The Real Rocky 〈Bonus Inside〉

: In the ninth round, Wepner did the unthinkable—he knocked Muhammad Ali to the canvas. It was only the fourth time in Ali's career he had been knocked down.

: After serving time in prison in the 1980s for drug possession, Wepner turned his life around. He spent decades working as a liquor salesman in New Jersey and remains a local legend in Bayonne. Other Pieces of the Puzzle The Real Rocky

: Stallone borrowed the name, the iconic crouched fighting style, and the relentless durability of the only undefeated heavyweight champion. : In the ninth round, Wepner did the

Chuck Wepner , nicknamed due to his tendency to cut easily, was never expected to win. A 40-to-1 underdog, Wepner had spent his career taking punishment and simply outlasting his opponents. He spent decades working as a liquor salesman

: The training sequence where Rocky punches slabs of meat in a cold storage locker was a direct lift from Frazier’s real-life training at a Philadelphia slaughterhouse.