Sylvester Stallone is indeed a celebrated actor in Hollywood. The superstar has delivered some of the most iconic action movies of all time. But the journey of Stallone to fame is something that provides the audience with true inspiration. The Rambo star struggled quite a lot before he landed his groundbreaking role in his self-written Rocky film in 1976. 

Stallone received immense fame from this movie and his character soon became memorable in the hearts of the viewers. However, the superstar shared that the misconception among fans that Rocky won against Apollo Creed in their fight has disappointed him. Stallone clarified that the purpose of the movie was never about Rocky becoming the ultimate champion, but rather about resilience and keeping up a good fight to challenges. 

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Sylvester Stallone

Sylvester Stallone Clarifies The Misconception Of Rocky’s Victory

Despite the overwhelming success of Rocky and its subsequent sequels, Sylvester Stallone expressed his disappointment when fans wrongly recall that Rocky defeated Apollo in their first fight. The Expendables star emphasized that the film’s focus was never on Rocky Balboa becoming a boxing champion but was to showcase the fighting determination of the character.

“It’s [about] him going the distance — surviving. I just thought his winning would have been — it defeats the whole purpose because not all of us are ever going to be ‘the champion.’ But we can go the distance. We can put up a great fight.”

Sylvester Stallone Highlights The True Motivation Of His Character In Rocky

Stallone highlighted the true essence of Rocky by shedding light on the central motivation of the character. More than his match with Apollo Creed, Rocky’s ultimate goal was to prove himself to Adrian, the woman he loved. The superstar added that winning the match was not important for his character but his real focus was to win his woman. 

“The main thing is, the only thing he [Rocky] wanted was his woman, Adrian. That’s all he was there for. Just prove to her that he wasn’t a bum from the neighborhood. And that’s something that’s attainable. Being a champion, it’s very rare, difficult. He wasn’t that kind of guy. It [winning] wasn’t important to him. She was important to him.” 

Rocky (1976)
Sylvester Stallone’s remarks on the story of Rocky provided a much deeper understanding to the viewers about his story and his character. The performance of Stallone as Rocky Balboa added on to the success of the movie and its franchise.

Source: Q with Tom Power