweight Championship
Win	Spider Rico	KO	2	Philadelphia, Pennsylvania	25-11-1975

• Before fighting Spider Rico, Rocky's record was 43 wins, (37 KO), 20 losses.
• This record only contains fights seen in the Rocky movies.

“	Early in my acting career I realized the only way I would ever prove myself was to create my own role in my own script. On my 29th birthday, I had $106 in the bank. My best birthday present was a sudden revelation that I had to write the kind of screenplay that I personally enjoyed seeing. I relished stories of heroism, great love, dignity, and courage, dramas of people rising above their stations, taking life by the throat and not letting go until they succeeded. But I had so many ideas in my head, I couldn't focus on any one. To cheer myself up, I took the last of my entertainment money and went to see the Ali-Wepner fight on closed circuit TV. Chuck Wepner, a battling, bruising club fighter who had never made the big time, was having his shot. It wasn't at all regarded as a serious battle. But as the fight progressed, this miracle unfolded. He hung in there. People went absolutely crazy. Wepner was knocked out in the 15th and final round, almost lasting the distance. We had witnessed an incredible triumph of the human spirit and we loved it. That night, Rocky Balboa was born. People looked on him as the all-American tragedy, a man without much mentality and few social graces. But he has deep emotion and spirituality and good patriotism. And he has a good nature, although nature has not been particularly good to him. I have always seen him as a 20th Century gladiator in a pair of sneakers. Like so many of us, he is out of sync with the times. To all this, I injected doses of my own personal life, of my frustration at not getting anywhere.	”
—Sylvester Stallone[1]

Though right-handed, Rocky fights as a southpaw (left-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 an "iron" will, 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.

During his career, Rocky defeated three previously undefeated fighters: Apollo Creed, Clubber Lang, and Ivan Drago. He wore black and gold trunks for the majority of his career, but popularized the red, white and blue trunks after having been given them as a gift by Creed.

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.^[2]

1. ^ http://www.totalrocky.com/films/rocky/production.html
2. ^ http://www.boxingscene.com/?m=show&id=7080

• Rocky Balboa at the Internet Movie Database
• Report on Rocky 6 and comparison to Rocky Marciano
• AUDIO: Sylvester Stallone on boxing and faith
• {fr} Rocky BALBOA sur le site Stallone.biz
• Rocky Balboa statue in Serbia
• Photo of Rocky Balboa statue at Philadelphia Museum.
• Rocky Balboa on Rocky Wikia

v • d • e Rocky series
Films	Rocky · Rocky II · Rocky III · Rocky IV · Rocky V · Rocky Balboa
Characters	Rocky Balboa · Mickey Goldmill · Apollo Creed · Clubber Lang · Ivan Drago
Video games	Rocky · Rocky Legends
Related articles	Rocky music · Rocky Steps
Related articles (Boxing)	The distance · The "Real" Rocky · Southpaw · World Heavyweight Championship