He may seem like a larger-than-life figure, but Sylvester Stallone's Rocky was in fact based on a real person. First appearing in 1976's Rocky, the titular boxer catapulted Sylvester Stallone to Hollywood success. Beginning his life in the franchise as a small-time enforcer for a loan shark and a club fighter in the slums of Philadelphia, Rocky Balboa undergoes one of the greatest sports drama transformations of all time, gradually reaching the height of the boxing world and winning the heavyweight championship.
Rocky sees "the Italian Stallion" face off against Carl Weathers' Apollo Creed in one of the most iconic cinematic clashes of all time. While Rocky ultimately loses the fight, his determination wins the hearts of fans everywhere, cementing him as a star in the boxing world. However, despite the often unbelievable scenes that the Rocky franchise delivers, the character is actually based on a real-life boxer.
Both Rocky Balboa's distinctive fighting style and his name are based on Rocco Francis "Rocky Marciano" Marchegiano, widely regarded as one of the greatest heavyweight boxers of all time. Active from 1947 to 1955, Marchegiano was known for his relentless fighting style and durable chin, and still holds the highest knockout-to-win ratio in heavyweight title fights (an impressive 85.7%). However, Marchegiano retired unbeaten, which is the first and biggest difference between him and Rocky Balboa (whose fight record looks a little different).
In fact, while Rocky Balboa's hard-hitting fighting style and general appearance resemble that of Marchegiano, his story is incredibly different. Marchegiano quickly reached the pinnacle of heavyweight boxing, where he stayed until his retirement. Balboa was a struggling journeyman until Apollo Creed took him on in hopes of boosting his profile, and the Cinderella story is one that's become a staple of sports cinema. Balboa's story doesn't match Marchegiano's at all, and that's because it's actually based on another boxer: Chuck Wepner.
Unlike Marchegiano, Wepner only shares one genuine similarity with Rocky Balboa, but it's a big one. The whole story of Rocky's match with Apollo Creed - including the outcome - is almost exactly that of Wepner's 1975 fight with Muhammad Ali, in which the unexpected contender was given a huge payday and a chance to fight boxing's biggest star for the championship. Much like Rocky, Wepner unexpectedly lasted 15 rounds with the champion, although, unlike Balboa, Wepner was beaten by TKO with only 19 seconds left in the fight.
The similarities between Balboa's fight with Creed and Wepner's with Ali are beyond coincidence, and Stallone has since itted it was Wepner that inspired him to write the film. Still, despite drawing on Wepner for Rocky's story, the character himself was based on one of the all-time greats of the sport, Rocky Marciano. While other actors almost played Rocky Balboa, Stallone was ultimately perfect for the part - not only does Balboa fight like Marciano, but Stallone even bears a resemblance to the boxer that Rocky's protagonist was based on.
