NationMaster - Encyclopedia: Rocky Balboa

Robert "Rocky" Balboa, Sr. (b. July 6, 1945) is a fictional character, a boxer, created and portrayed by Sylvester Stallone who has appeared in the Rocky series from 1976 to 2006. Image File history File links Emblem-important. ... Rocky VI redirects here. ... Image File history File links Rocky_iii_poster. ... Rocky III (1982) is the third installment in the Rocky movie series. ... Languages Italian, Sicilian, Neapolitan, Corsican, Sardinian, Emiliano-Romagnolo, Ligurian, Lombard, Piedmontese, Venetian, Ladin, Friulian Religions predominantly Roman Catholic The Italians are a Southern European ethnic group found primarily in Italy and in a wide-ranging diaspora throughout Western Europe, the Americas and Australia. ... A stallion is an ungelded male horse after reaching the age of sexual maturity, usually between two and three years of age. ... Image File history File links This is a lossless scalable vector image. ... is the 187th day of the year (188th in leap years) in the Gregorian calendar. ... Year 1945 (MCMXLV) was a common year starting on Monday (link will display the full calendar). ... For other uses, see Philadelphia (disambiguation) and Philly. ... This article is about the U.S. State. ... Southpaw is a boxing term that designates the normal stance for a left-handed boxer. ... is the 187th day of the year (188th in leap years) in the Gregorian calendar. ... Year 1945 (MCMXLV) was a common year starting on Monday (link will display the full calendar). ... A fictional character is any person, persona, identity, or entity whose existence originates from a work of fiction. ... For other meanings of these words, see boxing (disambiguation) or boxer (disambiguation). ... Sylvester Stallone (born Sylvester Gardenzio Stallone on July 6, 1946) is a two-time Academy Award-nominated American actor, director, producer and screenwriter. ... Rocky is a saga of popular action films starring Sylvester Stallone, who plays in these films the fictional boxer Rocky Balboa. ...

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. Rocky Marciano (September 1, 1923 â€“ August 31, 1969), born Rocco Francis Marchegiano, was the heavyweight champion of the world from 1952 to 1956. ... Chuck Wepner (born February 26, 1939) is a former heavyweight boxer, of Bayonne, New Jersey. ... For other uses, see Philadelphia (disambiguation) and Philly. ...

Biography

Humble beginnings: background

Robert Balboa was born on July 6, 1945 as the only child to a Roman Catholic family. Young Rocky was always insulted by his father due to his low intelligence. His father once told him that "if you can't use your brain, use your body instead." 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 Kensington, Philadelphia working as an enforcer for a local loan shark while at the same time fighting the local club circuit. By this time, Rocky had fought in 64 fights, winning 44 (41 knockouts) and losing 20. 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. The Roman Catholic Church, most often spoken of simply as the Catholic Church, is the largest Christian church, with over one billion members. ... Rocky Marciano (September 1, 1923 â€“ August 31, 1969), born Rocco Francis Marchegiano, was the heavyweight champion of the world from 1952 to 1956. ... Playground in the neighbourhood of Kensington, Philadelphia. ... Apollo Creed is a fictional character from the Rocky (series) of films, initially portrayed as the World Heavyweight Champion. ...

The breakthrough

Balboa got his big break when 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 agreed to take Balboa under his wing, and and against all odds, Rocky went the distance with Creed. Although Creed won the fight by a split decision, it was the first time an opponent had lasted the full 15 rounds against Creed. Apollo Creed is a fictional character from the Rocky (series) of films, initially portrayed as the World Heavyweight Champion. ... Michael Mickey Goldmill (April 7, 1905 - August 15, 1981) is a fictional boxing trainer created by Sylvester Stallone and portrayed by Burgess Meredith. ... A split decision in boxing is the outcome of a boxing match (professional or amateur) in which two of the three judges score for the same boxer as the winner, while the third judge scores for the other boxer. ...

The Stallion vs. The King: the rematch

In 1976, Creed desired a rematch with Balboa, hoping to dismiss some public opinion that Balboa had been the actual victor of their first fight or that Creed had fixed the bout. Rocky got the better of Creed this time, winning the rematch by knockout, when both Balboa and Creed fell to the canvas and only Rocky was able to get up, thus becoming heavyweight champion of the world. Match fixing or game fixing in organized sports occurs when a match is played to a completely or partially pre-determined result. ...

