Support NeoGAF

[Patrick Bateman]

Many called him the greatest boxer in movies, but how could this dude even survive?

Every opponent he ever had, beat his face in like it was melon. He never even tried to use his hands to cover blows to his head.

Was it against Clubber Lang, Ivan Drago or Apollo Creed. Just to name a few opponents.
He had no improvement throughout the movies.
His only great quality as a boxer was that he took hundrets of punches without going down.

 

[midramble]

Thought this was going to be about Marciano...

 

[Kabouter]

I don't think he or any of his opponents were good boxers given that they cover with their face as you note for Rocky. Boxing in the franchise is ridiculous, great films for the most part though.

 

[RC]

Rocky might've not been the greatest technical boxer or had the physical gifts to out power his opponents, but he had what every true champion needs, heart.

 

[Zigzz14]

Cuz he was all heart

 

[Acorn]

Real life Rocky would be eating through a straw and talking to trees now.

 

[FryHole]

Hey, the man himself said:

it ain't about how hard you hit. It's about how hard you can get hit and keep moving forward. How much you can take and keep moving forward. That's how winning is done!

So you see, OP, that's how winning is done.

 

[Blackhead]

Rocky might've not been the greatest technical boxer or had the physical gifts to out power his opponents, but he had what every true champion needs, heart.

and the eyes of a tiger

 

[Tesseract]

he is goku, all smiles as babazaroodle vegeta squishes his bones to dust.

 

[Synth_floyd]

He had the ability to take a lot of punches:

 

[Dagobert Duck]

He wasnt the best boxer but he beat Mother Russia and won there heart! Name another boxer who did that!

 

[karasu]

He was a brawler.

 

[SJRB]

I wish Drago just killed him, that would've been an amazing twist.

 

[DeadTsar]

If he dies, he dies

 

[Acorn]

I wish Drago just killed him, that would've been an amazing twist.

Or made a heel turn to be a communist.

 

[Nemesis121]

Rocky 1 and 2 a punching bag with all heart, after Lang beat the crap out of him, and Apollo train him he finally became a real boxer, even though the script in Rocky 4 made him a punching bag again..

 

[Vio-Lence]

Rocky is an aggressive puncher with a mediocre chin and superhuman recovery. Kind of like a real life PrideFC era Wand.

 

[Dagobert Duck]

Rocky is an aggressive puncher with a mediocre chin and superhuman recovery. Kind of like a real life PrideFC era Wand.

So he is basically John Cena? (Though John Cena isnt an aggressive puncher)

 

[Basileus777]

Rocky is an aggressive puncher with a mediocre chin and superhuman recovery. Kind of like a real life PrideFC era Wand.

Mediocre chin? Really?

 

[verbum]

The Cinderella Man/James Braddock used the same technique.

Considered little more than a journeyman fighter, Braddock was hand-picked by Baer's handlers because he was seen as an easy payday for the champion. Instead, on June 13, 1935, at Madison Square Garden Bowl, Braddock won the Heavyweight Championship of the World as the 10-to-1 underdog in one of the most stunning upsets in boxing history.[citation needed]

During the fight, a dogged Braddock took a few heavy hits from the powerful younger champion (30 years vs 26 years for Baer), but Braddock kept coming, wearing down Baer, who seemed perplexed by Braddock's ability to take a punch. In the end, the judges gave Braddock the title with a unanimous decision

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/James_J._Braddock

 

[TUROK]

I wish Drago just killed him, that would've been an amazing twist.

He kills Apollo Creed and Rocky?

That would have murdered my childhood.

 

[Lambda Pie]

he managed to hang in there in a shoot fight vs Thunderlips, he was decent.

 

[Takamura-San]

He ended the cold war with his FISTS.

If that is not a feat of the greatest boxer ever, I don't know what it is.

 

[Texhex]

Seriously, was Rocky ever a good boxer

Yes, because he had two things.
+ Heart
+ iron will/body

Just listen to Ivan Drago's quote during his match against Rocky:
"He's not human, he's like a piece of iron!"

 

[Dagobert Duck]

Yes, because he had two things.
+ Heart
+ iron will/body

Just listen to Ivan Drago's quote during his match against Rocky:
"He's not human, he's like a piece of iron!"

I need to watch Rocky IV again. Shit is motivational. Those training montages...

 

[Escape Goat]

but how could this dude even survive?

 

[Aeriscloud]

If he can change, you can change!

 

[Dagobert Duck]

Plot twist. This pic isnt even "real" Stallone...it is a wax-figure!

