Rocky Balboa

Infobox_Boxer
name = Rocky Balboa
nationality = United States
realname = Robert Balboa, Sr.


caption = Balboa as portrayed in the film "Rocky Balboa".
nickname = The Italian Stallion,
Philadelphia's Favorite Son,
The Philadelphia Slugger,
The Iron Horse from Philadelphia,
Tiger
weight = 191 lbs (kl)
nationality=flagicon|USA American
birth_date = birth date|1945|7|6|mf=y (age 63)
birth_place = Philadelphia, Pennsylvania
style = Southpaw
total = 81
wins = 57
losses = 23
draws = 1
KO = 54

Robert "Rocky" Balboa, Sr. (born July 6, 1945) was a fictional boxer portrayed by Sylvester Stallone who has appeared in the "Rocky" series from 1976 to 2006. Rocky Balboa is one of cinema's most iconic and well-liked characters.

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 heavyweight champion, Rocky Marciano, even though the creation of the character was directly inspired by Chuck Wepner. He embodies the rugged tenacity often associated with the people of his native Philadelphia.

Biography

Humble beginnings: background

Robert Balboa was born on July 6, 1945 as the only child to a Roman Catholic-Italian American family. Young Rocky was always insulted by his father due to his low intelligence. His father once told him that "You weren't born much of a brain so, you better start using your body" This advice led Rocky to take up boxing, and he trained hard so he could grow up to be like his idol Rocky Marciano (hence the nickname). He quit school after the ninth grade. Up to 1975, Balboa was living in the slums of Philadelphia's Kensington section working as an enforcer for a local loan shark while at the same time fighting the local club circuit, including the Cambria Fight Club, nicknamed "The Bucket of Blood". By this time, Rocky had fought in 64 fights, winning 44 (38 knockouts) and losing 20 (as directly mentioned in Rocky) . 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 (Carl Weathers).

The breakthrough

Balboa got his big break when the smiley Undisputed World Heavyweight Champion Apollo Creed decided that he wanted to give a local fighter in Philadelphia a chance to fight for the title after his intended challenger, Mac Lee Green, broke his hand while training. After some debate, Creed chose to fight Balboa, whom Creed dismissed as a nobody. Local boxing trainer Mickey Goldmill offered to take Balboa under his wing, and be his manager. Rocky first dismissed Mickey's offer citing ulterior motives because of his title shot and how ten years prior he asked for his help and denied him. After the heated conversation in Rocky's studio apartment, Mickey left as Rocky locked himself in his bathroom in an attempt at alienating Mickey as he felt Mickey did up to now. After Mickey leaves, Rocky opens the bathroom door and starts venting at an empty room about his doubts about his fear of a brutal beating by fighting the champ and everyone coming at him for handouts. As Mickey proceeds down the block, away from Rocky's building (who can still be heard venting), Rocky exits his building and approaches Mickey. The two shake hands, signifying a deal on a partnership with Mickey officially as his trainer for the upcoming fight.

The Bicentennial Battle

On January 1, 1976 at the Philadelphia Spectrum, Rocky went the distance with Creed. After the final bell rang, signifying the end of the war between the two combantants, Creed told Rocky, "Ain't gonna be no rematch!" Rocky replied, "Don't want one."

Although Creed won the fight by a split decision, it was the first time an opponent had lasted the full 15 rounds against Creed.

The Stallion vs. The King: the rematch

In 1976, hoping to dismiss some public opinion that Balboa had been the actual victor of their first fight or that Creed had fixed the bout, Creed desired a rematch with Balboa, even though telling Rocky initially that there would not be one. The fight was set for Thanksgiving '76. The grueling battle was another 15-round war with both Balboa and Creed falling to the canvas after Balboa landed a succession of left hands. Referee Lou Fillipo exercised his 10-count and as both Creed and Balboa struggled to make it to their feet, Creed crumbled back down in exhaustion. Only Rocky was able to get up, getting the better of Creed this time and beating the 10-count winning the rematch by knockout, thus becoming heavyweight champion of the world.

The best of times and the worst of times

Over the next few years, Balboa successfully defended his title in 10 consecutive defenses against various contenders. In addition, Balboa also fought an exhibition bout against the World Heavyweight Wrestling Champion Thunderlips (Hulk Hogan). However, in 1981, Balboa was challenged by newcomer James "Clubber" Lang (Mr. T). 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, sending the elderly trainer into cardiac arrest, 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 a heart attack after the match, devastating Balboa. Despairing, Balboa was met by Apollo Creed, who, along with his old trainer Tony "Duke" Evers (Tony Burton), offered to train Rocky for a rematch. Apollo even gave him his signature red, white, and blue trunks to wear. Fighting a style very reminiscent of Creed's own boxing technique, Rocky 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 (Dolph Lundgren). 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. As Creed had asked, Rocky didn't throw the towel in the ring in order to save his life. Creed died from the injuries. 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. Rocky had to give up his World Heavyweight Championship crown to accept the bout.

