It's not only about Ivan being the strongest. Ivan was rocky's biggest and most difficult challenge in comparison to all the other competitors. Everything was against him in that fight: 1) Fighting in Russia on Christmas in front of a hostile crowd 2) Uses nature for training whereas Ivan has state of the art modern technology. 3) Ivan was on steroids that made him have such a ridiculous punch PSI 4) Ivan was much bigger physically than Rocky in terms of height and weight 5) Rocky has something to prove after Apollo's death which puts more pressure on him All of these things against him is the biggest challenge. I would say Clubber Lang was the easiest for him. Mick dying before their first fight was the main reason he lost. Clubber got knocked out in 3 rounds and Rocky's face looked untouched at the end.
@@ice_man81 That fight clearly wasn't his biggest challenge considering Rocky knocked out Tommy while Tommy was in his prime. Drago hit Rocky so hard he gave him brain damage which is what you see in Rocky 5.
@@luissilva00 Not really. Drago was a heavy favourite to win that fight. Rocky was at the end of his prime while Drago was in the middle. When you are comparing the challenges between the two fighters, Rocky had many more to face than Drago.
Rocky IV was some weird, campy stuff in it, but I really like the Rock vs Drago dynamic. Drago lost the mind game. It's like Rocky and him flipped perspectives during the fight. Rocky realized Drago was just human, while Drago started thinking Rocky was a monster. His lack of experience cost him the fight.
It's actually interesting/fitting that Ivan Drago essentially lost the mental game which led to his loss to Rocky, and then the same thing happened to his son years later vs Adonis in their second fight (albeit that being due to reasons outside of the fight, funnily enough more similar to Rocky in his first fight vs Clubber Lang).
If you need another reason to consider Drago Nr 1, in the Creed 2 movie Rocky himself stated that "When I did get in that ring, that guy broke things in me that ain't never been fixed." He indeed is the ultimate foe for Rocky.
Don't look at what is said, look at the actual fighting. You can't decide a foe to be strongest because somebody said so. Just because Muhammad Ali said Rocky Marciano would best him in a fight doesn't mean that is true. Simple. But, that being said, I think Ivan Drago is indeed #1, due to how he literally killed a former world champion in two or three rounds
Rocky 5 gets a bad rep, but after watching it as an adult, it makes sense that Rocky had brain damage or traumatic brain injury at the least. Rocky suffered from ptsd from that fight to the point that his persona reverted to his Rocky 2 and Rocky persona.
@@raxn2673 Tbf what Rocky said is literally shown in the films. Our first scene of Rocky outside the ring from that fight is him shaking and broken up. Then he is supposed to have gotten severe damage in that fight that forced his retirement to the point where Adrian wouldn't even let him fight when they went broke and his own financier said he only needed a handful of fights to get back to where they were. Also Rocky legit has PTSD from Drago. We see him having mental flashbacks of him whenever he is in a stressful situation.
Official sources including Apollo state Clubber > Apollo. Rocky was already more or less Apollo lvl in Rocky 2, so the additional training just amps Rocky to the point that he can beat someone > Rocky II Apollo easily. That’s the only way to make sense of it without contradicting official sources 👍
@@CRISIS_COMICS Apollo said "You think I'm bad, this guy will kill ya." meaning he recognizes how ruthless and uncaring about anyone's safety Lang is. Remember.. according to official sources.. this Rocky that beat Lang in the second fight also lost to Apollo in the behind closed doors third fight. And that Apollo was past his peak. Prime Apollo easily exploits Lang's recklessness and lack of Stamina. It was the weakness that Mickey even knew of.. "This guy has never been fifteen rounds.." But Mickey also knew that Rocky was soft and totally lost his edge. According to Mick's words in Rocky III, Rocky from the second Apollo fight would stand a great chance against Lang.
Not just Ivan Drago killed Apollo, his hard punches caused Rocky's suffering from a condition called Cavum septi pellucidi, which is brain damage caused by extremely heavy blows to the head.
They retconned that apparently, but I think it should have been rephrased as traumatic brain injury, which could improve. As far as Rocky reverting to his Rocky and Rocky 2 persona, that could have been an affect of his ptsd with Dragos fight.
You forgot old Thunderlips from Rocky 3. Hulk Hogan would finish them all off quickly with the Atomic Leg Drop. He even teamed up with Clubber Lang at the very first WrestleMania to face off against the tag team of Rowdy Roddy Piper and Mr Wonderful Paul Orndorff.
Ivan Drago is BY FAR the most powerful opponent we've seen in the Rocky/Creed universe. Look at what is on his resume. Drago killed Apollo Creed. And Drago permanently ended the career or Rocky Balboa, because of all the severe damage Drago did to the body and brain of Balboa. Based on what I saw in Creed 2, I would also say that as a Manager there is no doubt Ivan Drago is more intelligent than Rocky Balboa. Ivan Drago threw the towel at the appropriate moment when his son was fighting against Adonis Creed. In comparison, Tony "Duke" Evers was shouting, "THROW THE D*MN TOWEL!" while Rocky Balboa allowed Apollo to literally be beaten to death. Based on what I saw in Creed 2, it was also incredibly obvious Ivan Drago was a very loyal father and very loving father. In comparison, Rocky Balboa was not a particularly good father. Rocky Balboa literally didn't even have the ability to call his son in order to community with his son. Although Rocky Balboa eventually did talk to his son, many years were lost because of Rocky's inability to communicate with his son and overall lack of skills at being a father. Both Ivan Drago and Rocky Balboa were excellent husbands. Both were incredibly loyal to their wives - clearly being 100% committed "Until death," as the promise of marriage is supposed to be. Rocky Balboa had a loving wife and enjoyed a high-quality marriage until the death of his wife. Unfortunately, the wife of Ivan Drago - Ludmilla - was a selfish witch and did not display any form of loyalty to her husband or her child. Viktor Drago made it clear that he didn't even know his mother at all. This placed an even greater burden on Ivan Drago as a single parent. And yet Ivan Drago rose to the challenge and raised an excellent son. There were books in the past where the Rocky plot continued after Rocky 5. In those plotlines, Ivan Drago fought against Tommy Gunn and easily defeated Tommy Gunn. This allowed Ivan Drago to reign as champion and eventually retire as champion. Unfortunately, in Creed 2 we learned of all the bad things that happened to Ivan Drago - such as being exiled from the Soviet Union and having his wife leave him. Finally, I find it disturbing that Rocky Balboa gets a rematch against Apollo Creed for going 15 rounds with him while Ivan Drago does not get a rematch with Rocky Balboa. If there had been a rematch, Ivan Drago would have EASILY defeated Rocky Balboa due to the fact that Ivan Drago did so much permanent lifelong damage to the body of Rocky Balboa during their fight. In fairness, it appears Rocky Balboa retired after fighting Ivan Drago as a result of the permanent damage to his body. This may be why there was never a rematch. Nevertheless, the body of Ivan Drago did NOT sustain permanent lifelong injuries the way the body of Rocky Balboa did. Thus, Ivan Drago would have EASILY defeated Rocky Balboa in a rematch.
Well yeah Drago would beat Rocky 9 times out of 10 Just like Foreman would’ve beaten Ali in a rematch because the damage he did (Ali’s Parkinson’s cost him the Holmes and Berbick fights)
yep and Rocky only beat Drago because of his ridiculous will to win along with Shakey but granite chin. Drago had to kill Rocky to beat him that night and he just couldn't do it.
Fun fact: The script in rocky 4 originally had Apollo having a vision and being visited by a angel. He was told his fight and possible death with drago would bring world peace due to the cold war still being present. After learning that it made more sense to me why Apollo was yelling "NO" while getting pummeled when rocky had the towel in his hand and Duke was yelling at rocky to throw it. As a kid I remember thinking why would Apollo sacrifice himself like that or even be aware the towel was about to be thrown while getting thrashed by drago. Anyway just wanted to drop that fun fact as many don't know that was almost in the movie and might have affected how some of the other scenes played out.
I think a huge thing that is maybe missing here is that in real boxing, styles make the fight. A major theme in Rocky 3 was arguably about this concept- Clubber smashed Rocky in their first fight like Foreman did to Frazier, but Apollo likely would have beaten clubber as Ali did against Foreman, even though he struggled against rocky like Ali did against Frazier. Considering how this example is still used today as an example of the concept, it was certainly being discussed in 1982.
@@CRISIS_COMICS I think there was some. He trained to fight more back foot with quickness In and out and I believe the commentator said something like he's fighting like Apollo Creed in there. it's been a while forgive me if I'm wrong.
@CRISIS the whole point of the third movie is Rocky switching styles because he needs to fight like Apollo to beat Clubber. Apollo beats Clubber in skill, stamina, willpower, speed, ect
Very astute observation. Styles definitely make fights and had rocky not been trained by and fought like Apollo early on he wouldn't have been able to frustrate clubber and wear him out.
@@CRISIS_COMICS Are you kidding me? Rocky beat Clubber in the rematch by fighting like Apollo. Are you seriously gonna argue Rocky does Apollo Creed better than prime Apollo Creed? That's ridiculous.
I reckon Apollo beats Clubber. In Rocky 3, the story heavily implies that rocky lost because he was complacent in his training, with cameras and spectators, whereas Clubber was determined and hungry. Furthermore, Rocky is given advice by Mickey before the fight, but since Mickey is dying, he cannot implement this and loses. Furthermore, Rocky's training is less about being able to learn how to beat clubber (even if he learns to be skillful) but more, narratively at least about getting his hunger back. + Rocky low diffs Clubber, but I think he would have more difficulty beating a trained, hungry Apollo in that setting. Overall, I think it's close but I have to give Apollo the edge
Given that Rocky 3 is based on the premise that Rocky learns to fight Apollo's style and destroys Clubber in the rematch, I think it's clear that Apollo as the original probably does the same.
@tol9at I always saw that as a bit deceptive though. Apollos style was the original strategy, the stick and move, but that’s not what wins the fight. Rocky taunting and allowing himself to get hit to expend Clubbers energy is what wins the fight and Apollo is dead against that, wouldn’t do that, and probably would get knocked out if he did that as it’s established Rocky can take more punishment. So you’d be looking at Apollo needing to go the distance and not get hit, as he lacks Rockys punching power. Lang was a dirty fighter and would have found a way to get to him I think. The strategy definitely helped but it was Rockys power fortitude and heart that beat Lang in the end.
Rocky lose the first time because he's only thinking about Mickey dying, he wanted to call off the match and take him to a hospital, so all he was focused in was to get his trainer and fatherly figure to the hospital as soon as possible.
I personally think that Apollo's ego got the best of him when it came to fighting Ivan Drago. He underestimated that dude's strength and literally got killed in the end.
@@CRISIS_COMICS I think he started to wise up right before the fight started when the two fist pumped each other, getting a small taste of Drago's strength.
@@lateramae He also says he’s faster and stronger than ever prior to fighting Drago, which is probably him coping, but if we take him at his word it’s especially impressive for Ivan.
@@lateramae Drago was superior in strength was 6 foot 5 at 260 pounds but he was used as Russia’s Guinea pig in a way to fight against Apollo and Rocky in unofficial war between Russia and US. Drago was given performance enhancing drugs to increase his strength and as used as a tool and can tell it affected him in Creed 2 and admits when lost to Rocky his country and wife turned against him.
Mark Cloer • With the exception of Apollo Creed and the Creed characters. If you're comparing any of the rocky characters to the real world especially Rocky and Ivan Drago. Then I suggest you go to your nearest hospital and check for cancer in your dome piece, because you're clearly remedial.
@@Mox1990dont listen to non boxers, wilder has technique, do ur research, theres no absolute chance a man can get to the top of boxing through power alone and fighting "bums"
Facts they should’ve shown a montage of him winning fights before his first title fight too and then defending after before he fought Adonis .. ain’t nobody walking on to the fight scene right into a title shot
Shouldn’t have pushed creeds student so hard and should’ve had him ko drago, which would’ve made Damian more likeabke too considering drago is a dirty fighter too so people wouldn’t have felt as bad
Should've been Adonis helping him win some amateur fights, with little hints of his true goals being speckled throughout. Would've been more impactful when he fought Chavez
Dragos only weakness was he'd never been cut especially a bad cut like he sustained in Rocky 4. That cut was the first chip in Dragos supreme confidence in himself.
