Rocky Franchise: An In depth Look Back On Why the World Fell In Love with Rocky Balboa – Boxing News
By Geno McGahee
I don’t think that there is a better series of movies than the Rocky Saga, and the sixth entry did not disappoint the fans or at the box office. Due to the profit of Rocky Balboa (Rocky VI), there is now talk of a seventh entry in the series, and realistically, they could make one hundred of these Rocky films, and I would always be eager to see it. There is something special about Rocky and anybody that has grown up watching these films remember them and still be excited when that theme music plays. The Rocky Franchise means something to many people. I remember seeing Rocky III, when I was eight years old and even though I did not become a boxing fan until I was twelve or so, it quickly became my favorite movie, replacing “Clash of the Titans.”
Now, I’m much older and I’m as excited as I was when I went to go see Rocky IV at the age of eleven, and that movie didn’t fail to impress me either. I, unlike a lot of people, do not think that there is a bad Rocky movie. I think that the first two are in a class of their own and the other three are tied for a close second. Rocky Balboa seemed to have brought back the drama that the first two films produced, and marked the 30th anniversary of the series. That is a remarkable achievement and there aren’t that many series that can claim that staying power. There is certainly not a sports-related film franchise that can claim the success or staying power of the Rocky movies.
The inspiration for the initial movie was a bout that had taken place on March 24th, 1975, between Muhammad Ali, and the rough and tumble underdog, Chuck Wepner, with the WBA and WBC Heavyweight Titles hanging in the balance. Wepner was a bouncer and a liquor salesman and with nine losses on his record, he did not belong in the ring with World Champion. Don King promoted it as it was. This guy was an underdog with a dream to win the Title, but the promotion was a failure. The public just didn’t see a competitive fight and they were correct, but Wepner was credited with a knockdown, which proved that you couldn’t take anyone for granted and that anything can happen in the ring.