Quote Originally Posted by Primo Carnera View Post
Quote Originally Posted by TitoFan View Post
Ok... the question outright:

Who in your opinion (professional actor) has done the best job of impersonating a real boxer inside the ring?

I still think the omission of Carl Weathers was a huge oversight.
Clearly Stallone doesn’t look like a boxer that could win a world title . But I think you’re being harsh, because isn’t it the whole point of the film? A low level guy from the street could become HW Champion of the World. That is the story , bit of a fairy tale of course.
But think about it, if Stallone was technically decent, there wouldn’t be a story.
Now my main beef about Stallone and Boxing centres around 2 other things.
1. That he was inducted into the IBHOF. That is a complete joke.
2. When he did the “Contender” series, found it totally embarrassing and cringeworthy that all these young pro boxers are sat round a lunch table hanging on his every word while he recounts stories and gives them “sage advice”, while SRL is hanging around unnoticed in the background. Totally cringe!


Fair points. First about your #1 and #2. Wow... don't even get me started on that. "Joke" is a mild word to use regarding the IBHOF thing. Whoever first brought up that idea at the IBHOF round table should've been laughed out of the room (and then flogged). It's disrespectful to every single person inducted in the Hall of Fame.

#2 if even worse. Stallone giving BOXING ADVICE??!! And with SRL in the room?? I'm glad I missed that. But then I was never a huge fan of "The Contender" in the first place.

Now on to Stallone. Harsh? Maybe. But even in 1976, they could've at least attempted to make the fight sequences just a tad more believable.

To begin with, Stallone couldn't box his way out of a paper bag. But that's why other actors have precisely spent MONTHS training in the gym under supervision..... to make themselves more believable.

But all this "punch me hard 100 times while I stand there WWE-style... and then miraculously I recover and punch YOU 100 times unanswered"..... is just ridiculous... even to the casual fan.

Yeah, yeah... it's a movie about the underdog triumphing in life and all that corny stuff. But seriously... Stallone as a boxer?

I guess by now you're probably thinking I'm not a big Stallone fan and you're probably right.

However... I did TOTALLY enjoy First Blood... which was his other signature movie and began a parallel slew of movies, giving Stallone his two achievements in Hollywood....... Rocky and Rambo.