He got cut early. Didn't look like weakness after. I think the Drago/Rocky fight showed a severe disregard for defence and Drago was just unlucky to go down in the end.
The whole thing I’ve noticed about the Rocky character in the films. He is a force that the other boxers aren’t prepared for because he can take the hits and keep going. He’s got the endurance of a god and it always plays into his victories. His opponents can send out the harder punches but he can take more of them than they could.
Ivan Drago was prefection. The ultimate warrior born with perfect genetics and intellect. He was taught and trained to be the best. Third he was enhanced by best that science had to offer. He was supposed to be the ultimate threat... the final boss fight kind of character. He's from an area where some of the toughest men in the world are born. An area where you either thrive or die. Which adds to how dangerous he really was.
Jerm • dummy he was on steroids! They started heavily testing for steroids in Pro Sports in 1983. Ivan Drago wouldn't have even been able to fight in the United States as pro, I honestly think the only reason they didn't test him in the movie was because of movie plot armor or maybe they just didn't test for exhibition fights. Either way without the steroids, and the actual condition of Apollo Creed knowing this was a real fight and actually training for it and trying to win, you would have to be your brain dead dummy to think that Ivan Drago wouldn't get his ass destroyed by Apollo Creed.
Except he lost. Sounds good on paper “but Everyone has a plan until they get punched in the face”. Tbf everything you said Sounds exactly like Apollo Creed, except more natural.
I'd say Apollo has a good chance at beating Clubber in a traditional boxing setting. One of the big reasons why Rocky won in Rocky 2 was his ability to take hits and go the distance. Though it is for sure shown that Clubber is stronger than Rocky I think Apollo's case can be made that he can simply wear out Clubber and taunt him just like Rocky. Since Clubber tied himself very early in the fight and Rocky himself employed Apollo's out-boxer style for a good bit of the fight. However, the big difference being Apollo would stick to evasion along with keeping his distance the whole fight and wouldn't let himself get hit in the face like Rocky did. Regardless amazing video and I love your content. Not sure if you already planning to do this or not but I'd like to see you go into detail on a fight with IP Man versus one of the Rocky/Creed Boxers.
100% agree most powerpunchers that I spar with go for the kill (even in sparring) and all I gotta do is use the Vstep lol. Just gotta dance around and they don't use their legs 90% of the time(I train kickboxing) it's all cross, and hook. If it connects I go to sleep. Thank god it hasn't 😂 But I do have some reach so it helps.
Clubber Lang was easily the weakest opponent in the entire series! They had to make Rocky complacent and soft to hand him the win, and the rematch was by far the easiest final fight in any Rocky movie. Even when it looked like Lang was getting somewhere, it all turned out to be a rope-a-dope. Apollo would have clowned him
I agree with this because it was with Apollo training he beat clubber. Rocky whole style changed and he looked alot like Apollo when he fought clubber the second time.
I think Apollo would at least beat Clubber. as we saw in clubbers second fight, Lang isn't that great at dodging or defending himself, and is very easy to bait into tiering himself out.
Apollo Creed is the strongest in my opinion as he won the third fight against Rocky that was offscreen and Apollo lost to Ivan Drago multiple years after his prime. Also, while training Rocky for the Clubber Lang fight Apollo was outclassing Rocky the whole time. Apollo also was definitely winning the fight against Rocky in Rocky 2 but he underestimated Rocky's ability to take hits.
Yeah, Protagonist plot power is the only reason Rocky won. Let's be honest. By every measurable metric Drago actually surpasses Rocky. He's stronger, has better talent... Rocky might edge him out in Endurance but not by a lot. Have Rocky and Drago fight 10 fights and Drago wins 9... Problem is, that still leaves the 1 that Rocky clenched.
Yea I agree Ivan is the best fighter, rocky 2nd. Rocky was hella motivated to beat Drago cuz he killed his friend. If Ivan didn't kill Apollo rocky would've gotten knocked out
Canonically, Drago is the tallest, strongest, best conditioned villain in the series. Creed was second. Followed by Clubber, than Tommy Gunn. If we include the Creed spin off, not sure where they'd fall in the lineup.
Marciano was Ali’s friend who died tragically in a plane crash. It’s very unlikely that Rocky would ever beat or knock out Ali (at his best) at his weight (Ali’s). It was his will that kept him going to beat the timing of Walcott near the penultimate round of a fight he had been losing, but there wouldn’t be any way Ali wouldn’t beat him by points, and he even argued there’d be no way Marciano could knock him out with Cus and once on a talk show. He was being reverent to his friend. "I feel closer to him than any white fighter in the trade. We talk fighter's talk in the way only friends can, blood talk, nitty-gritty talk. Our work is phony but our friendship has become real."
So true even 1978 ail beats Rocky prime ail (pre 1975) only lost twice , to Joe Frazier after years of lay off and to Norton , a guy whose style jus gave him problems and in their second fight ail tightened up and gave Norton a real run for us money people can say either one won the fight but honestly other than those two ail never lost post 1975 you could tell the conditioning wasn’t the same , he jus wasn’t the same fighter he aged , the personality overshadows the boxing but if you really look at ail’s heavyweight career is the kinda unbeatable
100 percent. Marciano is some what of a paper champion. He never fought a true champion and the few times he did they were past their prime. He only defended his title SIX TIMES. He quit before Ali got into the mix cause he knew the truth. Ali would win
It was awesome seeing Tarver as Mason Dixon. Antonio used to stop by the gym that I trained at in Orlando and I was able to speak to him on a couple of occasions. Great guy and probably the best actual fighter to portray a character in the Rocky series.
Apollo had won the second fight against rocky in terms of of knockouts and points, his pride cost him his win, his pride and age has always been his biggest weakness, prime apollo dances around lang, hell i wouldn't be surprised if rocky 3 apollo beats lang considering it was apollo's style that helped rocky beat lang in the first place, don't think he overcomes drago tho
Remember Rocky said that he beat Apollo, only because Apollo was past his prime. We never saw prime Apollo fight. Even in Rocky, he really was not in his prime. He is 3 years older than Rocky. Apollo's biggest weakness is honestly his pride. If he can keep that in check he is the best fighter.
@@andreleandro6931Humble people can tell if someone’s better or not. My dads humble too, doesn’t mean he’s lying about him being worse at fighting than me.
Ali without being taken away in his prime would've danced circles around Frazier. While showing respect for Marciano and other fighters, Ali never said he'd lose to him. He respected his power as well as he did Joe Louis's, Ali was too fast and too long.
Yes I also think his logic was a bit weird, he lost one of his 3 fights with Frazier just when he came back from his ban and all those fights were out of his prime, and he definitely have a claim to be the goat regardless of what he did outside the ring. someone like Teddy atlas consider him the best boxer after 1950 for example, also he had huge respect for Rocky marciano so that is probably why he talked so highly of him, Ali would nearly 100% beat him in a boxing match
No 2 out of 3 fights Frazier was blind In one eye. And the 3rd fight was too close to call. Frazer was so ahead on points he just had to stand up to win. Frazier wanted to keep fighting and Ali asked his trainer to cut off his gloves.
@@FB-nw8pp stopped it,” Futch explained, “because Joe was starting to get hit with too many clean shots. He couldn’t see out of his right eye. He couldn’t see the left hands coming.” Ali was far ahead on the scoreboards of the three officials. Using the 5-point must scoring system, referee Carlos Padilla Jr. had the champion ahead, 66-60. Judge Alfredo Quiazon had it 67-62 and Judge Larry Nadayag had it 66-62. On a rounds basis, Quiazon had Ali ahead 8-3, with three even. The others each had it 8-4-2. Ali’s victory was recorded as a knockout in the 14th round since the bell had not rung for the final round. “My guy sucked it up,” said Ali’s trainer, Angelo Dundee. “When he looked completely out of gas, he put on another gas tank. I thought we were in front. My guy was hitting him better shots" “Joe had two bad rounds in a row,” Futch said, “Even with three minutes to go, he was going downhill. And that opened up the possibility in that situation that he could’ve been seriously hurt.” Wearing dark glasses to hide his puffed eyes, especially his right eye, Frazier agreed with Futch. “I didn’t want to be stopped, I wanted to go on,” Frazier said, “but I’d never go against Eddie.” I copied and pasted this so you wouldn't think I was being biased. Frazier was blind because Ali closed his right eye. Those sitting ringside described Frazier’s face to a badly smashed chocolate marshmallow. Frazier did damage in the middle rounds but Ali going for an early knockout plastered Frazier with jabs and overhand rights.
@@bigb2494 No actually do research, Joe Frazier Got blind because of an accident working in a factory were a piece of metal hit his left eye and his trainer kept it a secret from everyone because a boxer would take advantage of that if they know he was blind in his left eye. And Ali even said in the 9th round of the 3rd fight that he never felt so close to death. Joe Frazier was so ahead on points all he had to do was stand up to win. Frazier wanted to keep fighting and his manager wouldn’t let him, Ali wanted to his manager to cut off his gloves and he wouldn’t let him quit.
@@FB-nw8pp I've done plenty of research on those fights, but you have your own agenda so nothings going to change what you want to believe. When Futch stopped the fight Frazier was standing in the corner and he made no protest on the stoppage. Ali said he was willing to die before he let Frazier win. Again this was after Ali took his title back from Foreman. Which goes to my original point in his prime Ali would've danced circles around Frazier.
Ivan Drago truly was a look into the future. Starting in the 90's we saw tall, powerful world champions like Lennox Lewis, the Klitschko brothers and today Tyson Fury and Deontay Wilder.
I agree with Ivan being number one. But Apollo was beating rocky the whole fight in rocky 2 but gassed out because he underestimated rocky ability to take punishment. So I'd put Apollo number 2 if not one because we never see Apollo in his actual prime. But it's interesting because most opponents were beaten because of will power alone. Not boxing intelligence, points, speed or power. That's whole point of the franchise up until the last creed movie and even that was will power just not in the physical sense. So this is a very interesting video
Don’t forget that Apollo beat Rocky in the third fight they had as confirmed by Rocky to Adonis in the restaurant so he’s 2out of 3 winner against Rocky.
Apollo would smoke clubber. It's a perfect matchup for him. He would tire Clubber out, and had enough power to put him away in the later rounds. Remember, he trained Rocky to fight Clubber in his style. Rocky couldn't beat Clubber until he learned to box, Apollo style. And with all due respect to Rocky, there's no way he was better at employing that style of combat than Apollo was.
@@dylanwade9825 remember the most important point in everything regarding Apollo… Rocky was a make believe character, meaning he was based on Chuck Wepner who was a one hit wonder in boxing. Apollo was based on ALI. Like… even ALI CAME ON STAGE on the academy awards and said out loud “I am the real Apollo Creed!” It’s on RUclips. So the point is since we are talking fantasy… Apollo is Ali and Clubber is Tyson. Do you really think that Tyson would beat Ali? Nobody thinks so, not even Tyson.
Interesting video. Okay, I am getting out my pitchfork. I would still rank Apollo Creed above Clubber Lang. Why? Because when Rocky got his confidence back, he literally demolished Lang with his speed and skill. "You're not so bad! You ain't nothing!" he tainted Lang. When Clubber hit him, he taunted "My mother hits harder than that!" By contrast, Rocky's victory over Apollo was a very hard fought fight. The only reason Mick thought Rocky couldn't beat Clubber in Rocky III was because he saw Rockey had gone soft due to easy living and getting civilized. I am sure Mick would have been confident that the old Rockey would have beat Clubber lang. Otherwise, again, interesting analysis.