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, including the German heavyweight champion. In addition, Balboa also fought an exhibition bout against the World Heavyweight Wrestling Champion Thunderlips (played in Rocky III by Hulk Hogan). However, in 1981, Balboa was challenged by newcomer James "Clubber" Lang, played by 1980s icon 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, gravely injuring him, 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 complications from the injuries after the match, devastating Balboa. Despairing, Balboa was met by Apollo Creed, who, along with his old trainer Tony "Duke" Evers, 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. Rocky III (1982) is the third installment in the Rocky movie series. ... Terrence Gene Bollea (born on August 11, 1953) is an American actor and semi-retired professional wrestler better known by his ring name Hulk Hogan. ... James Clubber Lang is a character that appeared as Rocky Balboas rival in the 1982 movie Rocky III. He was played by the popular bodyguard to the stars Mr. ... Laurence Tureaud (born May 21, 1952), better known as Mr. ...

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, played by Dolph Lundgren in Rocky IV. 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. Soviet redirects here. ... Ivan Drago (Russian: ; portrayed by Dolph Lundgren) is a fictional character in the movie Rocky IV. Drago is characterized as an extremely tall (2011cm tall, as the real-life man) and powerful amateur boxing champion from the Soviet Union, as well as a former Olympic gold medalist. ... Dolph Lundgren (born Hans Lundgren, November 3, 1957[1]) is a Swedish actor, director and karateka. ... For the soundtrack to the movie, see Rocky IV (album). ... For other persons named James Brown, see James Brown (disambiguation). ... Living in America is a song performed by James Brown, and composed by Dan Hartman and Charlie Midnight. ... For other uses, see Christmas (disambiguation). ...

After flying to Russia, Balboa 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 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. This article is about the KGB of the Soviet Union. ... In the context of unarmed combat or melee, a punch is a thrusting blow, esp. ...

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. 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 Heavweight title from Union Cane in January 1990. However, he was ridiculed in the press -- since he had never fought Rocky, he was not regarded as a real champion or heir to the belt. This motivated Gunn to challenge Rocky to a fight. Balboa initially declined, but their tension culminated in a street brawl in which Balboa defeated Gunn. Tommy The Machine Gunn is a fictional character from the film Rocky V. He is played by professional boxer Tommy Morrison. ...

Looking forward to the future

The movie Rocky Balboa picks up Balboa's story after his wife Adrian has died from ovarian cancer. Rocky opened a neighborhood restaurant in 1995, which he named "Adrian's." Rocky VI redirects here. ...

By 2006, stimulated by passion, Rocky applied for his boxing license with a hard effort about his age. His son 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. Paulie Pennino (born 1940) is a fictional character from the Rocky series. ... Adrian Pennino (April 25, 1946- June 11, 2002) is a fictional character from the Rocky series, she is played by Talia Shire. ... Ovarian cancer is a malignant tumor (a kind of neoplasm) located on an ovary. ...

In total, Rocky Balboa was involved in "complete" fights against seven opponents:

