Shout Out / Rocky

Rocky

• In the first Rocky film, the fight between down-on-his-luck boxer Rocky Balboa and the flamboyant heavyweight champion of the world Apollo Creed is a shout-out to the real-life underdog bout between the legendary boxer Muhammad Ali and perennial journeyman Chuck "The Bayonne Bleeder" Wepner.^note Specifically, the part of the fight where Wepner was able to give Ali a run for his money with a body blow under the heart (some argue he tripped Ali instead) at Round 9 of their fight.
• Naturally, Apollo "The Master of Disaster" Creed is the fictional analog of Muhammad Ali and his beautiful dancer-like outboxing style primarily (although Apollo instead uses a traditional orthodox boxing stance).
  • He's also based on Sugar Ray Robinson, Sugar Ray Leonard, Joe Louis, and Jack Johnson all rolled into one. He's cut from the same cloth as some of the all-time greats of boxing.
• Meanwhile, Rocky "The Italian Stallion" Balboa is a mix between Chuck Wepner, Rocky Marciano, "Smokin'" Joe Frazier, and "Raging Bull" Jake LaMotta in terms of fighting style, which is a plodding swarmer type of in-fighter boxer with power from both hands and wins by war of attrition and stamina.
  • Joe Frazier himself has complained that specific elements of his life were copied wholesale by the first film without his permission^note (like the iconic "Rocky using a slab of slaughterhouse meat as a sandbag") and he wasn't credited for them at all.
• The way the first Rocky vs. Apollo fight unfolded wasn't quite like how Wepner vs. Ali went. It was instead modeled after the first match between Jake LaMotta and Sugar Ray Robinson^note with LaMotta knocking Robinson down in the first round before Robinson took over for the rest of the fight to earn a unanimous decision victory (as opposed to the split-decision with Rocky and Apollo).

Rocky II

• The second Rocky vs. Apollo fight is a shout-out to the second LaMotta vs. Robinson fight.^note Both fights had the undefeated black champion taste their first defeat in the hands of a white Italian-American fighter because the bewildered champ couldn't keep the unstoppable challenger at bay despite doling out a tremendous amount of punishment unto him, leading to the victor outlasting his opponent.
• The second Rocky vs. Apollo fight can also be considered akin to the first Ali vs. Frazier fight (the second Ali vs. Frazier fight was more of a clinching match on Ali's part).^note Both fights featured the outboxer (Apollo/Ali) having trouble keeping the swarmer (Rocky/Frazier) at bay, such that even though they roughly unloaded the same amount of punishment against each other, the swarmer ended up winning by being able to handle the punches better.
• Rocky is a southpaw tank like "Marvelous" Marvin Hagler. He even switches stances like Hagler in Rocky II.
  • In the second film, Rocky comes out orthodox and Mickey intends for him to switch back to southpaw late in the last round, but Balboa refuses, saying, "No tricks, I ain't switching." Mickey tells him that Apollo is ready for him (if he continues using his right) and so towards the end of the round, he does indeed lead with his left.
  • The real reason for this is Stallone tore his pectoral muscles in training, but the idea was probably taken from the great southpaw boxer Hagler who would sometimes come out orthodox to confuse opponents.

Rocky III

• In Rocky III, the exhibition match between Rocky Balboa and Thunderlips is a shout-out to the exhibition match (the birth of MMA, arguably) between Muhammad Ali and Antonio Inoki. Perhaps it might also reference Ali's fight with Gorilla Monsoon (although that one was a staged fight).
• The Megaton Punch of James "Clubber" Lang (as played by Mr. T) might be based on the lumbering power of Sonny Liston, Larry Holmes, and George Foreman combined.
  • The Foreman comparison might be the truest one because in Rocky III, Rocky did his own version of the "Rope-a-Dope" technique on Lang that tired him out and made him easy pickings in Round 3 of their rematch.^note It's the same way Muhammad Ali defeated George Foreman in their 1974 fight in Kinshasa, Zaire—the "Rumble in the Jungle".
  • Thusly, Rocky being beaten by Clubber Lang must be based on the first fight and even second fight between Joe Frazier and George Foreman. It's notable how Rocky had to change his swarmer boxing style specifically to deal with Clubber's slugger style, with it now resembling Apollo's outboxer style more.^note He had to because swarmers like him tend to lose against sluggers like Lang or Foreman, thus necessitating more boxing, speed, evasive maneuvers, and defense from him rather than just brute strength.
• The three bouts Apollo and Rocky shared^note (one a bicentennial exhibition, one for the heavyweight title, and one a lengthy sparring session behind closed doors after Rocky defeated Clubber Lang) is highly reminiscent of the highly contested bouts of Muhammad Ali and Joe Frazier^note (one unanimous decision win for Frazier, one unanimous decision victory for Ali, and the legendary third bout... The Thrilla in Manila... that nearly took their souls altogether).