Apollo doesn’t have the anywhere near the durability Rocky does though. Creed died because he literally just couldn’t withstand the force of Dragos punches, the same punches that we see rocky tanking in Rocky IV. If clubber lang managed to pin creed into a place where he would start landing hooks then it would be all over for Apollo as he doesn’t have the durability to take the force of those punches and keep moving like Rocky does.
@@raiscooper151Bro Creed was pushing 50 in that movie you people act like he just started fighting he hasn’t been in the ring for 5 years what is wrong with you people 😂
Crisis please cover more Star Wars characters. Your how powerful is darth Vader video is the best I’ve seen. I often go back to watch it because it’s so good. Keep up the good work
I really don't think there's any doubt that Apollo was the greatest. When Rocky first came out, Apollo came off as a masterful fighter with otherworldly skills no one had even previously imagined. He was untrained and past his prime and still came across as a wizard. Clubber wouldn't lay a glove on prime Apollo. Drago is less clear, based on his strength and conditioning, but there's a good chance Apollo would get inside his head with his speed and elusiveness.
Victor Drago not being the champion after Adonis retires to me is one of the biggest mistakes they made in Creed 3 cuz how could they say the guy who is champion isn't ready for him how could Victor have not won whatever match was for the championship or how could they even leave him out of it like that would make no sense to me
yea thats a good point but i remember that in that fight they were trying to get more money directed towards the champ because drago was the more popular fighter. Maybe he just doesn't feel the need to fight for the belt? idk
Mick: "Did you fight last night?" Rocky: "Yeah." Mick: "Did you win?" Rocky: "Yeah." Mick: "Who did you fight?" Rocky: "Spider Rico." Mick: (Laughs) "He's a bum." LOL. Peace.
He was the top heavyweight in the world, everyone has haters calling them all sorts of stuff. Dixon wasn’t on Rocky’s level obviously but he definitely wasn’t a paper champ.
@@chi7818I liked that Crisis also said that Dixon was nearly as good as creed because he was only 2 rounds short😂 when I’m pretty sure it was 4 or 5. By his logic, Ali would be better than Creed since Creed apparently took 12 round to KO George Foreman, whereas Ali only took 8.
I think Apollo should be placed above Clubber. It was because Rocky adopted Apollos style in 3 that kept him from being beat up badly in the rematch. I also think Apollo would have been too smart for clubbers and clearly would have had more endurance.
I agree. I think Apollo would have picked Clubber apart. I don't think he had the punching power to knock him out but the score card would have given him a victory for sure.
Apollo statistically was the strongest fighter in the entire franchise. It's all but confirmed in the first 30 minutes of the first movie. He's actually having trouble finding a credible opponent he hasn't beaten yet. The most legitimate and tested champion. Most of Rocky's title defences came with hand picked opposition, Drago and Lang's feats come nowhere close.
@@AdamPalomino past his prime or not, he didn't just beat him he obliterated him in like 2 rounds. He also damaged rocky worse than anyone before and literally ended his career
@@WEAREALLJUSTMEAT His total feats fall short of Rocky and Apollo. He does not hold a victory over Rocky like Apollo does, he lost to Rocky, none of his previous 30 opponents are ever identified. Apollo has 47 victories, 46 by KO which dispels the myth he could only dance and that his punches lacked power. And we know he fought and beat the best of his era.
For me it's 1. Apollo creed (prime) 2. Rocky balboa 3. Ivan drago 4. Adonis creed 5. Viktor drago 6. Damian anderson 7. Clubber lang 8. Thunderlips 9. Ricky conlan 10. Tommy gunn 11. Mason dixon 12. Spider rico
Right. Drago was a beast but he was an amateur boxer, apollo was retired when he killed him, and rocky almost retired defeated him. Apollo was called the best of all times, he was the pinnacle of the saga, rocky had to give the fight of his life and barely defeat him, and then with his guidance he reached his own prime and defeated Lang. But Rocky was never as good as a boxer as Apollo was.
Actually, Zangief was based off a real life pro wrestler in the early 90s that went by the name of Zangiev. The street fighter character was ultimately an exaggerated version of the real life pro wrestler.
Fighters dont generally admit defeat, even if the fight is theoretical. Hearing Ali say he'd lose to Rocky Marciano is a big deal... And its probably true.
Ivan was that much of a beast. And his son was almost as good. Not quite as tall or having the reach, but the younger drago was probably bulkier and faster despite being a literal tank. It would be hard to compare which Drago (I think Ivan still peaks out) was better, but they are likely the best and most skilled antagonist opponents in the series.
All but one which was his downfall and also his sons downfall. Mentially he wasn't as tough as the other fighters. He forgot the game plan and started to get scared that Rocky could take his best shots and keep coming. Fix that and he would be unstoppable.
For Colin: 7:22 Donnie was suckering him. He took blows like Rocky then employed a winning chess like strategy Apollo. The slow down moments are him noticing what Colin’s combination would be. Duke says “you’re getting beat worst than your first fight!” To which Donnie just replies “Checkmate” because it was all a set up. Leading to him knocking him out easily the following round. Not saying his spot should move just that I would take that point and flip it. Despite Colin’s strength improvement, Donnie has come so far that he can take those hits while still forming a strategy.
Ivan Drago is to Rocky what George Foreman was to Ali. Miraculous win against a clearly more powerful fighter. If you set a rematch, Drago would have crushed Rocky, just like Foreman would have crushed Ali. This is actually the reason why there never was a rematch
I see some people are not factoring in Clubber's lower stamina and lesser technical boxing skill in comparison to Apollo. Apollo would be a nightmare match-up for Clubber, Apollo has enough technical boxing skill with footwork and head-movement to avoid Clubber's big bombs and would drag Clubber into the later rounds where an exhausted Clubber would get systematically picked apart and knocked out by Apollo.
Ali is considered the goat for his record as well as his actions outside the ring. He avenged every defeat except of course Holmes and Berbick, neither of which should he have even been in the ring with due to parkisons already kicking in. Ali ducked nobody, he fought anyone that he could and he had one of the best comebacks in boxing history, defeating everyone he fought at least once (again except the last 2 fights), fought a ridiculous amount of HoF's and won the title an entire decade after first winning it. Pre-exile Ali and in particular when he fought Terrell, I don't think any HW in history is beating. His comments on Marciano just sound like respect to me. He always respected him. It's like Tyson said, you have to believe you're the greatest at the time, all the while he's thinking he would have lost to Ali and wasn't too keen to fight an over 40 year old Foreman at the risk of losing.
Keep in mind that a 14yo old Mike Tyson vowed revenge against Holmes for beating Ali - and he literally destroyed that guy when he had the chance. I don't think there's ever been a fighter capable of inspiring others to avenge him.
That's another reason why I don't think Apollo is as skilled or durable as Ali because Ali never ducked anyone as you said. In the first rocky film, they showed Joe Frazier who even said Apollo been ducking him so that tells you that Apollo didn't always fight the best fighters of his generation which is why I don't blame crisis for ranking him so low on this video.
@@thewolfofwallstreet627 I would agree but Frazier saying it doesn’t make it so. Apollo is also literally called the best fighter ever pre Rocky multiple times including Frazier.
No He wouldn’t 50% of professional athletes take steroids it’s illegal but not uncommon. Also in real life 90% of these actors or on steroids even Sylvester Stallone. it’s really not uncommon. Damian and Viktor would because they actually cheated instead the ring. Dargo didn’t know he was taking steroids his trainers gave it to him.
I actually think Damian should have been ranked higher. But when he mentioned that he lost to a out of prime Adonis. I dont think thats true, because Damian was actually older in age by 2 to 3 years, compared to Adonis. Plus Damian was in prison for 18 years straight and was able to win a heavy weight world championship belt from a professional champion that is far younger than Damian and was still able to keep up with Adonis. I feel like Mason Dixon was the lowest rank heavy weight boxing champion. Due to the fact that he got knocked down and struggled against an out of prime elderly Rocky with a ton of medical issues and had not fought in many years.
Actually Ali was unbeatable before his exile. But at his best in shape and motivated nobody's beating him. And he put frazier in the hospital for a month in a fight he supposedly lost.
We never saw young Apollo's legendary prime in the films, only heard about it. He outboxes almost anyone according to lore. You can't hit what you can't see
@@CRISIS_COMICS apollo is also called "a perfect fighter". so if everything that's said in the movies is true, apollo is the best and it's not up for discussion. an example of you cherry picking to justify your garbage video. on top of that let's use some common sense; is there anybody on earth who thinks 35 is a boxers prime? you're really bad at logic and reason lol
Lang has no business being that high. He beat an untrained, Hollywood Rocky and then once Rocky put in a legit camp, Lang was dispatched with ease. Lang was a brawler with limited technical ability, defense, or endurance. Power alone wasn't going to overcome all those defects against any legit opponents.
Great video. Personally, i think that Apollo is the best of all of them because: 1 - Though the fight of the first Rocky was hard to him, Apollo beat up Rocky real good ( damaged eye), got him knocked down and finish it winning by points decision. 2 - Apollo was really at his best in Rocky 2. He damaged Rocky's face again. Winned 13 of 15 rounds. Rocky got knocked again and just ended winning only because he managed to get up first when they both got knocked. The result of this fight could it be draw with no problem. 3 - Clubber was real strong and dangerous, but Rocky only was able to beat him because he trained into Creed's style of fighting. Which means that Creed would be able to beat Clubber in a combat. Rocky dominated Clubber in the last fight using all Apollo's methods, including provocation. 4 - In Rocky IV Apollo was far from his best form and ended sadly losing to a guy who was simply a "combat machine" younger than him. More or less like Ali in his last fights. I liked how in Rocky IV Rocky v Drago Stallone managed to show a new version of the tragical fight that shows Apollo fighting back and standing against Drago with all the toughness that a real champion got. So, for me, this clearly shows how Apollo really is the greatest fighter in Rocky universe. With Adonnis right behind, combining his father's technics and accuracy with Balboa's heart and determination.
You have to wonder what would have happened had Drago won or maybe lost but wasn't disowned by Russia, and had continued building himself up until retirement. How much more insanely powerful would he have gotten?
Considering his lack of real world fights when he went up against Rocky. If he had won and continued to fight he likely would have become upstoppable. Training is one thing but experence is a whole different level.
Tough call but gotta be Apollo. Was 46-0 with 46 KO’s as a defense savvy out-fighter before facing Rocky, like Muhammad Ali with Tyson’s power. Didn’t lose until the very end of his prime & it’s because Rocky’s swarming pressure fight style with strong chin is a great matchup against out-fighters. He came out of years of retirement to fight Drago who had a similar style to Rocky while being massive thus being a bad matchup for him. He’s the most well rounded fighter in that universe using distance & the jab the best while being able to bang inside while having great footwork & very good defense. He is also the most accomplished It’s hard to rank them because styles make fights & they can all rock paper scissors each other depending on the matchup so I think it’s best to rank on accomplishments & title defenses as well Apollo(well rounded & most success) Rocky(toughest, great accolades, can adjust style) Adonis(more defenses than Clubber, very skilled) Clubber(great record & beat champion, no defenses) Viktor(great record & pounded champ) Tommy(successful champ) Dame(1-1, beat a champ in prime) Dixon(successful champ, weak comp, barely beat old guy) Ivan(1-1, beat retired guy, top 5 skills, could beat most of them) Conlan(great accolades, top 5 in skills but a LHW)
@@robjohnson9270 Rocky’s fight style was inspired by real life all time great champ Rocky Marciano. His style was an influence on Joe Frazier, who beat Ali with a similar pressure style that Rocky fought Apollo with who has pretty much the exact same style as Ali
I agree with Clubber over Apollo. Rocky needed all of Apollos speed and tricks, along with his own strength. He beat him by abandoning the strategy and making Lang miss which is something Creed disagreed with. Lang was number one in the world by merit having beaten the best contenders easily. He would have KO’d Creed as soon as he got hold of him. But yeah Drago would have stopped him.
