What was Rocky Balboa’s fight record in Sylvester Stallone’s movies? Here’s how many wins and losses he had during his career as a boxer.
What was Rocky Balboa’s fight record in the movie saga? The character, who has been featured in a total of eight films to date, participated in over 80 matches throughout his long career as a professional boxer. Sylvester Stallone’s character was battling challengers in the ring long before he first went up against the world champ, Carl Weathers’ Apollo Creed, in Rocky.
His career kicked off in Philadelphia during the 1960s, and then was taken to the next level when he faced off against Apollo for the second time in Rocky II. He was at the height of his fame during the late 1970s and early 1980s.
Rocky officially retired from the sport in the 1990s and only got back in the ring for a single exhibition match in 2006’s Rocky Balboa against Mason Dixon (Antonio Tarver).
Rocky has a record of 57-23-1 in the franchise, which adds up to 81 fights. These numbers account for nearly all of the bouts he’s been in, but they exclude his win over Tommy Gunn (Tommy Morrison) in Rocky V since that was a street fight and not an official match in any capacity. The same goes for his off-screen secret contest with Apollo at the end of Rocky III, which was done in fun and away from the eyes of others. It’s worth noting that most of his matches happened prior to the events of Rocky, with his record at the start of the franchise being 43-20.
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Multiple wins and losses were added during his on-screen fights and his 21st loss came when he fought Apollo. Though his performance wowed audiences, it wasn’t enough to get him a win. Unfortunately, he was declared the loser by split decision. He corrected that with Rocky II’s rematch and followed it up with ten consecutive wins, all of which being knockouts. Rocky’s winning streak came to an end when he faced a rather orthodox challenger in the form of wrestling champion Thunderlips (Hulk Hogan). It was Thunderlips who gave Rocky the first and only draw on his record.
Afterward, an overconfident Rocky was taken down by Clubber Lang (Mr. T). The loss proved to be a humbling experience, as it pushed him to get back into fighting shape.
Thanks to the training he received from Apollo, he won the rematch at the end of the movie. In 1985’s Rocky IV, he went through one of his toughest fights yet when he was pitted against Russian champion Ivan Drago (Dolph Lundgren), who killed Apollo in the ring. To avenge his friend, Rocky Balboa survived 15 grueling rounds against Ivan, and eventually scored a K.O., which became his 51st (and final) knockout win of his career. The result of his last boxing match – the one with Mason Dixon – handed him another loss via split decision, but considering the 60-year-old’s opponent was facing the current heavyweight champion, it was hardly a disgraceful end to his boxing days.