During the long rich history of film and television, when it comes to fictional boxing related content, The Rocky Franchise undoubtedly represents the gold standard, and not without damn good reason. The Rocky movies produced an engaging saga that followed the life and boxing career of The Italian Stallion, Rocky Balboa.
The stories were dramatic and entertaining, the characters were interesting, likable and believable, and the strong direction and impeccable cast produced stellar classic performances that made the movies both magical and memorable.
One of the most important key players who helped make the Rocky Franchise such a magical and memorable viewing experience was the late great Carl Weathers, for his portrayal of one of the coolest and most iconic characters within the Rocky Universe:
The Dancing Destroyer
The King of Sting
The Count of Monte Fisto
The Master of Disaster
The one and only, Apollo Creed!
At the beginning of the original Rocky, Apollo Creed was the undisputed world heavyweight champion, and he was a dominant champion who was undefeated in 46 professional fights. He acted as an antagonist in the original Rocky (where Rocky’s biggest battle was actually against himself), and also in Rocky II where his character became more villainous, and yet still relatable. Apollo would ultimately develop a working relationship with Balboa in Rocky III, which evolved into a true bond of friendship predicated on mutual admiration and respect, and this friendship persisted until Apollo’s character met his tragic end in Rocky IV at the hands of Ivan Drago.
Apollo Creed may have arguably been written as a bit of a one dimensional character on the surface, but Carl Weathers was so brilliant in his portrayal that he made the character genuine and real, with a strong dose of nuance and humanity, and the end result was an iconic movie character for the ages. The boxing scenes may not have always been realistic, but the humanity most certainly was, with all of the flaws that come with the territory.
In conclusion, Apollo Creed will forever remain one of my favorite all time movie characters.
Thanks for all the memories Carl. May you rest in peace.
This edition of Rummy’s Corner is a tribute to the character that was masterfully portrayed by Carl Weathers, and it provides a quick recap and analysis of the iconic movie character known as “The Master of Disaster”, the one and only Apollo Creed. Please watch and enjoy the video. This is Rummy’s Corner (produced and narrated by Geoffrey Ciani).