motivations and mental strength play a big part in this. Also if fighters learnt from their previous mistakes. So many ifs and buts. IF Apollo has taken Rocky seriously in the 1st fight, then their would be no need for a rematch where his pride made him go for the K.O. having obliterated Rocky for the whole fight IF Clubber hadn't felt Rocky got the easy route and let his anger guide him, he may have fought a more controlled fight and not gassed out trying to hit Rocky with haymakers all fight long IF Drago had been fighting for his own reasons instead of being used as a political tool would he have had the heart to outlast Rocky They were all beaten due to character flaws Adonis would not have beaten any of them. He didn't have Rocky's endurance, will or cast iron jaw Gunn and Dixon didn't fight a prime Rocky. One was a street brawl the other an exhibition, so the circumstances were very different All the fighters in the Creed trilogy were inferior. They were all shown to not have the stomach for a battle So Apollo, Clubber and Drago could all beat each other if they had the right mindset and took on board what they learn't from previous fights. And they could all beat Rocky as he was shown to be the only one who maximised his potential. Apollo was too quick and skilled, Clubber and Drago were too tough. Apollo lost because of pride and ego. Clubber lost due to exhaustion. Drago lost due to not "wanting it" as much as Rocky
Essop Merrick's video on rocky 2 explains why Apollo lost the second fight he wanted to dominate Rocky and the double knockdown was late in the fight even if Apollo got up he'd only win on point not a dominate ko so he gives up. So I think Apollo is still above rocky 2. I also don't believe marketing hype saying clubber is stronger than Apollo as of course they'd say that. Rocky is set in the real world not dragonball so enemies don't jest endlessly scale minus drago 😂 I think an Apollo clubber fight would be interesting. I think Apollo's technique and endurance would out last clubbers agression
Rocky had a bad eye, less immediate training, could have switched up his style to give him a better chance at points but didn’t; and still beat Apollo who was highly motivated and stated to be in the best shape of his life. Rocky 2 Rocky is evidently > Apollo, and Rocky 3 and 4 Rocky would be more so by a wide margin. Rocky isn’t the real world, and statements about Clubber plus his fight against Ivan are official; you discounting them is just arbitrarily ignoring evidence.
@@CRISIS_COMICS rocky had no real training for the drago fight. yet you never take that into consideration when evaluating drago. and you're telling somebody else they're "arbitrarily ignoring evidence"?? LMFAOOOOO apollo is also stated as being "a perfect fighter". yet another example of you "arbitrarily ignoring evidence". you're wrong, kid. and the entire comments section let you know it. you made yourself look like a fool. it's quiet time.
@@CRISIS_COMICSRocky swapped stances to orthodox so his bad eye doesn’t get punched and Mickey said Rocky was in perfect condition minutes before the fight began. Even then, Apollo won 14/15 rounds. Apollo won in their 3rd fight, while retired.
@@CRISIS_COMICSin rocky 3, Apollo said he did train hard but he still didn’t really have the eye of the tiger 🐅, Apollo best year is supposed be in the sixties in his physical peak and hungry.
My ranking wouod be 1. Ivan Drago- Is a super human basically 2. Apollo Creed- The peak of humanity. Aka perfect fighter 3. Victor Drago- Based on context hes almost as fast and strong as his father. Too much size and skill for most to overcome. Only weakness maybe inexperience. 4. Ricky Conlan- Criminally underrated. Seems to have great technqiue and good power. He never got knocked down once his whole career and only got knocked down with Adonis because of pride. Context also says he wasnt in his prime so he should be able to be even better than he was in Creed 1 if he wasnt locked up. 5. Clubber Lang- Amazing Power but awful technique and endurance. Unless he got a lucky shot off in the first round hes probably losing to almost everyone on this list once they realize his power and start dodging everything. 6. Tommy Gun- Nothing special but did have good size and great training from Rocky 7. Danny Wheeler- Has almost no feats. The fact a rookie Adonis was able to last more than 30 seconds with him shows he isnt great. 8. Mason Dixion- Listen, id be content if u want to say Rocky is superhuman also so its not exactly the case but the fact a 50 year old Rocky went the distance with him is flat out embarassing. 9. Diamond Dame- Doesnt have the body of work to put him any higher. He only fights twice and never wins a fair match. Has potential to rise higher in Creed 4 though.
I think Dixon would be much better but he broke his hand in the second round, and, to be honest, after taking 12 rounds of Drago's punches into the face like a champ, nobody could seriously hurt Rocky, even in his 50s
@@a.k.a_ems That's a fair assessment to be sure. But I have to go off the feats shown and the context given. I wouldn't be shocked if he could beat a couple of the guys above him though.
Super cool analysis! Only thing that l would say is that if Rocky had fought Drago more like Apollo had taught him to fight Clubber Lang, he probably would have won in a much earlier round.
I think Prime Apollo smokes Clubber. In the Rocky vs Drago cut of 4 Rocky deals out a lot more punishment throughout the fight. Creed also did marginally better. Maybe Prime Apollo makes Drago look foolish on the scorecard.
S tier- Rocky And Drago A tier- Clubber and Apollo B tier- Adonis and Viktor C tier- Damián and Ricky D tier- Leo, Danny, F tier- Dixon, Cane and Tommy
ya this breakdown in common sense is just embarrassing. anything to justify his garbage video. it has nothing to do with rockys strength. he tears up clubber with a bad version of apollos style. apollo would destroy clubber with very little effort.
How far do you guys think Adonis is making it through Rocky's opponents? 🥊
He stops at Drago(Ivan) at most
Peak Adonis clears his way through Rocky's opponents then runs into the wall that is Ivan
Sadly loses like his dad did
I think Adonis makes it to Ivan, but does better then Apollo but worse then Rocky. I think he’s a good middle ground
I would think he beats everyone besides Ivan Drago and Apollo. Because I think his dad would get in his head lol
Nobody can beat Rocky as his ability to block punches with his face is unmatched.
🤣🤣🤣
Definitely maxed out his heads bone density trait
😂😂😂😂
Infamous Brain Matter Defense
😂😂😂
Drago literally looked like a street fighter from an arcade game
yup .. picture image of Gile LOOL .. maybe sf copied Drago's appearance there .. never know
Duke Nukem's look is based on Dolph Lundgren
80s Steve Fox.
U mean a character from street fighter
@@joebaker2311can u prove it
It's not only about Ivan being the strongest. Ivan was rocky's biggest and most difficult challenge in comparison to all the other competitors. Everything was against him in that fight:
1) Fighting in Russia on Christmas in front of a hostile crowd
2) Uses nature for training whereas Ivan has state of the art modern technology.
3) Ivan was on steroids that made him have such a ridiculous punch PSI
4) Ivan was much bigger physically than Rocky in terms of height and weight
5) Rocky has something to prove after Apollo's death which puts more pressure on him
All of these things against him is the biggest challenge. I would say Clubber Lang was the easiest for him. Mick dying before their first fight was the main reason he lost. Clubber got knocked out in 3 rounds and Rocky's face looked untouched at the end.
Yeah Rocky's 2nd fight with Clubber was easiest in the Rocky Series LOL
Also Rocky was much older than a 24 year old Drago in Rocky 4
Does Rocky 5 count, Tommy Morrison?
@@ice_man81 That fight clearly wasn't his biggest challenge considering Rocky knocked out Tommy while Tommy was in his prime. Drago hit Rocky so hard he gave him brain damage which is what you see in Rocky 5.
Ivan also had something to prove, in front of all the people of the USSR. If he lost, his carreer would be finished, as it was.
@@luissilva00 Not really. Drago was a heavy favourite to win that fight. Rocky was at the end of his prime while Drago was in the middle. When you are comparing the challenges between the two fighters, Rocky had many more to face than Drago.
Rocky IV was some weird, campy stuff in it, but I really like the Rock vs Drago dynamic.
Drago lost the mind game. It's like Rocky and him flipped perspectives during the fight. Rocky realized Drago was just human, while Drago started thinking Rocky was a monster. His lack of experience cost him the fight.
Rocky went all Goggins and took Drago's soul.
Rocky turned into a monster in the 15th rd.
What does campy mean? You’re not the first people I’ve seen say that. Just curious.
@@UnknownSourceMaterial overly theatrical, very playful, and often leans into clichés. sometimes done intentionally, sometimes not
It's actually interesting/fitting that Ivan Drago essentially lost the mental game which led to his loss to Rocky, and then the same thing happened to his son years later vs Adonis in their second fight (albeit that being due to reasons outside of the fight, funnily enough more similar to Rocky in his first fight vs Clubber Lang).
If you need another reason to consider Drago Nr 1, in the Creed 2 movie Rocky himself stated that "When I did get in that ring, that guy broke things in me that ain't never been fixed." He indeed is the ultimate foe for Rocky.
Rocky doesn’t even have pictures in his restaurant of their fight…talk about PTSD
Don't look at what is said, look at the actual fighting. You can't decide a foe to be strongest because somebody said so.
Just because Muhammad Ali said Rocky Marciano would best him in a fight doesn't mean that is true. Simple.
But, that being said, I think Ivan Drago is indeed #1, due to how he literally killed a former world champion in two or three rounds
Rocky 5 gets a bad rep, but after watching it as an adult, it makes sense that Rocky had brain damage or traumatic brain injury at the least. Rocky suffered from ptsd from that fight to the point that his persona reverted to his Rocky 2 and Rocky persona.
@@raxn2673 Tbf what Rocky said is literally shown in the films. Our first scene of Rocky outside the ring from that fight is him shaking and broken up. Then he is supposed to have gotten severe damage in that fight that forced his retirement to the point where Adrian wouldn't even let him fight when they went broke and his own financier said he only needed a handful of fights to get back to where they were. Also Rocky legit has PTSD from Drago. We see him having mental flashbacks of him whenever he is in a stressful situation.
Let's not forget Paulie's valiant effort (with no training), he went the distance with the champ, after being in prison and with a hangover...
Lol
😅 rocky even told him he fights pretty good lol
The only fight where Rocky dodged punches...
Bert Young (Pauli) actually had experience as a boxer from what I've heard.
@@jarvisyoung8350 That's right. He was an amateur boxer whilst serving in the Marines.
So Rocky does an Apollo impression (trained by Apollo using his style) and DEFEATS Lane in 3 rounds, BUT CLUBBER BEATS APOLLO???? Cmon man.
Official sources including Apollo state Clubber > Apollo. Rocky was already more or less Apollo lvl in Rocky 2, so the additional training just amps Rocky to the point that he can beat someone > Rocky II Apollo easily. That’s the only way to make sense of it without contradicting official sources 👍
@@CRISIS_COMICS Apollo said "You think I'm bad, this guy will kill ya." meaning he recognizes how ruthless and uncaring about anyone's safety Lang is. Remember.. according to official sources.. this Rocky that beat Lang in the second fight also lost to Apollo in the behind closed doors third fight. And that Apollo was past his peak. Prime Apollo easily exploits Lang's recklessness and lack of Stamina. It was the weakness that Mickey even knew of.. "This guy has never been fifteen rounds.." But Mickey also knew that Rocky was soft and totally lost his edge. According to Mick's words in Rocky III, Rocky from the second Apollo fight would stand a great chance against Lang.
@@CRISIS_COMICS thats a load of bs. And if you gonna rank these guys it should be their prime
@@CRISIS_COMICS absolute nonsense
Apollo _is_ the goat...within the confines of the rules of our real world. Everyone ranked above him was just written to be superhuman haha.
No its rocky
@@boogieb3888 it's Apollo.
@@Calebe_Sagaz deffo rocky
Rocky said Apollo was the perfect fighter.
@@MackMainSupreme You peep the vid? That’s addressed.
Not just Ivan Drago killed Apollo, his hard punches caused Rocky's suffering from a condition called Cavum septi pellucidi, which is brain damage caused by extremely heavy blows to the head.
So cte
They retconned that apparently, but I think it should have been rephrased as traumatic brain injury, which could improve. As far as Rocky reverting to his Rocky and Rocky 2 persona, that could have been an affect of his ptsd with Dragos fight.
You forgot Spider Rico.
Bro…! 😂😂😂
He's a bum.
