Other Crap

A very long and detailed Q&A with Rocky Balboa.

It's the first time in any of the ROCKY films where I actually engaged in punching with a professional. The reason I wanted to use a professional like Antonio, who was at the time the Light Heavyweight Champion of the world, is that in sports films actors try to duplicate the precision of a real professional athlete and it looks foolish. In this fight we use the HBO boxing format and the same camera positions so it has the look of authenticity. I wanted to have a great deal of physical contact in the ring so I wanted to use a professional who could adjust to the ebb and flow of an awkward boxer like Rocky. Tarver, being a great boxer, could adjust and delivers punches from angles that no actor could possibly duplicate. I was knocked down several times during the fight and we keep those in there. If you want to see some real straight-on fighting and not the usual over the shoulder camera tricks, you might enjoy this fight a little bit more than the other ROCKY fights.