Fight record

Spider Rico was Rocky Balboas first opponent in the film Rocky played by Pedro Lovell, who lost the fight. ... Rocky is a saga of popular action films starring Sylvester Stallone, who plays in these films the fictional boxer Rocky Balboa. ... A split decision in boxing is the outcome of a boxing match (professional or amateur) in which two of the three judges score for the same boxer as the winner, while the third judge scores for the other boxer. ... For further information, see Las Vegas metropolitan area and Las Vegas Strip. ... This article is about the U.S. State of Nevada. ... In modern usage, the practice of charity means the giving of help to those in need. ... Exhibition may refer to: Exhibition (scholarship), a small grant Worlds Fair Exhibition game, a friendly match Art exhibition Exhibition (equestrian), a sport involving horse and riders Science fair State fair Funfair Trade fair Xzibit See also Look up exhibition in Wiktionary, the free dictionary. ... Ivan Drago (Russian: ; portrayed by Dolph Lundgren) is a fictional character in the movie Rocky IV. Drago is characterized as an extremely tall (2011cm tall, as the real-life man) and powerful amateur boxing champion from the Soviet Union, as well as a former Olympic gold medalist. ... Ko may refer to: Ken OHara AKA KO MC, a moderately unsuccesful gangsta rapper from Boston, MA. He may be contacted via http://www. ... For other uses, see Moscow (disambiguation). ... Exhibition may refer to: Exhibition (scholarship), a small grant Worlds Fair Exhibition game, a friendly match Art exhibition Exhibition (equestrian), a sport involving horse and riders Science fair State fair Funfair Trade fair Xzibit See also Look up exhibition in Wiktionary, the free dictionary. ... Brain damage or brain injury is the destruction or degeneration of brain cells. ... James Clubber Lang is a character that appeared as Rocky Balboas rival in the 1982 movie Rocky III. He was played by the popular bodyguard to the stars Mr. ... Ko may refer to: Ken OHara AKA KO MC, a moderately unsuccesful gangsta rapper from Boston, MA. He may be contacted via http://www. ... New York, New York and NYC redirect here. ... This article is about the state. ... The World Heavyweight Championship is the name given to a number of unrelated titles, meant to emphasize the top championship of boxing, professional wrestling, mixed martial arts, or other similar sports and performance arts. ... Front cover of the first issue of Ring Magazine Ring Magazine is a boxing magazine that was first published in 1922. ... James Clubber Lang is a character that appeared as Rocky Balboas rival in the 1982 movie Rocky III. He was played by the popular bodyguard to the stars Mr. ... Ko may refer to: Ken OHara AKA KO MC, a moderately unsuccesful gangsta rapper from Boston, MA. He may be contacted via http://www. ... New York, New York and NYC redirect here. ... This article is about the state. ... Terrence Gene Bollea (born on August 11, 1953) is an American actor and semi-retired professional wrestler better known by his ring name Hulk Hogan. ... Look up draw in Wiktionary, the free dictionary. ... Ko may refer to: Ken OHara AKA KO MC, a moderately unsuccesful gangsta rapper from Boston, MA. He may be contacted via http://www. ... Ko may refer to: Ken OHara AKA KO MC, a moderately unsuccesful gangsta rapper from Boston, MA. He may be contacted via http://www. ... Ko may refer to: Ken OHara AKA KO MC, a moderately unsuccesful gangsta rapper from Boston, MA. He may be contacted via http://www. ... Ko may refer to: Ken OHara AKA KO MC, a moderately unsuccesful gangsta rapper from Boston, MA. He may be contacted via http://www. ... Ko may refer to: Ken OHara AKA KO MC, a moderately unsuccesful gangsta rapper from Boston, MA. He may be contacted via http://www. ... Ko may refer to: Ken OHara AKA KO MC, a moderately unsuccesful gangsta rapper from Boston, MA. He may be contacted via http://www. ... Ko may refer to: Ken OHara AKA KO MC, a moderately unsuccesful gangsta rapper from Boston, MA. He may be contacted via http://www. ... Ko may refer to: Ken OHara AKA KO MC, a moderately unsuccesful gangsta rapper from Boston, MA. He may be contacted via http://www. ... For other uses, see Las Vegas (disambiguation) and Vegas (disambiguation). ... This article is about the U.S. State of Nevada. ... Ko may refer to: Ken OHara AKA KO MC, a moderately unsuccesful gangsta rapper from Boston, MA. He may be contacted via http://www. ... This article is about the U.S. state of Tennessee. ... Ko may refer to: Ken OHara AKA KO MC, a moderately unsuccesful gangsta rapper from Boston, MA. He may be contacted via http://www. ... For other uses, see Philadelphia (disambiguation) and Philly. ... This article is about the U.S. State. ... Apollo Creed is a fictional character from the Rocky (series) of films, initially portrayed as the World Heavyweight Champion. ... Ko may refer to: Ken OHara AKA KO MC, a moderately unsuccesful gangsta rapper from Boston, MA. He may be contacted via http://www. ... For other uses, see Philadelphia (disambiguation) and Philly. ... This article is about the U.S. State. ... The World Heavyweight Championship is the name given to a number of unrelated titles, meant to emphasize the top championship of boxing, professional wrestling, mixed martial arts, or other similar sports and performance arts. ... Apollo Creed is a fictional character from the Rocky (series) of films, initially portrayed as the World Heavyweight Champion. ... A split decision in boxing is the outcome of a boxing match (professional or amateur) in which two of the three judges score for the same boxer as the winner, while the third judge scores for the other boxer. ... For other uses, see Philadelphia (disambiguation) and Philly. ... This article is about the U.S. State. ... The World Heavyweight Championship is the name given to a number of unrelated titles, meant to emphasize the top championship of boxing, professional wrestling, mixed martial arts, or other similar sports and performance arts. ... Spider Rico was Rocky Balboas first opponent in the film Rocky played by Pedro Lovell, who lost the fight. ... Ko may refer to: Ken OHara AKA KO MC, a moderately unsuccesful gangsta rapper from Boston, MA. He may be contacted via http://www. ... For other uses, see Philadelphia (disambiguation) and Philly. ... This article is about the U.S. State. ...