😂 love it
He’s beyond Rocky so that’s why
😭
You forgot old Thunderlips from Rocky 3. Hulk Hogan would finish them all off quickly with the Atomic Leg Drop. He even teamed up with Clubber Lang at the very first WrestleMania to face off against the tag team of Rowdy Roddy Piper and Mr Wonderful Paul Orndorff.
Funny Point XD
Good point, brother.
Thunderlips! In the flesh baby!
Whatcha gonna doooo, brother!?!
Ivan Drago is BY FAR the most powerful opponent we've seen in the Rocky/Creed universe. Look at what is on his resume. Drago killed Apollo Creed. And Drago permanently ended the career or Rocky Balboa, because of all the severe damage Drago did to the body and brain of Balboa.
Based on what I saw in Creed 2, I would also say that as a Manager there is no doubt Ivan Drago is more intelligent than Rocky Balboa. Ivan Drago threw the towel at the appropriate moment when his son was fighting against Adonis Creed. In comparison, Tony "Duke" Evers was shouting, "THROW THE D*MN TOWEL!" while Rocky Balboa allowed Apollo to literally be beaten to death.
Based on what I saw in Creed 2, it was also incredibly obvious Ivan Drago was a very loyal father and very loving father. In comparison, Rocky Balboa was not a particularly good father. Rocky Balboa literally didn't even have the ability to call his son in order to community with his son. Although Rocky Balboa eventually did talk to his son, many years were lost because of Rocky's inability to communicate with his son and overall lack of skills at being a father.
Both Ivan Drago and Rocky Balboa were excellent husbands. Both were incredibly loyal to their wives - clearly being 100% committed "Until death," as the promise of marriage is supposed to be. Rocky Balboa had a loving wife and enjoyed a high-quality marriage until the death of his wife. Unfortunately, the wife of Ivan Drago - Ludmilla - was a selfish witch and did not display any form of loyalty to her husband or her child. Viktor Drago made it clear that he didn't even know his mother at all. This placed an even greater burden on Ivan Drago as a single parent. And yet Ivan Drago rose to the challenge and raised an excellent son.
There were books in the past where the Rocky plot continued after Rocky 5. In those plotlines, Ivan Drago fought against Tommy Gunn and easily defeated Tommy Gunn. This allowed Ivan Drago to reign as champion and eventually retire as champion.
Unfortunately, in Creed 2 we learned of all the bad things that happened to Ivan Drago - such as being exiled from the Soviet Union and having his wife leave him.
Finally, I find it disturbing that Rocky Balboa gets a rematch against Apollo Creed for going 15 rounds with him while Ivan Drago does not get a rematch with Rocky Balboa. If there had been a rematch, Ivan Drago would have EASILY defeated Rocky Balboa due to the fact that Ivan Drago did so much permanent lifelong damage to the body of Rocky Balboa during their fight.
In fairness, it appears Rocky Balboa retired after fighting Ivan Drago as a result of the permanent damage to his body. This may be why there was never a rematch. Nevertheless, the body of Ivan Drago did NOT sustain permanent lifelong injuries the way the body of Rocky Balboa did. Thus, Ivan Drago would have EASILY defeated Rocky Balboa in a rematch.
Well yeah Drago would beat Rocky 9 times out of 10
Just like Foreman would’ve beaten Ali in a rematch because the damage he did (Ali’s Parkinson’s cost him the Holmes and Berbick fights)
It was a pyrrhic victory for Rocky.
yep and Rocky only beat Drago because of his ridiculous will to win along with Shakey but granite chin. Drago had to kill Rocky to beat him that night and he just couldn't do it.
Agree
Fun fact: The script in rocky 4 originally had Apollo having a vision and being visited by a angel. He was told his fight and possible death with drago would bring world peace due to the cold war still being present. After learning that it made more sense to me why Apollo was yelling "NO" while getting pummeled when rocky had the towel in his hand and Duke was yelling at rocky to throw it. As a kid I remember thinking why would Apollo sacrifice himself like that or even be aware the towel was about to be thrown while getting thrashed by drago. Anyway just wanted to drop that fun fact as many don't know that was almost in the movie and might have affected how some of the other scenes played out.
I think a huge thing that is maybe missing here is that in real boxing, styles make the fight. A major theme in Rocky 3 was arguably about this concept- Clubber smashed Rocky in their first fight like Foreman did to Frazier, but Apollo likely would have beaten clubber as Ali did against Foreman, even though he struggled against rocky like Ali did against Frazier. Considering how this example is still used today as an example of the concept, it was certainly being discussed in 1982.
No evidence in the Rocky series to say that example of interplay applies to Clubber VS Apollo, especially when everything official says Clubber >
@@CRISIS_COMICS I think there was some. He trained to fight more back foot with quickness In and out and I believe the commentator said something like he's fighting like Apollo Creed in there. it's been a while forgive me if I'm wrong.
@CRISIS the whole point of the third movie is Rocky switching styles because he needs to fight like Apollo to beat Clubber.
Apollo beats Clubber in skill, stamina, willpower, speed, ect
Very astute observation. Styles definitely make fights and had rocky not been trained by and fought like Apollo early on he wouldn't have been able to frustrate clubber and wear him out.
@@CRISIS_COMICS Are you kidding me? Rocky beat Clubber in the rematch by fighting like Apollo. Are you seriously gonna argue Rocky does Apollo Creed better than prime Apollo Creed? That's ridiculous.
I had never seen a Rocky movie before, but last weekend I marathoned all 6. I had been missing out for years. What an awesome saga.
Lies
@@JustSendMeLocation Trues
@@UnboxerofWorldsI marathoned all the Creed movies on an airplane 😂
I believe you.
@@cullex.2851 I appreciate that!
@@UnboxerofWorlds 👍
I reckon Apollo beats Clubber. In Rocky 3, the story heavily implies that rocky lost because he was complacent in his training, with cameras and spectators, whereas Clubber was determined and hungry. Furthermore, Rocky is given advice by Mickey before the fight, but since Mickey is dying, he cannot implement this and loses. Furthermore, Rocky's training is less about being able to learn how to beat clubber (even if he learns to be skillful) but more, narratively at least about getting his hunger back. + Rocky low diffs Clubber, but I think he would have more difficulty beating a trained, hungry Apollo in that setting. Overall, I think it's close but I have to give Apollo the edge
Given that Rocky 3 is based on the premise that Rocky learns to fight Apollo's style and destroys Clubber in the rematch, I think it's clear that Apollo as the original probably does the same.
@tol9at I always saw that as a bit deceptive though. Apollos style was the original strategy, the stick and move, but that’s not what wins the fight. Rocky taunting and allowing himself to get hit to expend Clubbers energy is what wins the fight and Apollo is dead against that, wouldn’t do that, and probably would get knocked out if he did that as it’s established Rocky can take more punishment. So you’d be looking at Apollo needing to go the distance and not get hit, as he lacks Rockys punching power. Lang was a dirty fighter and would have found a way to get to him I think. The strategy definitely helped but it was Rockys power fortitude and heart that beat Lang in the end.
Rocky lose the first time because he's only thinking about Mickey dying, he wanted to call off the match and take him to a hospital, so all he was focused in was to get his trainer and fatherly figure to the hospital as soon as possible.
I personally think that Apollo's ego got the best of him when it came to fighting Ivan Drago. He underestimated that dude's strength and literally got killed in the end.
By the time he felt the first hit he’d wise up, and he still got casually killed by Drago.
@@CRISIS_COMICS I think he started to wise up right before the fight started when the two fist pumped each other, getting a small taste of Drago's strength.
@@lateramae He also says he’s faster and stronger than ever prior to fighting Drago, which is probably him coping, but if we take him at his word it’s especially impressive for Ivan.
@@CRISIS_COMICS Apollo was older than Drago, so he was already at a disadvantage.
@@lateramae Drago was superior in strength was 6 foot 5 at 260 pounds but he was used as Russia’s Guinea pig in a way to fight against Apollo and Rocky in unofficial war between Russia and US. Drago was given performance enhancing drugs to increase his strength and as used as a tool and can tell it affected him in Creed 2 and admits when lost to Rocky his country and wife turned against him.
Clubber never threw a jab in his f*cking life. Those power bombs would only get him so far in the real world.
Not necessarily *cough deontay wilder
😂😂😂
Mark Cloer • With the exception of Apollo Creed and the Creed characters. If you're comparing any of the rocky characters to the real world especially Rocky and Ivan Drago. Then I suggest you go to your nearest hospital and check for cancer in your dome piece, because you're clearly remedial.
@@Mox1990dont listen to non boxers, wilder has technique, do ur research, theres no absolute chance a man can get to the top of boxing through power alone and fighting "bums"
Emm hence the name "CLUBBER".🤔🤨🧐
I think Creed 3 did Damian dirty. They should’ve showed him defending his championship multiple times while creed was retaining himself
Facts they should’ve shown a montage of him winning fights before his first title fight too and then defending after before he fought Adonis .. ain’t nobody walking on to the fight scene right into a title shot
Shouldn’t have pushed creeds student so hard and should’ve had him ko drago, which would’ve made Damian more likeabke too considering drago is a dirty fighter too so people wouldn’t have felt as bad
Should've been Adonis helping him win some amateur fights, with little hints of his true goals being speckled throughout. Would've been more impactful when he fought Chavez
Damian was not cheating when he was fighting adonis
Facts they should have had dame beat the Spanish cat for his belts then defend them against Drago Jr in Creed 4
Dragos only weakness was he'd never been cut especially a bad cut like he sustained in Rocky 4. That cut was the first chip in Dragos supreme confidence in himself.
This is definitely an interesting take!
He got cut early. Didn't look like weakness after. I think the Drago/Rocky fight showed a severe disregard for defence and Drago was just unlucky to go down in the end.
"Everyone has a plan..." - Mike Tyson
The whole thing I’ve noticed about the Rocky character in the films. He is a force that the other boxers aren’t prepared for because he can take the hits and keep going. He’s got the endurance of a god and it always plays into his victories. His opponents can send out the harder punches but he can take more of them than they could.
Ivan Drago was prefection. The ultimate warrior born with perfect genetics and intellect. He was taught and trained to be the best. Third he was enhanced by best that science had to offer. He was supposed to be the ultimate threat... the final boss fight kind of character. He's from an area where some of the toughest men in the world are born. An area where you either thrive or die. Which adds to how dangerous he really was.
Jerm • dummy he was on steroids! They started heavily testing for steroids in Pro Sports in 1983. Ivan Drago wouldn't have even been able to fight in the United States as pro, I honestly think the only reason they didn't test him in the movie was because of movie plot armor or maybe they just didn't test for exhibition fights. Either way without the steroids, and the actual condition of Apollo Creed knowing this was a real fight and actually training for it and trying to win, you would have to be your brain dead dummy to think that Ivan Drago wouldn't get his ass destroyed by Apollo Creed.
Except he lost. Sounds good on paper “but Everyone has a plan until they get punched in the face”. Tbf everything you said Sounds exactly like Apollo Creed, except more natural.
@@studentoflife3501 what if getting punched in the face is part of the plan? Then they still have the plan even if they get punched, think about it
Have seen the war right now? Russia sucks
Yeah. N I aint gay but Dolph Lundgren was a stud back in his prime.
I'd say Apollo has a good chance at beating Clubber in a traditional boxing setting. One of the big reasons why Rocky won in Rocky 2 was his ability to take hits and go the distance. Though it is for sure shown that Clubber is stronger than Rocky I think Apollo's case can be made that he can simply wear out Clubber and taunt him just like Rocky. Since Clubber tied himself very early in the fight and Rocky himself employed Apollo's out-boxer style for a good bit of the fight. However, the big difference being Apollo would stick to evasion along with keeping his distance the whole fight and wouldn't let himself get hit in the face like Rocky did.
Regardless amazing video and I love your content. Not sure if you already planning to do this or not but I'd like to see you go into detail on a fight with IP Man versus one of the Rocky/Creed Boxers.
