Every Fight In The Rocky And Creed Movies Ranked

Actor and filmmaker Sylvester Stallone catapulted into international superstardom in his role as Philadelphia boxer Rocky Balboa in the Academy Award-winning "Rocky" film series. After the first six movies were released from 1976 to 2006, Stallone's sports franchise received its second wind with the debut of the "Creed" spinoff series in 2015, starring Michael B. Jordan as Adonis "Donnie" Creed. The son of the late heavyweight champion Apollo Creed (Carl Weathers), Adonis follows in his father's footsteps while being mentored by the older Rocky.

Every "Rocky" and "Creed" movie revolves around its eponymous boxer protagonist embarking on a grueling brawl, often with the world heavyweight title hanging in the balance. Tightly crafted, these fight sequences are among the most memorable in any boxing movie, keeping audiences riveted as Rocky and Adonis take on one formidable opponent after another. Here are all the fights from the entire "Rocky" movie franchise ranked. Note that this ranking excludes bouts briefly seen in montages, focusing only on the set-piece fights in the franchise.

The first fight ever seen in the "Rocky" franchise isn't for a championship title, revenge, or to determine the fate of the Cold War. Instead, Rocky Balboa's first opponent is a low-level boxer named Spider Rico (Pedro Lovell), whom the Italian Stallion fights in a local boxing match in a converted church. The fight fails to thrill the attending audience, who audibly boos the proceedings until the match turns ugly with several illegal moves.

Growing frustrated, the Puerto Rican boxer headbutts Rocky, giving him a small cut above his eye, enraging the southpaw slugger. Rocky knocks Spider down and proceeds to beat him while he is down on the ground, winning the fight, if in an equally underhanded way. Awkwardly staged and without the gusto of later fights in the film series, Rocky's trainer, Mickey Goldmill (Burgess Meredith), best sums up the fight by spitting that Spider is nothing but a bum.

After a pre-title prologue showcasing Adonis as a child, 2015's "Creed" fast-forwards to the present day, with an adult Adonis fighting in local boxing matches in Tijuana. In a long sequence appearing as a single take, Adonis hypes himself up in a dimly lit backroom before walking through the crowd into the ring, where he defeats his unnamed challenger. The fight itself is shadowy and fierce, with Adonis already displaying a natural gift for pugilism that he inherited from his father, culminating in him winning by knockout.

The fight shows just how intense Adonis is, willing to box wherever he can to satiate the fire to get into the ring and prove that he is worthy of his father's legacy. However, for all of Michael B. Jordan's bravado in introducing the adult Adonis to the audience, the fight is dimly lit, and the constraints of setting a single-take sequence in the space limits what can be seen in the ring. The technical aspects surrounding the fight are an impressive sign of greater things to come from the 2015 film, but the fight itself doesn't quite match that ambition.

After winning underground boxing matches in Mexico, an arrogant Adonis decides to make a play to cement his legacy in the United States by challenging the top fighter at his local boxing club in Los Angeles. Putting his vintage Mustang on the line, Adonis enters the ring against Danny "Stuntman" Wheeler (Andre Ward) and receives a painful lesson in humility. Just as "Creed" begins with Adonis showing his natural chops for boxing, his second fight in the 2015 film underscores how far from the top he truly is.

Immediately as his fight against Wheeler begins, Adonis is put on the defensive, in sharp contrast to how he dominated his fight in Mexico. Mercifully, this fight sequence is even shorter than Adonis' previous bout, with Wheeler cleanly knocking his boastful challenger out cold and winning the bet. A short but sweet match, Adonis' first fight against Wheeler is what leads him to realize how badly he needs to find a boxing mentor.

While it was Danny Wheeler who humbled Adonis in the original "Creed," it's their rematch that proves just how much Adonis had grown as a boxer since their first encounter. In the time since the 2015 film, Wheeler had risen to become the heavyweight champion of the world and defends his title against Adonis. More than just vying for the championship title, Adonis is angling to win back his beloved Mustang as the two fighters engage in their long-awaited rematch.

Just as Wheeler dominated Adonis in their first skirmish, Adonis quickly takes control of the fight in the championship ring. Though the rematch lasts longer than their initial encounter, Adonis ultimately triumphs, winning the title and his car back to the crowd's approval. This introduction for Adonis at the beginning of "Creed II" fulfills the boxer's lifelong ambition, giving him the world before cruelly taking it away as the story progresses.

While Rocky is in his 60s by the time he emerges from retirement in "Rocky Balboa," he proves to the world that he's still a formidable fighter and not to be discarded due to his advancing age. Realizing he doesn't have the speed he possessed in his prime, Rocky emphasizes building up his strength to deliver some truly punishing blows on his considerably younger opponent. This strategy pays off, with Rocky ending his career on a high note while Mason Dixon finally receives the legitimate challenger he's been waiting for since winning the title.

