“He was magic….” Sylvester Stallone gets emotional recalling days of Rocky vs Creed after Carl Weathers demise

Carl Weathers' legacy as Apollo Creed remembered: Sylvester Stallone pays tribute to his co-star's impact on the Rocky saga and his personal life.

“He was magic….” Sylvester Stallone gets emotional recalling days of Rocky vs Creed after Carl Weathers demise

Sylvester Stallone with Carl Weathers in the film Rocky (Image via: Instagram)

The boxing community lost two men today. One was a professional boxer, and the other acted as one of the most iconic professional boxers on the big screen. Japanese boxer Kazuki Anaguchi was the one who passed. Moreover, the other was Carl Weathers, the man who portrayed the iconic Apollo Creed in the Rocky film franchise. Both deaths deeply saddened the combat sports community. Sylvester Stallone, who portrayed the franchise’s titular character, shared an emotional video post on social media for Weathers.

Stallone and Weathers portrayed rivals turned best friends in the film franchise. They had a deep bond, and anybody could grasp that if they watched the emotional video of Stallone. Nonetheless, this is what Stallone said about Weathers in the video post.

Today is an incredibly sad day for me... I'm just trying to hold it in because Carl Weathers was such an integral part of my life, my success, everything about it. I give him incredible credit and kudos because when he walked into that room, and I saw him for the first time, I saw greatness. But I didn't realize how great. I never could have accomplished what we did with Rocky without him. He was absolutely brilliant—his voice, his size, his power, his athletic ability, but more importantly, his heart, his soul.... He was magic, and I was so fortunate to be part of his life. So, Apollo, keep punching.
Sylvester Stallone via X
YouTube video

Stallone based the character of Apollo Creed on Muhammad Ali. Moreover, Stallone was on the ringside when Ali fought the lesser-known Chuck Wepner, who surprisingly gave Ali a tough fight. The fight was the basis of the Acadamy Award-winning film Rocky. The character of Rocky had shades of Wepner and other boxers like Rocky Marciano, Rocky Graziano, and Jake LaMotta.

FS Video

On the other hand, Apollo Creed was entirely based on Ali. Carl Weathers was a former NFL linebacker, and his strength and physique were integral to the portrayal of Apollo Creed in the movie. Stallone and Weathers had some of the best dramatic boxing fights on the big screen. Weathers’s character passed away in the 4th Rocky film, but his legacy continued with the Creed film franchise.

Carl Weathers in the Rocky-Creed film franchise

Carl Weathers was the primary antagonist in the first two Rocky films, Rocky I and Rocky II. The character of Apollo Creed was the on-screen portrayal of Muhammad Ali, and Creed showcased Ali’s trademark brashness and trash-talk in the films. Even the moves inside the ring also showed Ali’s signature moves, like the Ali shuffle.

Sylvester Stallone with Carl Weathers
Sylvester Stallone with Carl Weathers (Image via: Instagram)

Creed won the first fight in the boxing match but succumbed to the pressure of Rocky Balboa in the rematch in the second film. The character retired from boxing in the third film and was Balboa’s mentor and best friend in Rocky III. In the fourth film, Weathers suffers a brutal death in a comeback from a retirement fight against the iconic antagonist of the film franchise, Ivan Drago.

Creed did not appear in Rocky V and Rocky Balboa, but his legacy continued through the Creed film franchise. In the Creed films, Creed’s illegitimate son, Adonis Johnson, fought for his legacy. The Creed films showed Weathers in archival footage.

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