100% agree most powerpunchers that I spar with go for the kill (even in sparring) and all I gotta do is use the Vstep lol. Just gotta dance around and they don't use their legs 90% of the time(I train kickboxing) it's all cross, and hook. If it connects I go to sleep. Thank god it hasn't 😂
But I do have some reach so it helps.
Clubber Lang was easily the weakest opponent in the entire series! They had to make Rocky complacent and soft to hand him the win, and the rematch was by far the easiest final fight in any Rocky movie. Even when it looked like Lang was getting somewhere, it all turned out to be a rope-a-dope. Apollo would have clowned him
I agree with this because it was with Apollo training he beat clubber. Rocky whole style changed and he looked alot like Apollo when he fought clubber the second time.
@@ashscott6068🤡 dumb comment😂!
Malcolm Gray • Apollo would have easily destroyed Ivan Drago also. But I see you forgot to mention that in your comment for some weird reason.
I think Apollo would at least beat Clubber. as we saw in clubbers second fight, Lang isn't that great at dodging or defending himself, and is very easy to bait into tiering himself out.
I'm surprised no one's mentioning Dragos range. With arms that long, he could fight from quite a distance and that's a great advantage
I noticed it too,when he fought with Apollo.Apollo cannot even hit drago back when Ivan is punching him.
The fact that thunder lips isnt on the ranking tells you how powerfull he really was as he could have taken both lang and drago together
Lol
For me, Clubber Lang the best, because of Mr T. I pity the fool who think otherwise
Ivan Drago knocks him out in 5 Seconds
Clubber's weakness he can't fight a challenger if he had to fly to the location of the event. Unless you slip sleeping pills in his coffee. 😂
Clubber Lang be getting off the bus mad treatin these fools like dogs, like dogs
In the words of Ivan Drago: "I must break you."
Pauly’s robot would take the cake.
GOAT comment 🥊
Apollo Creed is the strongest in my opinion as he won the third fight against Rocky that was offscreen and Apollo lost to Ivan Drago multiple years after his prime. Also, while training Rocky for the Clubber Lang fight Apollo was outclassing Rocky the whole time. Apollo also was definitely winning the fight against Rocky in Rocky 2 but he underestimated Rocky's ability to take hits.
i agree
Facts
Ivan Drago literally got beat by plot armor
Yeah, Protagonist plot power is the only reason Rocky won. Let's be honest.
By every measurable metric Drago actually surpasses Rocky.
He's stronger, has better talent... Rocky might edge him out in Endurance but not by a lot.
Have Rocky and Drago fight 10 fights and Drago wins 9... Problem is, that still leaves the 1 that Rocky clenched.
@@JasonSchwartz51580 dude its a movie
Yea I agree Ivan is the best fighter, rocky 2nd. Rocky was hella motivated to beat Drago cuz he killed his friend. If Ivan didn't kill Apollo rocky would've gotten knocked out
Canonically, Drago is the tallest, strongest, best conditioned villain in the series. Creed was second. Followed by Clubber, than Tommy Gunn. If we include the Creed spin off, not sure where they'd fall in the lineup.
Including the most Roided lol
Mason Dixon is the weakest ever in the series LOl
What about Thunderlips then?
Just realizing now how majestic Ivan Dargo's hair was in Rocky 3
4*
IV you mean
3 had clubber lang not drago
4 not 3
Yeah, that s*** was pristine
Marciano was Ali’s friend who died tragically in a plane crash. It’s very unlikely that Rocky would ever beat or knock out Ali (at his best) at his weight (Ali’s). It was his will that kept him going to beat the timing of Walcott near the penultimate round of a fight he had been losing, but there wouldn’t be any way Ali wouldn’t beat him by points, and he even argued there’d be no way Marciano could knock him out with Cus and once on a talk show. He was being reverent to his friend.
"I feel closer to him than any white fighter in the trade. We talk fighter's talk in the way only friends can, blood talk, nitty-gritty talk. Our work is phony but our friendship has become real."
So true even 1978 ail beats Rocky prime ail (pre 1975) only lost twice , to Joe Frazier after years of lay off and to Norton , a guy whose style jus gave him problems and in their second fight ail tightened up and gave Norton a real run for us money people can say either one won the fight but honestly other than those two ail never lost post 1975 you could tell the conditioning wasn’t the same , he jus wasn’t the same fighter he aged , the personality overshadows the boxing but if you really look at ail’s heavyweight career is the kinda unbeatable
@@Tylerwills801 he only lost to joe 1 time
@@AmonRa_Stringer yeah and then to Norton
@@Tylerwills801 yeah but that's only one person from I.e Joe frazier
100 percent. Marciano is some what of a paper champion. He never fought a true champion and the few times he did they were past their prime. He only defended his title SIX TIMES. He quit before Ali got into the mix cause he knew the truth. Ali would win
It’s pretty simple, all the Rocky opponents were stronger than all the Creed opponents.
It was awesome seeing Tarver as Mason Dixon. Antonio used to stop by the gym that I trained at in Orlando and I was able to speak to him on a couple of occasions. Great guy and probably the best actual fighter to portray a character in the Rocky series.
Tarver vs Morrison.
Who takes it?
@@EverettBurger Morrison lol no questions asked.
@@EverettBurger Tarver beat Roy Jones Jr. twice. I'll take Antonio.
But Morrison is true HW so it will be difficult for Tarver@@nocturne311
You guys forgetting Andre Ward?
Apollo had won the second fight against rocky in terms of of knockouts and points, his pride cost him his win, his pride and age has always been his biggest weakness, prime apollo dances around lang, hell i wouldn't be surprised if rocky 3 apollo beats lang considering it was apollo's style that helped rocky beat lang in the first place, don't think he overcomes drago tho
Remember Rocky said that he beat Apollo, only because Apollo was past his prime. We never saw prime Apollo fight. Even in Rocky, he really was not in his prime. He is 3 years older than Rocky. Apollo's biggest weakness is honestly his pride. If he can keep that in check he is the best fighter.
Apollo even from Rocky 4 would beat Prime Lang
Lang was too slow for Apollo and gassed out real fast
@@faruquekhan3353Rocky words don't mean too much because he is too much humble
@@andreleandro6931Humble people can tell if someone’s better or not.
My dads humble too, doesn’t mean he’s lying about him being worse at fighting than me.
Ali without being taken away in his prime would've danced circles around Frazier. While showing respect for Marciano and other fighters, Ali never said he'd lose to him. He respected his power as well as he did Joe Louis's, Ali was too fast and too long.
Yes I also think his logic was a bit weird, he lost one of his 3 fights with Frazier just when he came back from his ban and all those fights were out of his prime, and he definitely have a claim to be the goat regardless of what he did outside the ring. someone like Teddy atlas consider him the best boxer after 1950 for example, also he had huge respect for Rocky marciano so that is probably why he talked so highly of him, Ali would nearly 100% beat him in a boxing match
No 2 out of 3 fights Frazier was blind In one eye. And the 3rd fight was too close to call. Frazer was so ahead on points he just had to stand up to win. Frazier wanted to keep fighting and Ali asked his trainer to cut off his gloves.
@@FB-nw8pp stopped it,” Futch explained, “because Joe was starting to get hit with too many clean shots. He couldn’t see out of his right eye. He couldn’t see the left hands coming.”
Ali was far ahead on the scoreboards of the three officials. Using the 5-point must scoring system, referee Carlos Padilla Jr. had the champion ahead, 66-60. Judge Alfredo Quiazon had it 67-62 and Judge Larry Nadayag had it 66-62. On a rounds basis, Quiazon had Ali ahead 8-3, with three even. The others each had it 8-4-2.
Ali’s victory was recorded as a knockout in the 14th round since the bell had not rung for the final round.
“My guy sucked it up,” said Ali’s trainer, Angelo Dundee. “When he looked completely out of gas, he put on another gas tank. I thought we were in front. My guy was hitting him better shots"
“Joe had two bad rounds in a row,” Futch said, “Even with three minutes to go, he was going downhill. And that opened up the possibility in that situation that he could’ve been seriously hurt.”
Wearing dark glasses to hide his puffed eyes, especially his right eye, Frazier agreed with Futch.
“I didn’t want to be stopped, I wanted to go on,” Frazier said, “but I’d never go against Eddie.”
I copied and pasted this so you wouldn't think I was being biased. Frazier was blind because Ali closed his right eye. Those sitting ringside described Frazier’s face to a badly smashed chocolate marshmallow. Frazier did damage in the middle rounds but Ali going for an early knockout plastered Frazier with jabs and overhand rights.
@@bigb2494 No actually do research, Joe Frazier Got blind because of an accident working in a factory were a piece of metal hit his left eye and his trainer kept it a secret from everyone because a boxer would take advantage of that if they know he was blind in his left eye. And Ali even said in the 9th round of the 3rd fight that he never felt so close to death. Joe Frazier was so ahead on points all he had to do was stand up to win. Frazier wanted to keep fighting and his manager wouldn’t let him, Ali wanted to his manager to cut off his gloves and he wouldn’t let him quit.
@@FB-nw8pp I've done plenty of research on those fights, but you have your own agenda so nothings going to change what you want to believe. When Futch stopped the fight Frazier was standing in the corner and he made no protest on the stoppage. Ali said he was willing to die before he let Frazier win. Again this was after Ali took his title back from Foreman. Which goes to my original point in his prime Ali would've danced circles around Frazier.
While I think Apollo is a bit underrated in this video, I got to say this video is amazing great job
Roids just boosted his strength a lil it’s cause of his training really that he was so strong
Ivan Drago truly was a look into the future. Starting in the 90's we saw tall, powerful world champions like Lennox Lewis, the Klitschko brothers and today Tyson Fury and Deontay Wilder.
Where is thunder lips?
😂😂😂
😂😂
Or SpiderRico
Thunder Lips is here, in the flesh babeh!
@@Beforezzz I would love to see him and rocky actually go out like they said they would
I agree with Ivan being number one. But Apollo was beating rocky the whole fight in rocky 2 but gassed out because he underestimated rocky ability to take punishment. So I'd put Apollo number 2 if not one because we never see Apollo in his actual prime. But it's interesting because most opponents were beaten because of will power alone. Not boxing intelligence, points, speed or power. That's whole point of the franchise up until the last creed movie and even that was will power just not in the physical sense. So this is a very interesting video
Don’t forget that Apollo beat Rocky in the third fight they had as confirmed by Rocky to Adonis in the restaurant so he’s 2out of 3 winner against Rocky.
@@TheFoodieCutie that's a very good point. Well shhiiddd Apollo is number one
Apollo would smoke clubber. It's a perfect matchup for him. He would tire Clubber out, and had enough power to put him away in the later rounds. Remember, he trained Rocky to fight Clubber in his style. Rocky couldn't beat Clubber until he learned to box, Apollo style. And with all due respect to Rocky, there's no way he was better at employing that style of combat than Apollo was.
@@dylanwade9825 clubber was strong but not very smart. Apollo was smart fast and strong. And had stamina. So I totally agree with u on this
@@dylanwade9825 remember the most important point in everything regarding Apollo… Rocky was a make believe character, meaning he was based on Chuck Wepner who was a one hit wonder in boxing. Apollo was based on ALI. Like… even ALI CAME ON STAGE on the academy awards and said out loud “I am the real Apollo Creed!” It’s on RUclips. So the point is since we are talking fantasy… Apollo is Ali and Clubber is Tyson. Do you really think that Tyson would beat Ali? Nobody thinks so, not even Tyson.
Interesting video. Okay, I am getting out my pitchfork. I would still rank Apollo Creed above Clubber Lang. Why? Because when Rocky got his confidence back, he literally demolished Lang with his speed and skill. "You're not so bad! You ain't nothing!" he tainted Lang. When Clubber hit him, he taunted "My mother hits harder than that!" By contrast, Rocky's victory over Apollo was a very hard fought fight. The only reason Mick thought Rocky couldn't beat Clubber in Rocky III was because he saw Rockey had gone soft due to easy living and getting civilized. I am sure Mick would have been confident that the old Rockey would have beat Clubber lang. Otherwise, again, interesting analysis.
