With the release of Creed III this past weekend, Michael B. Jordan has made his directorial debut while reprising his lead role as Adonis Creed. The film marks the ninth entry in the Rocky/Creed franchise, which spans across six decades. Throughout these movies we’ve learned the stories of a number of champions and worthy challengers. It’s almost impossible to fairly and accurately compare athletes across different eras, but that hasn’t stopped us—and the entire media-sports complex—from trying, so why not do it here?
Has Adonis surpassed his father’s legacy? Which antagonist was the best opponent in the franchise? Humor me as I attempt to assess all the boxers from the Rocky and Creed films in a pound-for-pound ranking. And before you ask: No, Thunderlips (played by Hulk Hogan) is not included in this list, as his exhibition match with Rocky in Rocky III wasn’t boxing so much as it was wrestling.
Note: Creed III spoilers ahead!
14. Spider Rico
Rico (Pedro Lovell) is the very first opponent we see Rocky Balboa (Sylvester Stallone) face. In the opening scene of Rocky, Rico and Rocky are engaged in a small-time club match, with the latter fighting rather lackadaisically until Rico decides to headbutt him. The dirty maneuver awakens something in Rocky, who unleashes a flurry of punches and knocks Rico out. It wasn’t the most flattering appearance for an opponent in the films, but it was enough for Rico to return in a role in 2006’s Rocky Balboa as an old friend of Rocky.
13. Leo Sporino
Leo (Gabriel Rosado) is the son of trainer Pete Sporino, and Adonis’s first official opponent in Creed. At the time of that fight, Leo was undefeated and a rising boxer, but a shocking second-round knockout against a far-from-polished Adonis halted his ascension. We haven’t seen Leo on-screen since, but thanks to a quick mention in Creed III while Adonis is working to determine an opponent for Felix Chavez, we know that Sporino is still fighting. But unfortunately, with the limited exposure we have to his career, Leo can be ranked only so high on this list.
12. Tommy Gunn
Under the tutelage of Rocky in Rocky V, Tommy Gunn (Tommy Morrison) quickly ascended to claim the heavyweight belt … and that’s pretty much the only reason I have him not ranked last on this list. Did Gunn have talent? Yes. Was he a champion? You bet. But did he get knocked out by his own trainer in a street fight that Gunn himself instigated? He sure did. Every other match that Rocky fought in was preceded by a lengthy training montage, but in this instance, Rocky literally walked out of a bar and delivered a KO. That’s rough.
11. Viktor Drago
Viktor Drago (Florian Munteanu) would be much higher on this list if he hadn’t hit Adonis while he was down in their first fight. If he hadn’t, Viktor surely would’ve won that fight and the world heavyweight title along with it—instead, he was disqualified and eventually defeated by Adonis in their rematch. But putting that aside, the sheer power and strength that Viktor displayed in Creed II is enough to make him one of the series’ most intimidating antagonists who did not claim a championship belt. It was fun to see Viktor make a return in Creed III, but, man, he really can’t catch a break—at least it seems like his hand fully healed after a slimy attack from Damian Anderson’s henchman. If the Creedverse continues to expand as Michael B. Jordan has teased, perhaps we’ll see more of Viktor in future films.
10. Felix Chavez
Chavez (Jose Benavidez Jr.) is the reigning heavyweight champion in Creed III after Adonis retires. Chavez is Adonis’s protégé, and in the limited time we get to see him, the young boxer shows impressive skill in the ring. But when Chavez eventually squares off with Damian in the heavyweight title match, Chavez’s strong start is negated by some dirty tactics from his opponent. The end result: Chavez is knocked out in the second round. We probably can cut Felix some slack here—not only did Damian bend the rules, but Chavez had to tweak his entire strategy after originally preparing to face Viktor. Stepping into the ring against an unfamiliar challenger on short notice is a tall order even for the reigning champion, but the head-to-head loss is still enough to knock Chavez just behind Damian himself.
