“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!” — Rocky Balboa (Sylvester Stallone)
The Rocky franchise is considered one of the best movies ever made in the 20th century. With Creed having a successful first movie, Sylvester Stallone decided that a second one should be implemented. After expressing to my friends my excitement of Creed II, it made me realize that they don’t know the complete storyline! Although this movie is 42 years old, everyone should know about one of the best underdog stories known to man!
Rocky I
In late 1975, the best of heavyweight boxing on the planet, Apollo Creed, declares plans to hold a title session in Philadelphia amid the forthcoming United States Bicentennial. Notwithstanding, he is informed five weeks from the battle date that his planned opponent can’t contend because of a harmed hand. Creed chooses to do something different by allowing a neighborhood contender to move him. He settles in on Robert “Rocky” Balboa, aspiring southpaw boxer from an Italian neighborhood of Philadelphia, known by the epithet “The Italian Stallion”. Taking advantage of his overconfidence, Rocky knocks him down in the first round—which was the first occasion that Creed has ever been knocked down. Mortified, Creed considers Rocky more serious for whatever is left of the fight, however, his sense of self never completely blurs. The fight continues for the full fifteen rounds. As the last round chime sounds, with the two contenders secured each other’s arms, they guarantee to one another that there will be no rematch. Creed the champ by virtue of a split choice (8:7, 7:8, 9:6).
Rocky II
Boxing heavyweight champion Apollo Creed has effectively protected his title in a split ruling against challenger Rocky Balboa. He and Rocky are taken to a similar healing center. Apollo challenges Rocky to a rematch, however, Rocky decays and resigns from proficient boxing. Overtime Rocky accepts the fight. Apollo has made an open objective of beating Rocky in close to two rounds to demonstrate the main match going the full fifteen rounds was a fluke. By the fifteenth round, Creed is well ahead and just needs to avoid Balboa to win the battle by choice. In the last round, the two men, depleted, exchange punches until the point when they knock each other down. On the off chance that neither got up, it would be a draw with Creed holding the title. Rocky gets back up at the count of nine while Apollo falls from weakness, giving Rocky the win by knockout, and making him the new world champion.
Rocky III
Three years in the wake of winning the heavyweight title against Apollo Creed, Rocky Balboa has had a string of ten fruitful title safeguards. His notoriety, riches, supports, and big-name profile have expanded. Rocky’s manager, Mickey, worriedly eyes a youthful and intense contender quickly ascending through the positions named James “Clubber” Lang. Rocky is tested by Lang, now the main contender. Lang blames Rocky for deliberately tolerating challenges from lesser adversaries and spurs Rocky into tolerating his test for a championship fight. The match starts with Rocky beating Lang with a few tremendous blows searching for an early knockout, yet he can’t put Lang down because of his own absence of molding. The greater, more grounded, and better-readied Lang rapidly recuperates and assumes responsibility, overwhelming Rocky and thumping him out with a haymaker left the snare in the second round, winning the heavyweight title. Creed offers to help train Rocky for a rematch against Lang in exchange for a future favor. By the third round, Lang, who is accustomed to winning matches quickly with knockouts in the early adjusts, turns out to be progressively angry over Rocky’s insults. He rapidly debilitates his vitality endeavoring to complete Rocky off with rehashed knockout blows, which Rocky squares or evades. With Lang shaken and powerless, Rocky grabs the chance to complete off Lang with a merciless knockout to recover the heavyweight title.
These are the first three Rocky films that were made between 1976-1982. We still have five remaining movies to discuss! I hope by you reading my article it has intrigued you to watch Rocky I-III. You can find these movies on “Sony Crackle” and view them for free! Lookout for my next article on the remaining Rocky movies!