Millions of fighters around the world have been inspired by boxing legend Muhammad Ali, but he also made contributions to the cinema business. At the height of Ali’s career, Sylvester Stallone, a Hollywood star, was attempting to break through. The moment Stallone saw one of Ali’s fights, though, everything changed for him.

Stallone was in conversation with the GQ magazine in 2018 when he was asked about the time he went to see the 1975 fight between Muhammad Ali and Chuck Wepner. The ‘Rocky’ star stated, “Chuck Wepner was basically a guy who everybody considered a joke. He was known as the Bayonne Bleeder, and it was clear that his only notable contribution to the history of pugilism would be just how badly Ali would destroy him.” 

Stallone further described that no one was expecting Wepner to stand against Ali. The odds were ‘zillion to one’. He then recalled how something incredible happened which changed the course of the fight for some time. “Wepner knocked down the immortal Ali,” Stallone said. 

Moreover, as Stallone was sitting there seeing the audience erupt, he recalled, “It was like a bolt of lightning from some Greek god in the sky, and, almost instantly, Wepner became the crowd favorite — in a matter of seconds.”  

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He said that if this ‘inept’ guy can knock down Ali, then who knows what I can do? This led to something electrifying inside Stallone, which led to him understanding the metaphor. This fight inspired him to make the highly successful film franchise, ‘Rocky’. He even said that the movie isn’t really about boxing, it is about personal triumph.  

Sylvester Stallone’s journey to make one of the most successful film franchises of all time 

Stallone was having trouble making it in New York as an actor and screenwriter. He achieved a modest degree of success with “The Lords of Flatbush.” He then relocated to California after that. For him, things weren’t going too well. Since Stallone lacked the funds to care for his dog properly, he even tried to sell the pet.

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It’s significant to note that he finished the Rocky script in just three days. Even after that, Stallone had to endure a lot of challenges, but he overcame them all to become regarded as one of Hollywood’s most illustrious performers.

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