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.
Apollo Creed was the heavyweight champion of the world heading into his first fight with Rocky Balboa, and was unanimously seen by fans and boxing experts alike as being a far superior fighter to the unheralded slugger Rocky. That was the whole point of the original Rocky movie. Rocky Balboa was a nobody.
The combination of his extensive boxing knowledge and in-ring ability makes Apollo Creed the strongest opponent faced by either Rocky Balboa or Adonis Creed.
However, he never faced off against anyone as tough as Ivan Drago, who was played by Dolph Lundgren. Drago is built up as a machine who's much bigger and stronger than any other boxer. His fighting style relied on pure power.
Far and away, Rocky's easiest opponent - simply by virtue of the fact that he's not a boxer, has no skill in the ring and really just took to throwing the Italian Stallion all over the place. Sure, he's got the height and weight on the champ, but Rocky should have put him down easily.
Ranking Rocky/Creed Opponents from Weakest to Strongest
Who was Rocky's toughest opponent?
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.
More From Men's Health. "If the fighters wore to remain upright Rocky would prevail," he said. "His body punches and right hooks would eventually beat Rambo… If the fight goes to the ground, Rambo will prevail.
It's clear after examining the careers of both fighters, that Rocky Balboa would defeat Adonis Creed, due to his track record of taking down undefeated boxing icons. Of Rocky's 57 victories, 54 are by knock out.
He first appeared in the 1985 film Rocky IV, in which he is Rocky Balboa's rival and the main antagonist. In Creed II, it is revealed that after Ivan's loss to Rocky, Ivan was disgraced by the USSR, where he was shamed and kicked out of the country, tainting the Drago name forever.
The best fight in the entire franchise can be found in the first Rocky movie, with the original fight between Rocky Balboa and Apollo Creed at the top of the list. There are very few boxing matches in the first Rocky, making the final fight even more impactful.
Though he would later become a more technical fighter as his career progressed, Rocky's primary calling card was his indomitable resilience. He could take punches like no other fighter, shown in his remarkable victory over Ivan Drago. The same Ivan Drago that had punches more powerful than anybody else on Earth.
Lang, who has trained with ruthless vigor, recovers and easily knocks out Rocky in the second round, causing Rocky to lose his title. After the match, Rocky visits Mickey, who then dies of a heart attack, devastating Rocky.
Rocky wasn't always the better boxer in terms of technique, but his ability to go the distance and take an obscene amount of punishment is ultimately what won him almost every notable fight he was a part of during the series.
As Jergens declares Creed the winner by virtue of a split decision, Rocky and Adrian embrace and profess their love for each other, not caring about the outcome of the fight.
SPOILER: In the final theatrical release of the film, Adonis Creed loses the fight to Pretty Ricky Conlan by split decision, mirroring the end of the original Rocky.
Rocky's brother-in-law Paulie tried to defend Rocky by pointing out that Tommy betrayed him to satisfy both his and Duke's greed, but this only incites an angry Tommy to punch Paulie in the face, much to Rocky's distraught.
As such, Drago trains himself for the event, even getting himself injected with steroids by his trainers Manuel Vega and Sergei Rimsky to intensify his strength. During the match, Drago seemed to have the upper hand, but Rocky manages to fight back, earning the respect of the Soviet audience.
Burt Young, a onetime prizefighter from Queens who played multifaceted tough guys in dozens of movies and television shows, becoming a fixture of the Rocky franchise with his Oscar-nominated portrayal of Paulie Pennino, Rocky Balboa's best friend turned cornerman, has died.
Sticking just with boxing, Balboa's style was based chiefly on two real life boxers — namely the great Rocky Marciano & a lesser known boxer named Chuck Wepner (top right vs Ali).
Apollo Creed (played by Carl Weathers) appears and is mentioned in every movie, with the boxer being the main villain of Rocky and Rocky II. At the time of the first film, Apollo is the world heavyweight champion that gives Rocky his shot at fame.
Why Apollo Creed Would Beat Clubber Lang. The fight would be one for the history books, and it would surely be close, but in the end Apollo Creed's superior skill as a boxer would win out over Clubber Lang's superior strength.
The actor has long been galled by the fact that, as a young unknown in Hollywood, he signed a deal in which he gave up ownership of the “Rocky” franchise, which he created. (Stallone wrote the film.) Since at least 1976, Rocky's rights have been in the hands of producer Irwin Winkler.
Rocky's brawler strategy is what beat Drago. He didn't use the finesse that Apollo and Duke taught him. No fancy footwork or jabs would've worked against Drago. Drago had too long a reach and height advantage for either of those to work.
Why didn't Sylvester Stallone win an Oscar for Rocky? “Rocky” won everything else. Burgess Meredith won for best supporting actor. Talia Shire won for best supporting actress.
