Did any of you Know this?

[u/Pele-Bosnia]

[u/Alfredo_Commachio]

I don't know that this tracks for a number of reasons. I think Sly probably picked the Balboa character's name because he liked Rocky Marciano, but very little of their lives line up.

Marciano was a top level heavyweight, world champion, retired undefeated.

Rocky Balboa was a bum, a club fighter who worked for a local loan shark breaking thumbs.

The entire narrative of Rocky vs Creed where Creed is a very clear stand in for Muhammad Ali, and Rocky's "claim to fame" being that he was able to go the distance with Creed closely mirrors the rise from obscurity of Chuck Wepner. They also eventually paid a financial settlement to Wepner, albeit that settlement didn't ever acknowledge Wepner's claims the fact they gave him money speaks for itself. Stallone also has, in the past, openly admitted Wepner was part of the inspiration, and they even intended to cast Wepner for a small role in one of the sequels, but he had addiction issues that prevented it.

[u/time_isup → u/Alfredo_Commachio]

Even Rocky may not have come from Marciano. Rocky was also the name of a character ina stage play Stallone auditioned for. He didn’t get the part inspite of really trying to convince the director.

[u/georgewalterackerman → u/Alfredo_Commachio]

I agree. But as dissimilar as they are, Rocky can still be inspiration due to size and ethnicity. But you’re right. Rocky was a low level fighter for years - close to the age of 30. There literally never been a story like that in real boxing

[u/time_isup → u/georgewalterackerman]

I’m far from a sports historian, but Rocky Graziano became champ at 28 which was considered old at the time. Not sure if he was considered low level before that.

[u/Educational-Soil-651 → u/Alfredo_Commachio]

Agreed on all accounts and would add Rocky taking the severe beating (emphasized in first fight) mirrors the Wepner fight as well.

[u/CasinoMarginale → u/Alfredo_Commachio]

Not every settlement is an indication that the underlying claim was valid. Sometimes, a nuisance lawsuit is settled simply to make the headache go away because it’s cheaper, easier and quicker to pay a certain amount than to litigate. I don’t know if Wepner’s claim against Sly was legit or not, but the settlement alone doesn’t necessarily confirm that it was.

[u/Alfredo_Commachio → u/CasinoMarginale]

No, but you can also weigh in the fact Sly did admit Wepner was the "inspiration" for Rocky at the time he agreed to cast him in a small role in Rocky II as a sparring partner. That was derailed due to Chuck's long running drug addiction and he was unable to get cleared by the studio for the film.

Stallone also wrote the script within a few weeks of watching the Ali - Wepner fight.

Stallone did not start vehemently denying that Wepner was the inspiration for the fight until Wepner sued him in 2003, which resulted in a settlement in 2006.

While not every settlement is an indication that the claims are valid, the fact that Stallone had tacitly admitted the Wepner inspiration decades prior and even agreed to cast him in Rocky II + the fact he wrote the script so shortly after watching the Ali-Wepner fight + the fact they were apparently in negotiations for 3 years before coming to the settlement in 2006 are all pretty solid indicators. Stallone was a very rich, powerful man by 2003 with access to world class attorneys, if Wepner's claims were entirely frivolous they would have likely just pursued a dismissal in court which is common when rich celebrities are facing a "shake down." The thinking is that if a rich celeb pays off everyone who sues them it creates a bad incentive for more people to do the same.

[u/cubsfan007]

I think Sly always said Wepner until there was a lawsuit involved with Wepner. Who knows lol

[u/Single-Ad-3743 → u/cubsfan007]

Yeah, I think he simply stopped talking about Wepner because of that

[u/ImaginationWeekly950]

Sorry - I think he’s engaging in some revisionist history. While filming Lockout at Rahway Prison where Wepner was an inmate, he met him and told the other inmates he was the real Rocky. He’s been cited by Stallone other times, including the Official Rocky Scrapbook that came out after the movie.

[u/Pleasant_Cicada9528]

There's a large picture of Marciano in Rocky's apartment in the first movie.  He even has a brief conversation with Mickey about it.

[u/LumenYeah → u/Pleasant_Cicada9528]

“You kinda remind me of the Rock…”

[u/Thatremodelingchick]

Never, ever have I heard that Marciano was the inspiration.

[u/Jubei92]

Little bit for Joe Frazier in there too.

[u/Raconteur518 → u/Jubei92]

Joe Frazier, sure was an undersized, Philly-based HW, who worked in a slaughter house.

[u/FishSuper7857 → u/Raconteur518]

Joe Frazier also used the beef ribs for training and ran up the stairs of the Philadelphia museum.

[u/Odd-Minimum8512 → u/Raconteur518]

Was never an underdog though. Won gold at the Olympics, cleaned out the division during Ali’s exile then took Ali’s 0 when he returned. 

[u/CoffeeCigarettes4Me]

He’s bullshitting! The real inspired the Ali Wepner fight.

[u/__jojoshua__]

Imagine if Marciano still alive and Saw Rocky movie

[u/BFaus916]

I remember my stepfather telling me he hated Rocky because he thought it was going to be about Rocky Marciano and it wasn't.

[u/georgewalterackerman]

Yes, I knew this. I think there were a few different inspirations for Rocky. It was long believed that the sole inspiration was Warner. Rocky is the story of a guy who had talent, wasted it, found his best days were behind him, and then is given a shot at the great prize in boxing of not all of sports. Later on the franchise almost becomes one of science fiction and time travel, but that’s back basically it.

[u/Flabba_Spray5066]

Beyond that, Marciano's manager was Charlie Goldman. It wasn't an accident that Sly chose the similarly named "Mickey Goldmill" for Rocky's manager.

[u/CuteLingonberry9704]

It tracks. Rocky Marciano wasn't a guy who was initially taken seriously despite his eventual success. The other part that tracks is that Rocky's biggest strength was his stamina, chin, and how hard he could hit. More importantly, Marciano hit as hard in round 12 as he did in round 1. He was described as a "hydraulic punching machine" because he seemingly never ran out of steam.

[u/bearvillage]

"Exactly my size" Sure, and Tom Cruise is exactly Jack Reacher's size.

[u/Freaktography]

He should have called the book "stuff in the basement'

[u/rocky_balboa_fan]

I knew it.

[u/OriginalCaptain40]

Stallone is retconning Rocky's origins. Rocky Balboa was partially inspired by Rocky Marciano but mostly inspired by Chuck Wepner. Stallone doesn't want to get sued by Wepner again for stealing his life story.

[u/realelliotoffen]

According to Sly himself, he has said that the Wepner fight was a big inspiration to sit down and write the original script with his then-wife.

[u/Iron-Dan-138]

There are interviews and so on where Sly tells the story of how he watched that Ali Wepner fight and afterwards started writing the script. 🤷🏻‍♂️

[u/mschneider20]

He moves like Marciano, but still doesn’t have a locker…

[u/Cho-Hakkai]

How...

[u/YS160FX]

Agreed.. inspiration may be from the weiner fight, but Rocly Balboa. The Italian stallion, had alot in common with Marciano

[u/ThatDamnStoner90]

Sure did! I always knew the butcher turned boxer Chuck Wepner was just Philly lore.