Apollo doesn’t have the anywhere near the durability Rocky does though. Creed died because he literally just couldn’t withstand the force of Dragos punches, the same punches that we see rocky tanking in Rocky IV. If clubber lang managed to pin creed into a place where he would start landing hooks then it would be all over for Apollo as he doesn’t have the durability to take the force of those punches and keep moving like Rocky does.
@@raiscooper151Bro Creed was pushing 50 in that movie you people act like he just started fighting he hasn’t been in the ring for 5 years what is wrong with you people 😂
The fact that this video didn't get 1000 views within the first hour yet is mind boggling.
Other than that, great video!
It's 3AM and i'm watching a Rocky Balboa powerscaling vid.
It’s hardly ever mentioned that Apollo’s ego and pride is what lost to Rocky. If he wasn’t set on going for the knockout he would have won by points.
Everyone likes to forget Clubber Lang also made Rocky feel "Afraid" 😅
Clubber is a classic bully. Once Rocky found out how to beat him,, he stomped him and took his soul in 3 rounds.
I don’t think he was actually afraid of Clubber per se. More just afraid to lose thing important to him Eg. His fighting legacy, his family etc
You're leaving out the fact that Clubber has got a small gas tank. All Creed would need to do is make him punch himself out.
Crisis please cover more Star Wars characters. Your how powerful is darth Vader video is the best I’ve seen. I often go back to watch it because it’s so good. Keep up the good work
I really don't think there's any doubt that Apollo was the greatest. When Rocky first came out, Apollo came off as a masterful fighter with otherworldly skills no one had even previously imagined. He was untrained and past his prime and still came across as a wizard. Clubber wouldn't lay a glove on prime Apollo. Drago is less clear, based on his strength and conditioning, but there's a good chance Apollo would get inside his head with his speed and elusiveness.
This was a weird video topic but I’ll say I watched it all the way through and man you did your homework for this one! 😂👍👏
I liked it power scaling the Rocky verse seems like an obvious idea for a topic but also it’s surprising to see at the same time.
We never saw a Prime Apollo Creed in the franchise.
...
Victor Drago not being the champion after Adonis retires to me is one of the biggest mistakes they made in Creed 3 cuz how could they say the guy who is champion isn't ready for him how could Victor have not won whatever match was for the championship or how could they even leave him out of it like that would make no sense to me
yea thats a good point but i remember that in that fight they were trying to get more money directed towards the champ because drago was the more popular fighter. Maybe he just doesn't feel the need to fight for the belt? idk
Drago spin off coming soon, maybe that explains it
@@aidanweston1286 cant wait to see it, Drago is a straight G
I agree. It not only doesn't make sense it brings the movie down a step or two.
Love the content, always top quality. You should have way more subs.
3:36 "Who hired Toph to be the referee for this fight?" -BlankBoy 2024
Ivan Drago will always be Rocky's best villain
Spider Rico and Joe Czak are the two GOATs of the Rockyverse and they aren't even mentioned 😢
I know right, he did my boy Spider Rico Dirty.
No mention of union cane or Felix Chavez Junior either because neither of them fight them
Mick: "Did you fight last night?"
Rocky: "Yeah."
Mick: "Did you win?"
Rocky: "Yeah."
Mick: "Who did you fight?"
Rocky: "Spider Rico."
Mick: (Laughs) "He's a bum."
LOL. Peace.
@@JohnSmith-ct5jd 'you think everyone I fight is a bum'
'Well ain't they? You got heart kid but you fight like a God damm ape'
I think that Mason is a lot weaker than where you put him. They stated that he was a paper champ in the movie
He was the top heavyweight in the world, everyone has haters calling them all sorts of stuff. Dixon wasn’t on Rocky’s level obviously but he definitely wasn’t a paper champ.
@@H.K.5 You're not a champ of you get ass whooped by a 60 year old
@@H.K.5 he also couldn’t knock out a damn near 50 year old man with severe brain damage (Drago fight) who only had like a couple months to train.
@@chi7818I liked that Crisis also said that Dixon was nearly as good as creed because he was only 2 rounds short😂 when I’m pretty sure it was 4 or 5.
By his logic, Ali would be better than Creed since Creed apparently took 12 round to KO George Foreman, whereas Ali only took 8.
31 wins and 6 loses he was a heavy weight champion in real life he was a beast
Never seen the Creed movies but I think your ranking of the Rocky opponents is spot on.
Just saw the 3rd and man, it’s pretty good.
You should watch the first two and see the 3rd in cinemas, it does it justice
Sideswipe,, your not missing much.
I think Apollo should be placed above Clubber. It was because Rocky adopted Apollos style in 3 that kept him from being beat up badly in the rematch. I also think Apollo would have been too smart for clubbers and clearly would have had more endurance.
I agree. I think Apollo would have picked Clubber apart. I don't think he had the punching power to knock him out but the score card would have given him a victory for sure.
@@IOERROR622Clubber has a bad gas tank. The man got tired after 3 rounds.
He’s not lasting 15 rounds.
Apollo statistically was the strongest fighter in the entire franchise. It's all but confirmed in the first 30 minutes of the first movie. He's actually having trouble finding a credible opponent he hasn't beaten yet. The most legitimate and tested champion. Most of Rocky's title defences came with hand picked opposition, Drago and Lang's feats come nowhere close.
Adam,, rocky, beat most of the European champions ,, so they had to be good fighters,,, mick gave rocky decent opponents.
Ivan literally killed apollo dude
@@WEAREALLJUSTMEAT When he was way past his prime, dude.
@@AdamPalomino past his prime or not, he didn't just beat him he obliterated him in like 2 rounds. He also damaged rocky worse than anyone before and literally ended his career
@@WEAREALLJUSTMEAT His total feats fall short of Rocky and Apollo. He does not hold a victory over Rocky like Apollo does, he lost to Rocky, none of his previous 30 opponents are ever identified. Apollo has 47 victories, 46 by KO which dispels the myth he could only dance and that his punches lacked power. And we know he fought and beat the best of his era.
Adonis is second class compared to Rocky, Creed and Ivan Drago 👏🏻👏🏻👏🏻
For me it's
1. Apollo creed (prime)
2. Rocky balboa
3. Ivan drago
4. Adonis creed
5. Viktor drago
6. Damian anderson
7. Clubber lang
8. Thunderlips
9. Ricky conlan
10. Tommy gunn
11. Mason dixon
12. Spider rico
1. Ivan Drago
2. Apollo Creed
3. Rocky Balboa
4. Clubber Lang
5. Tommy Gunn
Right. Drago was a beast but he was an amateur boxer, apollo was retired when he killed him, and rocky almost retired defeated him. Apollo was called the best of all times, he was the pinnacle of the saga, rocky had to give the fight of his life and barely defeat him, and then with his guidance he reached his own prime and defeated Lang. But Rocky was never as good as a boxer as Apollo was.
Agreed Apollo it’s definitely number 1
Mason Dixon was a real life boxer only had 6 loses and 31 wins
Thunderlips 😂
Ivan Drago is the only person to make Vladimir Putin cry because Drago outlived the Soviet union 😭.
Even zangief was inspired by Drago
Actually, Zangief was based off a real life pro wrestler in the early 90s that went by the name of Zangiev. The street fighter character was ultimately an exaggerated version of the real life pro wrestler.
Even more hilarious that Drago and his son live in Kyiv, Ukraine. Had they been RL people, probably would have joined the Ukrainian army.
Fighters dont generally admit defeat, even if the fight is theoretical. Hearing Ali say he'd lose to Rocky Marciano is a big deal... And its probably true.
I gave you a like, but you forgot someone pal: Spider Rico 😂
I just love how no matter at what point people measure these fighters, Ivan is always on top lmao
Ivan was that much of a beast. And his son was almost as good. Not quite as tall or having the reach, but the younger drago was probably bulkier and faster despite being a literal tank.
It would be hard to compare which Drago (I think Ivan still peaks out) was better, but they are likely the best and most skilled antagonist opponents in the series.
All but one which was his downfall and also his sons downfall. Mentially he wasn't as tough as the other fighters. He forgot the game plan and started to get scared that Rocky could take his best shots and keep coming. Fix that and he would be unstoppable.
We didn’t even get to see Apollo in his prime
For Colin: 7:22 Donnie was suckering him. He took blows like Rocky then employed a winning chess like strategy Apollo. The slow down moments are him noticing what Colin’s combination would be. Duke says “you’re getting beat worst than your first fight!” To which Donnie just replies “Checkmate” because it was all a set up. Leading to him knocking him out easily the following round.
Not saying his spot should move just that I would take that point and flip it. Despite Colin’s strength improvement, Donnie has come so far that he can take those hits while still forming a strategy.
excellent analysis
You forget about one important factor with Drago, he was taking anabolic steroids! That's why he was off the charts with strength.
Ivan Drago is to Rocky what George Foreman was to Ali. Miraculous win against a clearly more powerful fighter. If you set a rematch, Drago would have crushed Rocky, just like Foreman would have crushed Ali. This is actually the reason why there never was a rematch
this was a dope video and great Analysis! I never played those rocky games I think im have to check em out.
I see some people are not factoring in Clubber's lower stamina and lesser technical boxing skill in comparison to Apollo. Apollo would be a nightmare match-up for Clubber, Apollo has enough technical boxing skill with footwork and head-movement to avoid Clubber's big bombs and would drag Clubber into the later rounds where an exhausted Clubber would get systematically picked apart and knocked out by Apollo.
Ali is considered the goat for his record as well as his actions outside the ring. He avenged every defeat except of course Holmes and Berbick, neither of which should he have even been in the ring with due to parkisons already kicking in. Ali ducked nobody, he fought anyone that he could and he had one of the best comebacks in boxing history, defeating everyone he fought at least once (again except the last 2 fights), fought a ridiculous amount of HoF's and won the title an entire decade after first winning it. Pre-exile Ali and in particular when he fought Terrell, I don't think any HW in history is beating. His comments on Marciano just sound like respect to me. He always respected him. It's like Tyson said, you have to believe you're the greatest at the time, all the while he's thinking he would have lost to Ali and wasn't too keen to fight an over 40 year old Foreman at the risk of losing.
Keep in mind that a 14yo old Mike Tyson vowed revenge against Holmes for beating Ali - and he literally destroyed that guy when he had the chance. I don't think there's ever been a fighter capable of inspiring others to avenge him.
That's another reason why I don't think Apollo is as skilled or durable as Ali because Ali never ducked anyone as you said. In the first rocky film, they showed Joe Frazier who even said Apollo been ducking him so that tells you that Apollo didn't always fight the best fighters of his generation which is why I don't blame crisis for ranking him so low on this video.
No
@@emanuelebresciani6281 he was 38 not too impression
@@thewolfofwallstreet627 I would agree but Frazier saying it doesn’t make it so. Apollo is also literally called the best fighter ever pre Rocky multiple times including Frazier.
Though in reality, Drago’s getting disqualified in the first round.
Cool that Rocky's not real
@@CRISIS_COMICS cheers to that
@@CRISIS_COMICS ot really ivan even even with out them still sits at top 2
No He wouldn’t 50% of professional athletes take steroids it’s illegal but not uncommon. Also in real life 90% of these actors or on steroids even Sylvester Stallone. it’s really not uncommon. Damian and Viktor would because they actually cheated instead the ring. Dargo didn’t know he was taking steroids his trainers gave it to him.
I think Tommy should be above Mason. The fact that a 60 yo Rocky gave Mason a good fight is sad for Mason.
@@robjohnson9270 I really doubt that lol. A broken hand isn't the best equalizer when your opponent is 60
I actually think Damian should have been ranked higher. But when he mentioned that he lost to a out of prime Adonis. I dont think thats true, because Damian was actually older in age by 2 to 3 years, compared to Adonis. Plus Damian was in prison for 18 years straight and was able to win a heavy weight world championship belt from a professional champion that is far younger than Damian and was still able to keep up with Adonis. I feel like Mason Dixon was the lowest rank heavy weight boxing champion. Due to the fact that he got knocked down and struggled against an out of prime elderly Rocky with a ton of medical issues and had not fought in many years.