 

[Drainer]

Ok, this thread has made me laugh a lot so far.

Replies have been gold

 

[Triggerhappytel]

They were all terrible boxers in the series, because no-one ever tries to defend their head at all. If you had Ivan Drago or Clubber Lang punching you in your exposed face for 40 minutes you'd probably die or at least be brain dead, even if you had a lot of heart.

EDIT - incidentally, has anyone seen Grudge Match, and is it any good?

 

[Guzim]

In 3, didn't Mickey pick awful boxers to fight Rocky because Rocky is so bad?

 

[Aaron-Lagann]

Hearts on fire!

Been thinking about watching these movies again, but I fear it won't stack up to Hajime no Ippo.

 

[Goodlife]

If boxing was like it was in Rocky, I'd be a big fan.

 

[Sir_Crocodile]

Or made a heel turn to be a communist.

 

[DiscoJer]

Rocky 1 and 2 a punching bag with all heart, after Lang beat the crap out of him, and Apollo train him he finally became a real boxer, even though the script in Rocky 4 made him a punching bag again..

I was watching Rocky 3 the other day when it was on TV and while it's true he gets trained to be a boxer, in the rematch with Mr. T he starts off boxing, but ultimately wins the match by going back to his style of wearing out his opponent by being a punching bag. it really didn't make sense.

 

[Kitschkraft]

He was an ATG based on the movie-verse....having said that, when they were both in their primes, Apollo Creed beat him, and he wasn't even taking the fight that seriously....

 

[Trent Strong]

If he wins, then he's a good boxer. No matter how he does it.

 

[MrCunningham]

In the first movie, Rocky was a clear cut jobber, he only won against Apollo Creed because he managed to endure a beating until the end of the bout. On a technical level, he would've lost.. But I think Mickey kinda knew that throughout the film. For the first 2 films, Mickey was always looking out for Rocky's better interests, by pitting him up against lesser boxers and trying to talk him down things that could destroy Rocky's new found reputation. It wasn't until Rocky III where Rockey learned that he was a pretty poor boxer who had no rhythm in the ring at all, and was heavy on his feet. It was Apollo and his trainer who really whipped Rocky into shape to defeat Clubber.

 

[Vicetrailia]

He's a terrible boxer and it always takes me out of the movies. Instead of merely enjoying the fun i'm there getting frustrated at how no one blocks. Dats dat shallowness I don't like.

Hearts on fire!

Been thinking about watching these movies again, but I fear it won't stack up to Hajime no Ippo.

Not really fair to compare.

 

[DoktorEvil]

Rocky is the most memorable boxer in movies, but man was he one crappy fighter...

He jobbed to Apollo, Clubber, and Drago until you sprinkle movie magic and see him come from near death and win.

If any boxing movie did Rocky justice, it was 6.
The training Stallone put himself through at his age...

 

[3Sixty]

Lou Fillipo is the true Rocky villain.

Dude should have stopped every fight.

 

[Dabookerman]

Hearts on fire!

Been thinking about watching these movies again, but I fear it won't stack up to Hajime no Ippo.

Best song. Best montage.

DRRRAAAGOOOOOOOO

 

[Valentus]

Fuck Rocky.

Spider Rico was the Real Deal.

 

[Wiktor]

Well...maybe if he competed in ballet or gymnastics you could say he sucked, but he was a boxer. Boxers fight and in fights all that matters is who wins. And Rocky won again and again. That's all.

 

[MC Safety]

Also, in the matter of eating lightning and crapping thunder, Rocky did that.

 

[samurai1226]

they just had no real choreos for the movies. rocky is all about the heart and the eye of the tiger, not about how good rocky really is at boxing.

btw, the fight choreography of The Fighter was amazing (like the whole movie). There are some comparisions on yt showing the choreo vs the real fights, they are almost identical

 

[sirap]

Hearts on fire!

Been thinking about watching these movies again, but I fear it won't stack up to Hajime no Ippo.

I just grew chest hair listening to this.

 

[Can Crusher]

Rocky mastered chin defense, and he had cardio for days playboy. If that ain't good boxing, I don't know what is.

 

[Master Thespian]

Mediocre chin? Really?

How many times did he get dropped in his fights? Sure, he kept coming at guys afterwards...hence the "superhuman recovery" part.

 

[Maddocks]

the secret was that rocky 4 has no script. It was a giant music video with rocky as a background character and it was glorious.

If I can change, you can change, we all can change.

only issue I had with rocky 4 was they made drago a cheater by using roids. why couldnt he just be a freak of nature.