Rocky IV

• Although Ivan "The Siberian Express" Drago had no clear direct analog in 1980s boxing, his nationalistic fight against Rocky Balboa during the height of the Cold War is reminiscent of the nationalistic fight between the American heavyweight champion Joe Louis and the German icon Max Schmeling at the advent of World War II.
  • Stallone confirms in his "The Making of ROCKY VS. DRAGO" video that the idea behind Rocky IV is indeed based on the Joe Louis vs. Max Schmeling fights^note particularly how both Drago and Schmeling were used as propaganda tools by their respective countries.
  • Thusly, the death of Apollo in Drago's hands can be compared to the first bout between Louis and Schmeling^note  (where Schmeling won by a methodical and protracted battle that led to a perfunctory knockout at the 12^th round) while Rocky avenging Apollo's death by defeating Drago can be considered a shout-out to the second bout between the two legends^note (where a more prepared Louis won by first-round knockout, beating his rival from pillar to post and scoring two knockdowns prior to the last knockout punch).
• Probably not coincidentally, Sylvester Stallone might've also written Rocky IV and Ivan Drago with rival Arnold Schwarzenegger in mind.^note To be more specific, in 1984, The Terminator had just came out. The Rocky IV teaser suggested we'd get a more talkative Drago, but the final cut of the film turned him into someone more "machine-like" or even "Terminator-like" as a seeming Take That! to Schwarzenegger's most famous role. Rocky IV might as well be Stallone's (halfway flattering) way of "beating" his rival on the big screen. Rocky vs. The (Russian) Terminator, if you will.
• There are too many real-life examples of in-ring boxing deaths for Apollo's demise in the hands of Ivan Drago to have a specific shout-out.^note Here's a few of the most noteworthy ones.
  • The most recent one at the time Rocky IV was filmed was Duk-Koo Kim's death after losing to Ray Mancini by TKO in the 14^th round of their bout in 1982. This tragedy resulted in many boxing rule changes, including shortening the standard 15-round bout to 12 rounds.
  • Benny Paret suffered fatal head injuries in his third bout with Emile Griffith on March 24, 1962.Griffith landed twenty-nine consecutive punches before Paret fell through the ropes and the referee called a TKO.
  • On the night before Sugar Ray Robinson fought Jimmy Doyle in 1947, he dreamed he killed his opponent with a single left hook. Sure enough, that was what happened in the actual fight. Robinson then gave the earnings of his next four fights to Doyle's mother after he found out that Doyle—who fought in Cleveland because the California boxing commission wouldn't sanction him—was pushing himself to fight despite suffering from heavy knockout defeats to buy his mother a house.
  • There's also Max Baer of Cinderella Man fame who ended up killing opponent Frankie Campbell by accident back in 1930. This earned Baer the reputation of being a cold-blooded killer in the ring.
• During Rocky's training montage before the Drago fight, when he sported a beard and lifted a wheelbarrow with his bare hands, he was actually paying homage to Steve Reeves' Hercules pulling at pillars with his chains.^note This in turn was a shout-out to the biblical figure Samson doing the same thing to drop a whole building on his enemies, the Philistines.
• The final sequence of Jack Dempsey knocking out the giant Jess Willard looks a lot like the final scenes of Rocky knocking out the much bigger Drago.

Rocky V

• In the infamous fifth Rocky film, the character of George Washington Duke is a huge shout-out and obvious lampoon of infamous promoter Don King. Therefore, Tommy "The Machine" Gunn can be considered the white man version of Mike Tyson in this instance.
  • Duke also uses King's catchphrase, "Only in America!" to further solidify the shout-out.
  • The name "George Washington Duke" not only references Tommy Morrison's real-life boxing name Tommy "The Duke" Morrison; it also references Morrison's (supposed) uncle John Wayne, whose real name is Marion Morrison and was nicknamed "The Duke".
  • Tommy Gunn, like Mike Tyson during his downward spiral in the 1990s, started getting blinded by the glitz and glamour of fame while being manipulated by the Don King analog, resulting in him becoming a paper champion. Like the "Eye of Tiger" song said, Tommy "traded his passion for glory".
• There are numerous shout-outs and references to Rocky's namesake, the undefeated heavyweight champion Rocky Marciano, all throughout the film series. Rocky V in particular had Mickey Goldmill giving Marciano's cuff links to Rocky.

Rocky Balboa (Rocky VI)

• In the original script for Rocky, Apollo was Jamaican. As a shout-out and Mythology Gag or Discontinuity Nod of that rewrite, Li'l Marie's son Steps ended up having a Jamaican father in Rocky VI.
• According to Stallone himself, Rocky's restaurant in Rocky Balboa is based on the restaurant of former heavyweight champion Jack Dempsey. Dempsey also told his patrons of tales of his old matches or "war stories" for entertainment purposes like Rocky does in his own fine dining establishment, "Adrian's".
• In Rocky Balboa, Mason "The Line" Dixon ended up fighting a long-retired Rocky because of a fight simulation conducted in CGI that showcased a dream match between Mason and Rocky. This is a shout-out to the controversial fight simulation between (at the time undefeated) Muhammad Ali and (retired undefeated) Rocky Marciano.
  • Mason Dixon himself is also arguably based on Wladimir Klitschko. Wladimir is a talented Ukrainian champion who collected most of the belts, but still did not get any love from the press or the fans because he ruled the division at a time when it did not have topnotch competitors.
  • Meanwhile, the way the Rocky vs. Mason fight unfolded is reminiscent of the way undefeated defensive genius and "The Best Ever (TBE)" Floyd Mayweather Jr. dealt with super featherweight contender Carlos Hernandez. In that 2001 bout, Floyd also ended up breaking his hand on his adversary and he had to box injured all throughout the match like Mason did.

