Although Sylvester Stallone has no formal martial arts training that we know of, we must presume that filming 6 Rocky films would have included a lot of boxing training, and that shows in the movies where he does a great job as Rocky Balboa.
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. 8-ranked heavyweight in the world.
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.
Hollywood actor Sylvester Stallone has long been an advocate for the sport of boxing. While he is known for playing the role of a fictional boxer in 'Rocky', only a few people know that he is actually very well trained in the sport.
Wesley Snipes on fighting Stallone, job as parking lot attendant, time as puppeteer & more (1993)
Would Rocky be a good fighter in real life?
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.
I mean, just listen to these tales from the Rocky series Sylvester Stallone recounted Monday night with Jimmy Fallon. In order to give some scenes that extra hint of realism, Stallone, not an actual boxer, agreed to take some actual punches to the face.
Sylvester Stallone was never a boxer himself. But he contributed to the sport through his franchise. The series of movies played a significant role in the promotion of sports and increase boxing's popularity. It is safe to say that many people became strong fans of the sport after watching Stallone's movies.
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" ...
Rocky possessed two far-reaching and deadly punches – his overhand right and his left hook. An overhand right in boxing is where you throw your punch over your shoulder, like a baseball. Rocky would propel himself forward, shifting his entire body weight into his punch.
Did Sylvester Stallone do his own fighting in Rocky?
As well as doing his own stunts, Stallone has previously revealed that one fight scene in Rocky IV could have killed him after things got a bit too real during filming.
Rocky (1976) - Rocky takes place between November 1975 and January 1, 1976, which was the date of the first Creed vs. Balboa fight to celebrate America's Bicentennial. Rocky was said to be 30 the first time he faced Apollo Creed and he lost the fight in a split decision after going the full 15 rounds with the champ.
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.
Ivan Drago: Drago was a Soviet boxer who was trained to be a killing machine. He was incredibly strong and had a powerful punch. Rocky faced Drago in a 15-round fight in Rocky IV, and it was one of the most brutal fights in boxing history.
*Note: The fight with Tommy Gunn is not recognized, as it is a street fight, and therefore, illegal—but Rocky shows him who the real champ is. Height: 5 ft., 10 in. Weight: 210 lb. Reach: 74 in.
While it is unclear if Winkler inhibited Stallone's ownership in any way throughout the franchise's history, Stallone evidently blames Winkler — and other producers — for financially taking advantage of artists and profiting from their work.
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.
Marciano is the only world champion to complete his career undefeated. Marciano had a 12-fight amateur career during which he won the New England Golden Gloves title before losing to Coley Wallace in the Eastern Championships. It would be his last defeat inside a boxing ring.
Rocky has suffered from brain damage caused by the head-trauma he received at the hands of Ivan Drago.. Because of his injuries, Rocky is forced to officially retire from boxing. His home and belongings are sold to pay the debt and the Balboas move back to their old working-class neighborhood in Philadelphia.
Stallone lifted weights with Arnold, but did not compete in bodybuilding. Franco Columbu was a personal trainer as well as Arnold's training partner, and Stallone was one of his clients.
However, like another boxing legend Muhammad Ali, Stallone didn't list in the armed forces during the Vietnam war. He was a college student in 1969, which made him eligible for the draft. However, he was diagnosed with partial paralysis in his face which would have removed him from the draft.
