Character Analysis
(Avoiding Spoilers)
Overview... the flamboyant, undefeated heavyweight champion of the world. Apollo’s skill in the boxing ring is matched only by his ability to tell everyone all about it. He’s pulverized all realistic competition in the heavyweight ranks. So when no serious contenders will answer the bell for his planned title defense, kicking off the Bicentennial Year of 1976, Apollo decides to give a chance to a little-known club fighter from Philly named Rocky Balboa. Apollo picks Rocky mostly because he’s white, Italian, and has a catchy nickname (The Italian Stallion). Let’s just say Apollo has underestimated Rocky a great deal, just like the rest of the world.
Personality... confident, boastful, and intelligent. They say it’s not bragging if you can back it up, and Apollo has the fists and moves to cash any check that his mouth writes. Part of his outward show is an act – he’s savvy enough to know that a big-talking persona helps sell tickets – but he does genuinely believe he’s the best boxer in the world. And why shouldn’t he? Even Rocky concedes his greatness. But Apollo and Rocky are going to find out if heart and an iron will can mean as much as superior skill.
Get to Know him in...
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When world heavyweight boxing champ Apollo Creed wants to give an unknown fighter a shot at the title as a publicity stunt, his handlers pick palooka Rocky Balboa, an uneducated collector for a Philadelphia loan shark.
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When he loses a highly publicized virtual boxing match to ex-champ Rocky Balboa, reigning heavyweight titleholder Mason Dixon retaliates by challenging the Itallian Stallion to a nationally televised, 10-round exhibition bout. To the surprise of his son and friends, Rocky agrees to come out of retirement and face an opponent who's faster, stronger and thirty years his junior.
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After Rocky goes the distance with champ Apollo Creed, both try to put the fight behind them and move on. Rocky settles down with Adrian but can't put his life together outside the ring, while Creed seeks a rematch to restore his reputation. Soon enough, the "Master of Disaster" and the "Italian Stallion" are set on a collision course for a climactic battle that is brutal and unforgettable.
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Now the world champion, Rocky Balboa is living in luxury and only fighting opponents who pose no threat to him in the ring. His lifestyle of wealth and idleness is shaken when a powerful young fighter known as Clubber Lang challenges him to a bout. After taking a pounding from Lang, the humbled champ turns to former bitter rival Apollo Creed to help him regain his form for a rematch with Lang.
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Rocky must come out of retirement to battle a gargantuan Soviet fighter named Drago, who brutally punished Rocky's friend and former rival, Apollo Creed. Seeking revenge in the name of his fallen comrade and his country, Rocky agrees to fight Drago in Moscow on Christmas, and the bout changes both fighters -- and the world.
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A lifetime of taking shots has ended Rocky's career, and a crooked accountant has left him broke. Inspired by the memory of his trainer, however, Rocky finds glory in training and takes on an up-and-coming boxer.
