Both the Rocky and Creed franchises showcase memorable fight moments; however, not all of them accurately reflect who the best fighter is and the result was more a matter of plot armor than skill. Frequently, movies tend to put the story’s interest over what’s more realistic or plausible within its universe. The main character will be often put into extreme situations that will raise doubt about his survival. If this is managed the right way, it probably means that the script is good. If there’s the feeling that there was no way the main character could have outlived a specific situation, then there’s a problem. This is the case in many of the 19 fights in Rocky and Creed movies.
In 1976, Rocky’s first movie set the basis for an entire franchise to be built around the stereotypical underdog story. In every sequel, Balboa is put under challenging situations that he manages to overcome successfully. In 2015, Rocky’s franchise gave birth to Creed‘s franchise, which follows the ascending career of Adonis Creed, Apollo’s son. Even though Creed differs from Rocky in some ways, it follows a very similar structure. Both franchise’s first movies end with the lead character losing the fight against the World Champion. However, the sequels don’t follow that logic, and, in many outcomes, the plot needs seem to be the only reason for a fighter to win.
1 Rocky Balboa vs Apollo Creed – Rocky II (Rematch)
Rocky and Apollo meet for the second time in Rocky II’s final fight. After losing against Apollo in the first movie, Rocky tries to earn a living outside boxing. However, after being repeatedly provoked by Creed, he agrees to fight him in a rematch. Once again, Balboa walks into the fight as the underdog. After receiving several hard punches during the first part of the match, Rocky strikes back in the last round and manages to knock Apollo down. However, they both fall to the ground, and are extremely exhausted to get up. Eventually, Rocky wins the fight by being able to get on his feet first.
Although Balboas’s strategy of working on his right side to surprise Apollo may seem enough to end up winning, Rocky II‘s outcome is not realistic. Keeping in mind that Rocky walks into the fight with a huge risk of losing vision, it is highly unlikely that he can take all those punches to the face from the heavyweight champion and still be fine. The only reason for him to be the winner is the fact that he is the leading character and that there is no way that the second movie could end the same way as the first one does.
2 Rocky Balboa vs Clubber Lang – Rocky III (Rematch)
In Rocky III, Balboa fights Clubber Lang on two occasions. After “luckily” beating Apollo in the second movie, Rocky has no substantial challenges until he faces Clubber. Lang, a determined and very strong fighter, defeats Rocky by knocking him out in the second round, and becomes the heavyweight world champion. Guided by Apollo, Rocky puts himself under a very intense training process to get back into shape and recover his original “eye of the tiger”. In a very tight rematch, Rocky comes back from being down by points and defeats Clubber by knocking him out.
Even though Rocky’s training is indeed really tough, the difference between the first and second fight is huge. After being knocked out easily in the first match, Rocky manages to take Clubber punches without much harm. In addition to this, during the rematch, one of Rocky’s most memorable strategies is to let Clubber hit him in the face in order to get him mad and tired. It is extremely unlikely that Rocky, who got previously knocked out by Clubber in the second round, can take all that hitting without falling. Once again, the story is built around Rocky overcoming a seemingly impossible situation rather than going with the most plausible outcome.
3 Rocky Balboa vs Ivan Drago – Rocky IV
Rocky IV’s final fight against Ivan Drago is one of the most epic and remembered moments of the entire franchise. However, that fight is also one of the least realistic. At the beginning of the film, Ivan Drago faces Apollo Creed during an exhibition fight. During this fight, Drago kills Apollo in no less than two rounds. He’s portrayed as a sort of killing machine and an impossible-to-beat villain. In order to avenge his friend’s death, Rocky risks his life by accepting Drago’s challenge. Rocky faces Drago in Russia, with all the audience against him, and defeats him in a bloody combat.
In this film, the franchise reaches new levels by portraying a villain as barely invincible. Ivan’s hands are introduced as deadly weapons. The fact that a couple of punches killed Apollo, but then Rocky is able to take them for 15 rounds is pretty unlikely. This case is also a little bit different from the rest since the film introduces the Cold War issue and the rivalry between the U.S and the Soviet Republic. Keeping this in mind, there is absolutely no place for any outcome other than Rocky defeating Drago. The film’s ending, despite showing a great American comeback story, is quite hard to believe.
4 Rocky Balboa vs Tommy Gunn – Rocky V
Rocky V is probably the worst movie of the franchise, and its final fight isn’t the exception. In this film, Rocky is broke and has to return to the old neighborhood, where he ends up coaching aspiring boxer Tommy Gun. After betraying Rocky to get a chance at fighting for the World Title, Gun fails to be acknowledged by the crowd. In order to get out of Balboa’s shadow, Tommy confronts him at bar, which leads to a street-fight. Once again, the odds seem to be against Rocky, but he manages to defeat his apprentice in a very long and tight fight.
During the first part of the film, Tommy’s strength and ability to box are evident. He is certainly a champion at the top of his game. Rocky, on the other hand, is a retired boxer who hasn’t been in a professional fight for quite a while. The fact that the street fight might not be the best scenario for a victory by Tommy is not enough reason for him to lose against a retired boxer. Additionally, the fact that Rocky manages to take several punches to the face from a prime boxer’s bare fist is fairly questionable. Once again, against all logic, Rocky defeats his opponent.
5 Adonis Creed vs Viktor Drago – Creed II (Rematch)
In Creed II, Rocky IV’s plot is continued since Adonis fights to maintain the title against Ivan Drago’s son, Viktor. Viktor’s portrayal in this movie resembles his father’s in Rocky IV since, prior to fighting Creed, he is shown killing a man during a fight. During the first encounter, Adonis gets totally beaten up to the point of being hospitalized. However, the fight is annulled for Viktor’s lack of sportsmanship, and Donnie maintains the title. Donnie’s reputation gets severely damaged by this event, and, in order to overcome that situation, he takes a big risk by accepting a rematch against Drago, in which he finally wins.
In this case, the difference between the first fight and the rematch is also very significant. While in the original encounter, Viktor was a killing machine that send Donnie to the hospital, in the second meeting Donnie is able to recover from massive hits both to the body and face. In addition to this, during the rematch, Creed’s ribs seem to be broken after receiving a punch from Drago in the Creed movie. Taking into consideration Viktor’s previously established strength, Adonis being injured, and the fact that he’s knocked down a couple of times, it is a little hard to believe that he is able to come back à la Rocky, and force a withdrawal from Drago.
