Of course, Rocky star Sylvester Stallone had to weigh in, and he delivered an incredible tribute on Instagram with a video in which he spoke about Weathers as Stallone tried not to lose it.
“Carl Weathers was such an integral part of my life, my success, everything about it,” he said. “I give him incredible credit and kudos, because when he walked into that room, and I saw him for the first time, I saw greatness. But I didn’t realize how great. I never could have accomplished what we did with Rocky without him. He was absolutely great. His voice, his size, his power, his athletic ability, but more importantly, his heart, his soul.”
Watch the whole thing below, which took place in front of the iconic Rocky III painting:
Sylvester Stallone — the man who penned the original 1976 Best Picture film, its ensuing five sequels, and had been in all eight preceding entries — does NOT appear in the latest chapter of Adonis Creed’s saga.
For the most part, as the series starts to veer more toward Creed’s story, Stallone’s absence isn’t all that noticeable. But for someone who quite literally created this fictional boxing world to not even make a short cameo is … a little jarring.
The situation is also a bit more complicated than it lets on. Let me explain.
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Fox Sports 1 is showcasing two great champions on boxing classic lineup Saturday – Rocky Balboa and Manny Pacquiao.
Fox Sports 1 is showcasing two great champions on boxing classic lineup Saturday – Rocky Balboa and Manny Pacquiao.
The programming begins at 9 p.m. ET with the 1982 film “Rocky III,” in which Sylvester Stallone’s character loses the heavyweight title to the Mr. T character Clubber Lang but later – with old rival Apollo Creed in his corner – regains it.
That’s followed at 11 p.m. ET by Pacquiao’s victory over Adrien Broner from January 2019 and, at midnight, Leo Santa Cruz vs. Carl Frampton II from January 2017, in which Santa Cruz regained the featherweight title he lost to Frampton in their first fight.
Pacquiao completed a remarkable 2019 by outpointing Keith Thurman sixth months after the Broner fight.
Santa Cruz successfully defended the title three times and then outpointed Miguel Flores to win a vacant junior lightweight title in November.
Today is the 45th anniversary of the Muhammad Ali-Chuck Wepner fight, which reportedly was the inspiration for the Rocky movies.
It’s not a fight found on all-time lists. It should be forgettable. But it’s not. Muhammad Ali-Chuck Wepner is a fight that lives on. And on. It’s easy to lose count of the sequels, a couple of which might actually be more forgettable than the fight itself.
But the fight, the real fight, happened 45 years ago today.
The rest is, well, a movie, one that is probably better known than any other film in the boxing library. Ali-Wepner is believed to be the inspiration for Rocky. Sylvester Stallone, forever the Rocky character, has said it wasn’t. Then again, that night have been because of a lawsuit filed by Wepner. The time line and anecdotal evidence are pretty convincing.
If not for Ali-Wepner on March 24, 1975 we might not still be watching Rocky.
Muhammad Ali beat up the brave, but overmatched Check Wepner in the end. AP Photo / Barry Thumma
The film was over-the-top fiction. But, yo, it’s a piece of Americana, probably played and replayed more often than Ali-Joe Frazier I or Roberto Duran-Sugar Ray Leonard I or any other legendary fight.
At first, the fight was something of gimmick, which is another way of saying it was a Don King promotion. Ali was just coming off one of his legendary victories, a stoppage of George Foreman in the celebrated Rumble in the Jungle in 1974. Ali was riding a wave of popularity. Good time to cash in and that’s exactly what King decided to do. Ali was looking for a quick payday in an easy fight. Wepner looked to be perfect for the role. Wepner was known as The Bayonne Bleeder. He needed a reported 120 stitches for cuts sustained against Sonny Liston .
King got some financial backing from a Cleveland associate. The fight was set for the Richfield Coliseum, where the NBA’s Cavaliers played in a forgotten suburb south of Cleveland. The perceived mismatch meant over-the-top marketing. There was plenty of time for that. Ali didn’t train.
“An old man was once asked by a young man, ‘How is it that you look so good and stay in such fine condition at your advanced age?'” Ali said. “The old man replied, ‘It is the preserved energy of my youth, which is now maintaining my life.’ That is why my career spanned 20 years. I didn’t burn myself out training for guys like Al Lewis, Jurgen Blin and Chuck Wepner.’’
Years after the fight, there were anecdotes about what Wepner thought and said. He reportedly told Stallone that he told his wife: “Even if I don’t win, I just want to prove I belong there.” It’s a line Rocky told Adrian before facing Apollo Creed.
Turns out, Wepner proved he did belong. He even was credited with knockdown of Ali in the ninth round. Ali complained that he fell when Wepner stepped on his foot. Whatever. It was an official knockdown. Wepner yelled to cornerman Al Braverman: “Start the car up, Al, we’re going to the bank, we’re millionaires.’’
Reportedly Braverman replied: “You better turn around, your guy’s getting up and he looks pissed off.’’
Ali went on to knock out Wepner in the 15th round.
As we get closer to the Final Bell of the 2010s, let’s take a look at the 10 best.
By now, you know most of the great boxing movies. There’s Rocky, the ultimate battle of uncontested headshot to uncontested headshot against Apollo Creed, or that time he won over the hearts of Russia while defeating Ivan Drago. Humphrey Bogart’s performance in The Harder They Fall was perfect, just as Hitchcock’s imagery and choreographed perfection in The Ring was anything—oddly enough—but silent. And it’s almost impossible not to hoist Raging Bull and Million Dollar Baby atop the “All-Time Boxing Films” list.
Because the genre works so well with audiences, complemented by the rise of documentary films, more and more boxing tales are being produced, including over 10 in this decade.
As we get closer to the Final Bell of the 2010s, let’s take a look at the 10 best.
Undercard: China Heavyweight
(Photo by Jeff Vespa/WireImage)
I.M.B.D. Score: 5.9
Rotten Tomatoes: 69%
So, technically this makes the 11th entry, but what’s a good boxing experience without a solid undercard? China Heavyweight is an interesting look at the rise of boxing in China after the 1959 ban was finally lifted. The documentary follows boxing coach Qi Moxiang and his search for boxing hopefuls who will compete in the Olympics (and beyond). The makeup of the documentary follows a widespread theme boxing film fans are used to experiencing: Rags to Riches.
In this case, it’s a chance for peasant teenagers to escape hardships and obtain something better. With that kind of stakes, director Yung Chang does a beautiful job capturing the all-in desperation each fighter is willing to subject themselves to, with the hopes of one day competing for not just a medal but also the admiration of the country.