Actually Ali was unbeatable before his exile. But at his best in shape and motivated nobody's beating him. And he put frazier in the hospital for a month in a fight he supposedly lost.
this guy hates ali which is why he jumps through hoops to make apollo look bad
We never saw young Apollo's legendary prime in the films, only heard about it. He outboxes almost anyone according to lore. You can't hit what you can't see
He’s stated to be in his prime in Rocky II. It’s in the video…
@@CRISIS_COMICSyeah only problem is how biased you are in YOUR video because you seemingly have personal hatred for Ali
@@CRISIS_COMICS apollo is also called "a perfect fighter". so if everything that's said in the movies is true, apollo is the best and it's not up for discussion. an example of you cherry picking to justify your garbage video. on top of that let's use some common sense; is there anybody on earth who thinks 35 is a boxers prime? you're really bad at logic and reason lol
@@CRISIS_COMICSlate prime. I’m 33. I promise you I’m not the athlete I was 6 years ago although I can still at my best reach those levels.
Lang has no business being that high. He beat an untrained, Hollywood Rocky and then once Rocky put in a legit camp, Lang was dispatched with ease. Lang was a brawler with limited technical ability, defense, or endurance. Power alone wasn't going to overcome all those defects against any legit opponents.
Thunderlips better be on here!!!
😂
Wasn't he the celebrity wrestler in Rocky 3?
@@Michael-sz7lp yes the most well known professional wrestler in all of the world Hulk Hogan.
Great video. Personally, i think that Apollo is the best of all of them because:
1 - Though the fight of the first Rocky was hard to him, Apollo beat up Rocky real good ( damaged eye), got him knocked down and finish it winning by points decision.
2 - Apollo was really at his best in Rocky 2. He damaged Rocky's face again. Winned 13 of 15 rounds. Rocky got knocked again and just ended winning only because he managed to get up first when they both got knocked. The result of this fight could it be draw with no problem.
3 - Clubber was real strong and dangerous, but Rocky only was able to beat him because he trained into Creed's style of fighting. Which means that Creed would be able to beat Clubber in a combat. Rocky dominated Clubber in the last fight using all Apollo's methods, including provocation.
4 - In Rocky IV Apollo was far from his best form and ended sadly losing to a guy who was simply a "combat machine" younger than him. More or less like Ali in his last fights. I liked how in Rocky IV Rocky v Drago Stallone managed to show a new version of the tragical fight that shows Apollo fighting back and standing against Drago with all the toughness that a real champion got.
So, for me, this clearly shows how Apollo really is the greatest fighter in Rocky universe. With Adonnis right behind, combining his father's technics and accuracy with Balboa's heart and determination.
Easy list!
1. Ivan Drago
2. Apollo Creed
3. Clubber Lang
4. Victor Drago
5. Mason Dixon
6. Tommy Gunn
7. Damon Anderson
8. Ricky Conlan
You have to wonder what would have happened had Drago won or maybe lost but wasn't disowned by Russia, and had continued building himself up until retirement. How much more insanely powerful would he have gotten?
If he continued the roids the same way he would be dead before 50
Considering his lack of real world fights when he went up against Rocky. If he had won and continued to fight he likely would have become upstoppable. Training is one thing but experence is a whole different level.
Tough call but gotta be Apollo. Was 46-0 with 46 KO’s as a defense savvy out-fighter before facing Rocky, like Muhammad Ali with Tyson’s power. Didn’t lose until the very end of his prime & it’s because Rocky’s swarming pressure fight style with strong chin is a great matchup against out-fighters. He came out of years of retirement to fight Drago who had a similar style to Rocky while being massive thus being a bad matchup for him. He’s the most well rounded fighter in that universe using distance & the jab the best while being able to bang inside while having great footwork & very good defense. He is also the most accomplished
It’s hard to rank them because styles make fights & they can all rock paper scissors each other depending on the matchup so I think it’s best to rank on accomplishments & title defenses as well
Apollo(well rounded & most success)
Rocky(toughest, great accolades, can adjust style)
Adonis(more defenses than
Clubber, very skilled)
Clubber(great record & beat champion, no defenses)
Viktor(great record & pounded champ)
Tommy(successful champ)
Dame(1-1, beat a champ in prime)
Dixon(successful champ, weak comp, barely beat old guy)
Ivan(1-1, beat retired guy, top 5 skills, could beat most of them)
Conlan(great accolades, top 5 in skills but a LHW)
@Arcade casino No Dickson is a champ Tommy is a bum. Dixon Beat Rocky who was a boxing legend, Tommy could only beat other bum.
Yeah no, the only style that works against a straight up superhuman like Ivan is to be also a superhuman.
@@robjohnson9270 Rocky’s fight style was inspired by real life all time great champ Rocky Marciano. His style was an influence on Joe Frazier, who beat Ali with a similar pressure style that Rocky fought Apollo with who has pretty much the exact same style as Ali
I agree with Clubber over Apollo. Rocky needed all of Apollos speed and tricks, along with his own strength. He beat him by abandoning the strategy and making Lang miss which is something Creed disagreed with. Lang was number one in the world by merit having beaten the best contenders easily. He would have KO’d Creed as soon as he got hold of him. But yeah Drago would have stopped him.
Clubber Lang hands down had the most power. The sound effects alone from the movie was heavy.
motivations and mental strength play a big part in this. Also if fighters learnt from their previous mistakes. So many ifs and buts.
IF Apollo has taken Rocky seriously in the 1st fight, then their would be no need for a rematch where his pride made him go for the K.O. having obliterated Rocky for the whole fight
IF Clubber hadn't felt Rocky got the easy route and let his anger guide him, he may have fought a more controlled fight and not gassed out trying to hit Rocky with haymakers all fight long
IF Drago had been fighting for his own reasons instead of being used as a political tool would he have had the heart to outlast Rocky
They were all beaten due to character flaws
Adonis would not have beaten any of them. He didn't have Rocky's endurance, will or cast iron jaw
Gunn and Dixon didn't fight a prime Rocky. One was a street brawl the other an exhibition, so the circumstances were very different
All the fighters in the Creed trilogy were inferior. They were all shown to not have the stomach for a battle
So Apollo, Clubber and Drago could all beat each other if they had the right mindset and took on board what they learn't from previous fights. And they could all beat Rocky as he was shown to be the only one who maximised his potential.
Apollo was too quick and skilled, Clubber and Drago were too tough. Apollo lost because of pride and ego. Clubber lost due to exhaustion. Drago lost due to not "wanting it" as much as Rocky
Essop Merrick's video on rocky 2 explains why Apollo lost the second fight he wanted to dominate Rocky and the double knockdown was late in the fight even if Apollo got up he'd only win on point not a dominate ko so he gives up. So I think Apollo is still above rocky 2. I also don't believe marketing hype saying clubber is stronger than Apollo as of course they'd say that. Rocky is set in the real world not dragonball so enemies don't jest endlessly scale minus drago 😂 I think an Apollo clubber fight would be interesting. I think Apollo's technique and endurance would out last clubbers agression
Rocky had a bad eye, less immediate training, could have switched up his style to give him a better chance at points but didn’t; and still beat Apollo who was highly motivated and stated to be in the best shape of his life. Rocky 2 Rocky is evidently > Apollo, and Rocky 3 and 4 Rocky would be more so by a wide margin. Rocky isn’t the real world, and statements about Clubber plus his fight against Ivan are official; you discounting them is just arbitrarily ignoring evidence.
@@CRISIS_COMICS rocky had no real training for the drago fight. yet you never take that into consideration when evaluating drago. and you're telling somebody else they're "arbitrarily ignoring evidence"?? LMFAOOOOO
apollo is also stated as being "a perfect fighter". yet another example of you "arbitrarily ignoring evidence". you're wrong, kid. and the entire comments section let you know it. you made yourself look like a fool. it's quiet time.
@@CRISIS_COMICSRocky swapped stances to orthodox so his bad eye doesn’t get punched and Mickey said Rocky was in perfect condition minutes before the fight began.
Even then, Apollo won 14/15 rounds.
Apollo won in their 3rd fight, while retired.
@@CRISIS_COMICSin rocky 3, Apollo said he did train hard but he still didn’t really have the eye of the tiger 🐅, Apollo best year is supposed be in the sixties in his physical peak and hungry.
My ranking wouod be
1. Ivan Drago- Is a super human basically
2. Apollo Creed- The peak of humanity. Aka perfect fighter
3. Victor Drago- Based on context hes almost as fast and strong as his father. Too much size and skill for most to overcome. Only weakness maybe inexperience.
4. Ricky Conlan- Criminally underrated. Seems to have great technqiue and good power. He never got knocked down once his whole career and only got knocked down with Adonis because of pride. Context also says he wasnt in his prime so he should be able to be even better than he was in Creed 1 if he wasnt locked up.
5. Clubber Lang- Amazing Power but awful technique and endurance. Unless he got a lucky shot off in the first round hes probably losing to almost everyone on this list once they realize his power and start dodging everything.
6. Tommy Gun- Nothing special but did have good size and great training from Rocky
7. Danny Wheeler- Has almost no feats. The fact a rookie Adonis was able to last more than 30 seconds with him shows he isnt great.
8. Mason Dixion- Listen, id be content if u want to say Rocky is superhuman also so its not exactly the case but the fact a 50 year old Rocky went the distance with him is flat out embarassing.
9. Diamond Dame- Doesnt have the body of work to put him any higher. He only fights twice and never wins a fair match. Has potential to rise higher in Creed 4 though.
I think Dixon would be much better but he broke his hand in the second round, and, to be honest, after taking 12 rounds of Drago's punches into the face like a champ, nobody could seriously hurt Rocky, even in his 50s
“Never wins a fair match” even without the couple cheap shots he was beating his ass
That's exactly how I would rank them.
Captain,, what about union kane???.
@@a.k.a_ems That's a fair assessment to be sure. But I have to go off the feats shown and the context given. I wouldn't be shocked if he could beat a couple of the guys above him though.
Thank you for your content
Thank you for watching!
@@CRISIS_COMICS you are very welcome
He has Jesus in his corner so 🙏
Super cool analysis! Only thing that l would say is that if Rocky had fought Drago more like Apollo had taught him to fight Clubber Lang, he probably would have won in a much earlier round.
Speed you don't have it were going to rely on good old American horse power. Love that speech by Duke. Great video
Brah, we never even saw Apollo in his prime.
He talked abt that 😅
@@wpresvi yeah you’re right lol.
I think Prime Apollo smokes Clubber. In the Rocky vs Drago cut of 4 Rocky deals out a lot more punishment throughout the fight. Creed also did marginally better. Maybe Prime Apollo makes Drago look foolish on the scorecard.
I agree but I think Drago would be the favorite against Prime Creed.
S tier- Rocky And Drago
A tier- Clubber and Apollo
B tier- Adonis and Viktor
C tier- Damián and Ricky
D tier- Leo, Danny,
F tier- Dixon, Cane and Tommy
Apollo would smoke Clubber in a match.
@@jayclean5653 They would be equal
@@KingOrangeBeefBoi Prime Apollo would be doing what Rockey did to Clubber only better.
@@jayclean5653 I mean, Apollo would and could, but he isn’t as durable as rocky, so if Clubber catches him he’s dead.
@@KingOrangeBeefBoi Hmm. That's fair.
Everyone else just fights great, Apollo is a great fighter!
Yall forgot to mention the part where they put super soldier serum in Drago and Rocky STILL WON with his Adrian zenkai boost.
Hmmm….. Rocky follows Apollos style to defeat Mr. T, but T is above Apollo? It’s a good effort on a thankless task though 🙏 👏🏻
Because Rocky is so much stronger than Apollo
ya this breakdown in common sense is just embarrassing. anything to justify his garbage video. it has nothing to do with rockys strength. he tears up clubber with a bad version of apollos style. apollo would destroy clubber with very little effort.