Creed

• Many famous boxers had progeny or relatives that followed their footsteps like Adonis Creed did with his late father Apollo in Creed. Adonis serves as a shout-out to these second-generation or family legacy boxers, which includes the following:
  • Muhammad Ali had Laila Ali.
  • Joe Frazier had Marvis Frazier and Jacqui Frazier-Lyde.
  • Buster Mathis Sr. had Buster Mathis Jr.
  • Julio Cesar Chavez Sr. had Julio Cesar Chavez Jr.
  • Floyd Mayweather Sr. had Floyd Mayweather Jr.
  • Vitali Klitschko had Wladimir Klitschko.^note They're brothers, in this case.
• There are quite a number of call-backs to the Rocky films in Creed, many of which have just become dyed-in-the-wool staples of the franchise like Donnie's version of the Training Montage^note with him jogging in Philly, doing jump rope, bouncing around a speed bag, doing one-handed push-ups like Rocky, running up and down hospital steps during Rocky's chemotherapy, climbing the steps of the Philadelphia Museum of Art, and chasing after chickens to build speed.
  • Like Tommy Gunn, Donnie is also a young boxer with a chip on his shoulder asking an older Rocky for help in training. However, unlike Tommy, Donnie actually appreciates his trainer and doesn't drop him under the bus at the first sign of success.

Creed II

• In Creed II, the son of Apollo Creed, Adonis, ends up having two matches against the son of Ivan Drago, Viktor. Their rivalry has ties with the past because of their parents' own rivalry.^note Also, Ivan was responsible for the death of Apollo in the ring. This can be considered a shout-out to the real-life rivalry-by-proxy between the daughters of rivals Muhammad Ali and Joe Frazier, Laila Ali and Jacqui Frazier-Lyde.
• Michael B. Jordan admits that Hajime no Ippo is a major influence on the Creed films, which explains why in Creed against Leo Sporino and in Creed II against Viktor Drago, Adonis uses a left uppercut and overhand right combo that is reminiscent of Volg Zangiev's White Fang attack.
• Like in Rocky III, Adonis was (almost) defeated by the superior Viktor the same way Clubber steamrolled Rocky in a few rounds due to them being a bad style matchup. Rocky then trained Donnie (the same way his father Apollo trained Rocky) to properly change his style to better deal with his rival's style in the rematch.
• Obviously, the Training from Hell Donnie endures in order to survive his rematch against Viktor Drago is reminiscent of the one Rocky did for Ivan in Rocky IV high up in the cold mountains. However, this time around, it's done in the desert.
  • It also doubles as a shout-out to Rocky's training in Rocky III, such that both Rocky in the mid 1980s and Donnie in the late 2010s were trying to get back their "Eye of the Tiger".

Creed III

• Creed III does indeed feature quite a number of anime and manga homages, including the signature Cross Counter exchange between Adonis and Damien.
  • That particular exchange is visually reminiscent of the one between Majin Vegeta and Super Saiyan 2 Goku in Dragon Ball Z (among other similar exchanges throughout the series).
  • However, Michael B. Jordan specifically points out that it's actually an homage to the cross-counter performed between Naruto and Sasuke in Shippuden.
  • In any case, all three are (directly or indirectly) referencing the ubiquitous anime cross-counter trope popularized by the iconic Ashita no Joe boxing series from the 1970s.
• As for Hajime no Ippo, its influences on the movie can be seen by how the fights are staged like the anime version of the series, such as its use of internal monologue and emphasis on the impact of every strike like the sweat leaving Donnie's back after taking Dame's gut punch (on top of Donnie again doing his version of Volg's White Fang).
  • Damien "Diamond Dame" Anderson's Tyson-like weight shift from one leg to the other as he unleashed ambidextrous left and right hooks upon Felix "El Guerrero" Chavez is reminiscent of Ippo's Dempsey Roll but without the figure-eight head movement or the bobbing and weaving motion of his upper body.
  • Donnie is also seen doing his version of the "Teiken" or "Tekken" (Iron Fist) training that the young Genji Kamogawa was most famous for, with him punching a tree to strengthen his bare knuckles.
• Donnie's room in a 2002 flashback is filled with anime memorabilia. Michael B. Jordan confirms that the scene was drawn from his own experiences as an anime fan growing up.
  • In an IGN interview, Jordan referred to various anime to make this film's fights feel distinct from the previous films. He specifically mentioned deriving inspiration from boxing anime like Hajime no Ippo and Megalo Box (a modern retelling of Ashita no Joe) as well as popular shonen series like Naruto, Dragon Ball, and My Hero Academia.

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