The opening rounds of Rocky and Mason's bout are shown as if they were a real televised boxing match, with similar film quality and camera angles as the announcers call the match. What cheapens the fight somewhat is that Mason accidentally injures his hand striking Rocky's hip early in the match, giving Rocky an unplanned advantage. Though this perhaps makes the fight a bit more believable, it undercuts the core concept that Rocky could still viably fight the champion despite his age, making the injury unfairly alter the odds.

While the climactic confrontation in the original "Rocky" may not have aged well, especially compared to the rest of the series, the final fight in "Rocky II" makes up for it. To date, "Rocky II" is the only film in the franchise that only has a single fight in it, and the 1979 sequel ensures that this scene delivers. Despite Rocky and Apollo insisting in the previous film that there would be no rematch between them, "Rocky II" maneuvers the two back in the ring for a bout that far exceeds their prior encounter.

Out to prove that Rocky's faring so well against him before was simply a fluke, Apollo starts out the rematch by painfully beating Rocky to a pulp. However, having proven himself as a legitimate fighter, Rocky is willing to endure any attack and prevail for the sake of his wife, Adrian (Talia Shire), and their newborn son (an uncredited Seargeoh Stallone). With much more dynamic staging and more of the bout itself depicted on-screen than its predecessor, the climax of "Rocky II" is where the franchise's sensibilities with its fight sequences take shape.

Though Rocky is forced to retire because of concerning health issues at the start of "Rocky V," he still longs to be a part of the sport he has dedicated his life towards. This opportunity comes in the form of eager, young boxer Tommy Gunn, though Tommy ditches Rocky for prominent boxing promoter George Washington Duke (Richard Gant). Despite this falling out, Rocky remains invested in Tommy's career and watches intently on television as Tommy challenges Union Cane (Michael Williams) for the heavyweight championship.

What makes Tommy and Cane's fight so memorable is that it allows Rocky to vicariously relive his glory days in the ring as he watches the bout from home. As Tommy triumphs using techniques he learned from Rocky, the Italian Stallion imagines he's fighting Cane himself, going through old moves on a nearby heavy bag. The sequence is one of the most emotionally engaging scenes in "Rocky V" while delivering the boxing thrills audiences have come to love from the franchise.

Adonis gets the chance to prove he is worthy of his father's legacy in the public eye when he's given a shot at the heavyweight title against Ricky Conlan (Tony Bellew) in 2015's "Creed." The climactic bout evokes Rocky and Apollo's first match against each other, albeit executed with much more engaging staging and choreography, making it one of the best fights in the series. Ricky and the public are unconvinced Adonis' boxing career is little more than a gimmick capitalizing on his father's fame, only to be quickly proven wrong.

Adonis proves he's just as capable of meting out punishment as he is taking it, gamely rising to take on Conlan after enduring a knockdown while delivering a knockdown to the champion himself. Similar to Rocky, Adonis loses the fight on a split decision but wins the public's adoration for being able to go the distance against the seasoned champ. An excellent showcase of Adonis' fighting ability, "Creed" may end in a nominal defeat, but Apollo's son wins the moral victory.

As the fateful rematch between Adonis and Viktor, there is a lot of expectation riding on the climax of "Creed II" and, fortunately, the 2018 film delivers. The sons of Creed and Drago's first encounter was a brutally unflinching affair, and their rematch is no different, but it allows the two fighters to stand on relatively even ground while lasting until the final round. While Viktor is counting on his overpowering strength ending the fight early again, Adonis looks to draw the battle out to wear down and punish his opponent.

With its choreography and stylized action, the climax to "Creed II" effectively blends modern moviemaking sensibilities and personal stakes with thrilling results. Though Adonis is better prepared than he was in his initial skirmish against Viktor, the odds are still running against him in the grueling grudge match. With each fighter doling out and receiving a tremendous number of frenzied punches, "Creed II" ends with one the best fights in the entire series.

Rocky's usual strategy in triumphing over his opponents involves him wearing them down by enduring a barrage of blows before toppling them with his southpaw swings. This tactic proves completely ineffective against Clubber in "Rocky III," with the Chicago slugger delivering punches even Rocky can't repeatedly weather. After being knocked out by Clubber in the second round of their first match, Rocky changes up his strategy for their rematch at the end of the movie, with guidance from Apollo.

Entering the ring the lightest and fastest he's ever been, Rocky fights like he never has before or since in his rematch against Clubber. Sticking and moving before goading Clubber into taking wild swings to wear himself out, Rocky is at his most resourceful and cunning in "Rocky III." With the fight going back and forth and perfectly paced rather than lasting till the final round, "Rocky III" moves as briskly and engagingly as the sleek-minded Philly southpaw.