The true story behind how Sylvester Stallone became a superstar
Most of you know Sylvester Stallone for the movie franchise, The Expendables. However, before he joined that bloated prostate of a cast of aging actors, Stallone was Rocky Balboa. The boxer with heart to go with two deadly fists. In this role, he captured our own hearts as we raised our fists in imitation of his skills in the boxing ring.
Becoming Rocky
In 1975, Stallone was a down-but-not-yet out actor and screenwriter, but all that changed when, on the night of March 24, he went to the Los Angeles theater to watch a closed-circuit broadcast of the world’s greatest boxer, Muhammed Ali, beating up a boxer called Chuck Wepner.
However, things didn’t go to plan for Ali as he danced around Wepner in the ring, playing with his opponent. Chuck Wepner was a man who nobody knew, but everyone knew Ali and so the crowd cheered for the Ali, the champion.
Then, suddenly, Wepner threw a right-hand punch to Ali’s ribs as Ali danced and suddenly lost his footing.
Caught off-balance, Ali collapsed to the floor and the crowd couldn’t believe it. A nobody had knocked down the champion of the world!
"It was like a bolt of lightning from some Greek god in the sky, and, almost instantly, Wepner became the crowd favorite," Stallone said.
"Suddenly, he went from being a complete joke to being somebody whom everybody watching could identify with — because everybody's thinking, 'Yes, I'd like to do that! I'd like to do the impossible, even if only for a moment, and be recognized for it — and have the crowd cheer.'"
After Stallone watched this fight in open mouthed shock, he quickly picked up a pen and wrote the screenplay for Rocky, the movie.
Chuck Changed the game
The first Rocky movie changed Stallone’s life as the movie won a Best Picture Academy Award and catapulted Stallone from zero to hero as he went on to get fame and fortune in Hollywood and also make The Expendables.
By the way, Wepner did not win that fight against Ali as the Champ got up and took down his opponent in 15 rounds of boxing.
Ali won the fight. However, Wepner was the true winner as he did the unthinkable by knocking down the champ. Plus, he inspired the Rocky movies that we all have come to love.
Not only those movies, but Liev Schreiber played the role of Wepner in a sports film, Chuck. Also Zach McGowan played the role of Wepner in another sports film, The Brawler.
So, in future, if anyone asks you which who is the toughest Chuck you know, don’t say Chuck Norris. Say Chuck Wepner.
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