One intriguing revelation in Sly is the origin story behind the name Rocky Balboa. During an interview with Rolling Stone, director Thom Zimny shed light on the inspiration behind the name of the title character in Rocky. Stallone drew from the street where he once lived, Balboa Boulevard, to name his iconic character.
While the story of his first film was partly inspired by a 1975 fight between underdog Chuck Wepner and heavyweight champion Muhammad Ali (which nearly went the 15 round distance despite the odds), the inspiration for the name, iconography and fighting style came from boxing legend Rocco Francis "Rocky Marciano" ...
Where did Sylvester Stallone get the name Rocky Balboa from?
“Sly had a knack for seeing the world as a source of creative inspiration despite the circumstances. Another great example of this was his choice to name a character after Balboa Boulevard, the street where he had a dingy, modest apartment.
The character of "Rocky Balboa" was partially inspired by former heavyweight Chuck Wepner. I am sure that moment meant more to Wepner than any money he could ever receive from fighting because now he had run the complete circle. This is why he had been training for 34 years.
Both Rocky Balboa, the character, and Sylvester Stallone, who created and embodied him, were inspired by Rocky Marciano, the nineteen-fifties heavyweight, who is now much less known than his fictional namesake.
The Real Story of How Stallone Came Up With 'Rocky'
Why is it called Rocky Balboa and not Rocky 6?
So much time had passed since the release of Rocky V that the movie really stands on its own. Calling it Rocky VI probably didn't seem the most appropriate move, especially considering how unpopular Rocky V is amongst fans.
Now, you're wondering whether or not Rocky was based on a real person. The answer is yes and no: while this film focuses on fictional characters like Rocky Balboa and his opponent Apollo Creed, it was inspired by the life of real-life boxer and former World Heavyweight Champion Rocky Marciano.
Lang is a professional boxer from Chicago, Illinois, and is a one-time world heavyweight champion, having taken the title from Rocky Balboa only to lose it back to Balboa in his next fight. The character is very loosely based on a combination of Sonny Liston, Larry Holmes, and George Foreman.
Although Apollo Creed's boxing style was based on Muhammad Ali's, Adonis uses a different style. Adonis has an orthodox stance like his father, yet Michael B. Jordan and Ryan Coogler wanted Adonis style to be "unorthodox". They modeled Adonis' style on Timothy Bradley, a real life boxer from California.
While Rocky 7 could have been exciting, it's a good thing that it never happened. After the franchise's worst movie, Rocky V, was released in 1990, the franchise went on a hiatus for 16 years, only returning with Rocky Balboa in 2006.
According to Stallone, these were his weights for each of the first four Rocky movies: Rocky I: 178 pounds. Rocky II: 200 pounds. Rocky III: 166 pounds.
Stallone's clash with Winkler is an even bigger reason for his absence in “Creed III,” so big that it might mean Stallone never plays Rocky again. The two have long feuded over rights to the “Rocky” franchise, which Winkler has owned since the Oscar-winning 1976 original.
His mother was an American from Washington, D.C., with Breton French and Ukrainian Jewish ancestry, while his father was an Italian immigrant from Gioia del Colle who moved to the U.S. in the 1930s.
In 2006, Rocky and Steps visited Punchy's dog pound, and Rocky chose Punchy. After being adopted by Rocky and Steps, Punchy was seen sitting in his dog bed at Adrian's (where he was called 'ugly' by Paulie) and he was with Rocky on his walk with Marie. Punchy was also running alongside Rocky when he was training.
Despite being the face of the Rocky franchise, Stallone chose not to appear in Creed III due to creative differences with producer Irwin Winkler as well as with Jordan, although he is still a producer on the film. According to Stallone, the film had a much darker tone that he didn't agree with.
Milo Ventimiglia as Rocky Balboa Jr.: Rocky's estranged son, who moved to Vancouver in the period between Rocky Balboa (2006) and Creed and is now a father himself.
Ivan Drago is an Olympic gold medalist and a boxing champion from the Soviet Union, who had an amateur record of 100–0–0 wins (100 KO). He is billed at 1.97 m (6 ft 5+1⁄2 in) and 261 pounds (118 kg).
He appeared in the first four Rocky films. Creed is the main antagonist in Rocky and Rocky II, and one of the protagonists in Rocky III and Rocky IV. Sylvester Stallone, the writer and star of Rocky, said "[Jack] Johnson served as the inspiration for the character of Apollo Creed."
While the boxing matches are inspiring, bloody, and well-filmed, they aren't nearly as accurate as the fights in other movies, like the one at the end of Raging Bull. This pattern of unrealistic fights is true for almost every boxing match throughout the Rocky and Creed movies, except one.
According to Essentially Sports, despite his talents, Sylvester Stallone has never served in the military. However, in 1969, when he was a student, he was eligible for the draft. Unfortunately, due to partial paralysis in his face, officials had to remove him from the draft.
Though he's one of the most iconic boxers of all time, Rocky's Rocky Balboa wouldn't necessarily fare so well against real-life modern heavyweight champions. Since his first appearance in his eponymous 1976 sports drama classic, Rocky has become one of the most well-known boxers, despite being entirely fictional.
Read on. (Note: ESPN Classic will be showing "Rocky" at 8 p.m. ET on Sunday.) In Reel Life: Rocky Balboa is a 30-year-old club fighter. In Real Life: Sylvester Stallone was inspired by Chuck Wepner, a 35-year-old club fighter who also happened to be the No.
