By the beginning of the Rocky series, Apollo Creed is an established world champion. Here is what is known about the character prior to the film.

Apollo Creed is one of the most memorable characters in the Rocky series, with a backstory and boxing history to match. The charismatic boxer's character was inspired by Muhammad Ali and reportedly well-received by him. Creed was already the established heavyweight champion of the world by the time of the first film. While bits of his history are given throughout the series, the 2004 video game Rocky: Legends reveals much of the character's backstory.

Apollo Creed was initially introduced as the antagonist in the Rocky movies, but as the series progressed, he and Rocky became close friends. Creed retired after his second bout with Rocky Balboa, eventually becoming his trainer in Rocky III. The third film's end hinted at an undisclosed third fight between the two, in which Balboa later revealed to Apollo's son Adonis that his father won that fight. Rocky IV begins with Apollo Creed's death in an exhibition against Ivan Drago, a loss avenged by Balboa and his son, Adonis, decades later.

Played by actor Carl Weathers, Apollo Creed was born in Los Angeles on August 17th, 1942. Before boxing, he initially found success on the gridiron playing some college football. Creed got into boxing relatively late, at the age of 26, in 1968. Rocky: Legends reveals that Creed's first opponent was Tony "Duke" Evers, who would ultimately become his trainer for the remainder of his career. The fictional Creed won the heavyweight title from real-life champion George Foreman in 1972, starting his long reign as champion leading up to his eventual clash with Balboa at the end of Rocky. Despite starting late, Creed was a prodigious athlete amassing an incredible record prior to the first film's events.

Was Apollo Creed The Best Boxer In Rocky?

The Rocky universe includes many fearsome fictional boxers, including Clubber Lang, Ivan Drago, Tommy Gunn, Union Cane, and Mason "The Line" Dixon. While all of these boxers have impressive records and accomplishments, Apollo Creed's feats trump them all. Before the first film, Creed amassed a record of 47-0 and defeated the great George Foreman. The only boxer in the series with a comparable record is Mason Dixon at 43-0. Creed is one of the three fighters to beat Rocky Balboa in the films but holds the distinction of being the only person to beat him twice. Ending his career at 48-1 and being the gold standard for boxers in the series, Apollo Creed is the best boxer in Rocky.

With the Creed series still unfinished, Apollo Creed's title as the best fighter in Rocky could be supplanted by his son, Adonis Creed. Like his father and trainer Rocky Balboa, Adonis has become a world heavyweight champion in his own right. As of now, Apollo has almost double the wins of his son, but with Creed 3 on the horizon, Adonis could close the gap a bit.

• Creed 3

  Release Date:2023-03-03