After flying to Russia, Balboa asked for, and was given nothing but a simple log cabin and seemingly endless reaches of snowy, mountainous terrain in which to train. With Mickey and Apollo both deceased, Tony "Duke" Evers subsequently assumed the role as Rocky's new trainer. With Soviet KGB agents following his movements wherever he went, Rocky trained hard within the mountainous terrain of Krasnoyarsk Siberia; and 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. Drago would then say of Balboa: "He's not human. He's like a piece of iron." The fight continued in a bloody back-and-forth battle, with the Soviet crowd slowly turning to Balboa's side. The fight ended with Rocky knocking out 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.

Hard times

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 (Tommy Morrison). Gunn slowly became an excellent fighter, but by Christmas 1989 he ended up leaving his trainer Balboa over an argument about whether Balboa was holding him back and won the World Heavyweight title from Union Cane in January 1990. However, he was ridiculed in the press -- since he had never fought a "real contender", he was not regarded as a real champion or heir to the belt. This motivated Gunn, with prodding from promoter George Washington Duke, to challenge Rocky to a fight. Balboa initially declined, but their tension culminated in a street brawl in which Balboa defeated Gunn.

Later Years

After the devastating end to his partnership with Tommy Gun, Rocky decided to leave all Boxing-related things alone, and in 1995, with his wife, opened a neighborhood restaurant which they named "Adrian's."

With the advent of new research techniques into brain damage, Rocky was found to be normal among fighters, and he was suffering the results of a severe concussion. But, as he had now been in retirement for some years, Rocky just continued to run his newly formed business.

In 2002, Adrian died from ovarian cancer, or what Rocky referred to as "woman cancer".

In 2005, stimulated by passion, Rocky applied for his boxing license to the Pennsylvania commission, which had concerns about his age. Nonetheless, Rocky passed all the medical tests and while his license application was denied in Pennsylvania, it was approved in Nevada.

His son, Robert Jr., was finding it difficult to get out of the shadow of his still-famous father. One day, as Paulie comes in from his old job at the meat-packing plant and turns on ESPN, he sees a computer animation about a simulated fight between the past champ, Rocky (in his prime), and the current one, Mason "The Line" Dixon. The fight has Rocky winning by knockout in the 13th 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 an exhibition fight. In the press, commentators dismiss Rocky's chances, assuring that the fight will be one-sided and embarrassing. After convincing his son he still has one fight left in him and training one last time, Rocky gets back in the ring. Early in the fight, Rocky went toe-to-toe against Mason; in later rounds Rocky shocked the public as the 60-year-old fighter exchanged punches with a much younger fighter (even knocking Mason down once in the early rounds). In the end Mason won by split decision, but not in the public's opinion, and Rocky leaves the ring for the last time with the crowd on his side.

Personal life

Balboa is a good friend of Paulie Pennino, whose sister, Adrian Pennino married Balboa from 1976 up to her death in 2002 after dying of ovarian cancer. Rocky and Adrian also had a son, Robert Balboa, Jr., in 1976, a complicated birth that left Adrian in a temporary coma. As evidenced by conversations with his priest, Father Carmine, Rocky understands Italian very well; however, it is unknown whether or not he can speak Italian because his responses are in English.

Family

*Adrian Balboa - Wife (deceased)
*Paulie Pennino - Brother In Law
*Robert Balboa. Jr - SonIn 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)
*1981: Thunderlips (Wrestling vs. Boxing exhibition) (Draw)*
*1981: James "Clubber" Lang (Loss-KO)
*1982: James "Clubber" Lang (Win-KO)
*1985: Ivan "The Siberian Bull" Drago (exhibition) (Win-KO)
*1990: Tommy "The Machine" Gunn (unofficial street fight) (Win-KO)
*2006: Mason "The Line" Dixon (exhibition) (Loss-SD)

* wrestling vs. boxing

Rocky's professional fight record

*Before fighting Spider Rico, Rocky's record was 43 wins, (40 KO), 20 losses.
*This record only contains fights seen in the "Rocky" movies.

Character origin

Cquote|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.|30px|30px|Sylvester Stallone [ [http://www.totalrocky.com/films/rocky/production.html Total Rocky : ROCKY (1976) ] ]

Boxing style

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 "cast iron" jaw allows him to take brutal punishment throughout his fights. With a "will of steel", 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. [ [http://www.boxingscene.com/?m=show&id=7080 Boxing News : Is a Character like Rocky Still Relevant to Boxing? ] ]

References

External links

* [http://www.everytrailer.net/2007/02/2007-movie-rocky-balboa-incl-desktop.html Rocky Balboa HD Trailer]
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* [http://www.thoughtquotient.com/2006/11/12/sylvester-stallone-boxing-faith-and-the-church/ AUDIO: Sylvester Stallone on boxing and faith]