Character origin

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. A person who is right-handed is more dextrous with their right hand than with their left hand: they will write with their right hand, and probably also use this hand for tasks such as personal care, cooking, and so on. ... Southpaw is a term used to describe left-handed people, particuarly within sports and in the United States. ... James Clubber Lang is a character that appeared as Rocky Balboas rival in the 1982 movie Rocky III. He was played by the popular bodyguard to the stars Mr. ...

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. Cast iron usually refers to grey cast iron, but can mean any of a group of iron-based alloys containing more than 2% carbon (alloys with less carbon are carbon steel by definition). ... Apollo Creed is a fictional character from the Rocky (series) of films, initially portrayed as the World Heavyweight Champion. ...

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. Ivan Drago (Russian: ; portrayed by Dolph Lundgren) is a fictional character in the movie Rocky IV. Drago is characterized as an extremely tall (2011cm tall, as the real-life man) and powerful amateur boxing champion from the Soviet Union, as well as a former Olympic gold medalist. ...

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.^[2]

References

External links

The Internet Movie Database (IMDb) is an online database of information about movies, actors, television shows, production crew personnel, and video games. ... For other uses, see Rocky (disambiguation). ... Rocky II is the 1979 sequel to Rocky, a motion picture in which an unknown boxer had been given a chance to go the distance with the World Heavyweight Champion. ... Rocky III (1982) is the third installment in the Rocky movie series. ... For the soundtrack to the movie, see Rocky IV (album). ... Rocky V is the fifth film in the Rocky film saga. ... Rocky VI redirects here. ... Robert Rocky Balboa, Sr. ... Michael Mickey Goldmill (April 7, 1905 - August 15, 1981) is a fictional boxing trainer created by Sylvester Stallone and portrayed by Burgess Meredith. ... Apollo Creed is a fictional character from the Rocky (series) of films, initially portrayed as the World Heavyweight Champion. ... James Clubber Lang is a character that appeared as Rocky Balboas rival in the 1982 movie Rocky III. He was played by the popular bodyguard to the stars Mr. ... Ivan Drago (Russian: ; portrayed by Dolph Lundgren) is a fictional character in the movie Rocky IV. Drago is characterized as an extremely tall (2011cm tall, as the real-life man) and powerful amateur boxing champion from the Soviet Union, as well as a former Olympic gold medalist. ... Tommy The Machine Gunn is a fictional character from the film Rocky V. He is played by professional boxer Tommy Morrison. ... The Mason-Dixon Line Literally, the Mason-Dixon Line (or Mason and Dixons Line) demarcated state boundaries between the Province of Pennsylvania, the Province of Maryland, Delaware Colony and parts of Virginia Colony in colonial North America and between their successor-state members of the United States. ... Rocky is a video game of the fighting game genre released in 2002 by Rage Software. ... Rocky Legends is the sequel to the 2002 video game Rocky. ... The Rocky Steps are the front steps of the Philadelphia Museum of Art. ... Sylvester Stallone (born Sylvester Gardenzio Stallone on July 6, 1946) is a two-time Academy Award-nominated American actor, director, producer and screenwriter. ... Rocky VI (1986) is a short parody of Rocky IV by Finnish director Aki KaurismÃ¤ki. ... For other meanings of these words, see boxing (disambiguation) or boxer (disambiguation). ... The Distance is a boxing slang term used to refer to boxing matches that last the limit of 15 rounds. ... Chuck Wepner (born February 26, 1939) is a former heavyweight boxer, of Bayonne, New Jersey. ... People who are left-handed are more dextrous with their left hand than with their right hand: they will probably also use their left hand for tasks such as personal care, cooking, and so on. ... The World Heavyweight Championship is the name given to a number of unrelated titles, meant to emphasize the top championship of boxing, professional wrestling, mixed martial arts, or other similar sports and performance arts. ...

Contents

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