9. Damian Anderson
Damian (Jonathan Majors) was an up-and-coming talent in boxing before his career was abruptly halted due to an arrest. Upon his release from prison 18 years later, Damian picks up where he left off and quickly wins the heavyweight title. And then, as swiftly as he won the title, Damian loses it by getting knocked out in the 12th round against Adonis in Creed III’s climactic title fight. Damian’s ability to return to the sport and immediately contend at the highest level speaks volumes to his raw talent, but it’s hard to rank him much higher without a fuller résumé. (Also, cheating doesn’t help his case, even if it seems like Damian was strong enough to knock out Chavez without doing it.) Aside from Apollo Creed, I believe that Damian was one of the best opponents in the series in terms of story line and connection to the main character. Given the way his post-fight conversation ended with Adonis, I’m optimistic this won’t be the last we’ll see of Damian Anderson.
8. Mason Dixon
Sure, Dixon (Antonio Tarver) nearly lost in a split decision against a 60-something Rocky. But it was an exhibition match to earn a payday, and Dixon trained accordingly while Rocky trained like it was a title shot. Not to mention a freak broken hand in the second round largely hindered Dixon for most of the fight. It’s mentioned in Rocky Balboa that one of the bigger knocks against Dixon is that the competition of his era was weak, so for that reason I can only rank him so high. But he was still an undefeated champion, going 33-0 with 30 knockouts, so that has to count for something, even if we don’t get to see much of his success on-screen.
7. Danny Wheeler
If it weren’t for the fact that Wheeler (Andre Ward) had his jaw broken by a sucker punch from Ricky Conlan during their pre-fight press conference in Creed, he may have been higher on this list; a win in that fight would’ve given Wheeler the lineal heavyweight championship and the right to be called the pound-for-pound best fighter in the world. Wheeler never got the head-to-head matchup against Conlan, but he did remain undefeated up until age 35, when he lost via knockout to Adonis. He’s also one of the most decorated fighters in the series, with an Olympic gold medal and the WBA, WBC, and The Ring heavyweight titles to his name.
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6. Ricky Conlan
Aside from Apollo Creed, Ricky Conlan (Tony Bellew) might be one of the most technically sound antagonists in the entire series, with an impressive combination of speed, power, and boxing IQ. Ahead of his fight against Adonis in Creed, it’s mentioned that not only had Conlan never lost, but he had also never even been knocked down. He eventually suffers his first knockdown in the final round against Adonis, but manages to beat the count to retain the title. Having held the lineal heavyweight title for five years with an unblemished record, he misses out on the top five of this list only because of his absence from the sport due to a prison sentence, as well as his eventual loss to Adonis in their rematch in Creed III.
5. Clubber Lang
Lang (Mr. T) might be the most quotable fighter in the entire series.
In Rocky III, Clubber uses a massive showing of power and strength to not only defeat Rocky for the heavyweight title—he flat-out destroys him with a second-round KO. Yes, the death of Mickey, Rocky’s trainer, contributed to a waning motivation for the boxer, but that was about as decisive of a beating as we’ve seen throughout the franchise. Rocky does get the last laugh, however: Clubber’s lack of stamina was exposed in his rematch against the Italian Stallion, so his inability to adapt and go the distance against the best is what knocks him a notch lower than the remaining fighters on this list.
4. Ivan Drago
Like Clubber, Ivan Drago (Dolph Lundgren) also has one of the most iconic lines in the series:
Drago may be the most physically imposing antagonist across all of the Rocky and Creed films. His physical traits and power are undeniable, but so is the fact that he took steroids. That’s the reason I have him ranked lower than Apollo, even though their head-to-head match in Rocky IV was so one-sided—to put it lightly. To be honest, I even debated ranking Ivan a bit lower, but after his character is given more depth in Creed II, it’s fair to be a bit empathetic and not hold him solely responsible for his missteps.
3. Apollo Creed
Apollo Creed (Carl Weathers) has just two losses: One to Rocky in their rematch in Rocky II, and the other to Drago in Rocky IV, which proved fatal. With Rocky revealing in Creed that Apollo won the unofficial third fight between the two of them that takes place at the very end of Rocky III, it was extremely tempting to put Apollo at the top spot on this list. But was Rocky telling the truth, or was he just saying that because it was Adonis who was asking? Who knows? But what we do know is that at the time of Apollo and Rocky’s first fight, Apollo was 46-0 with 46 KO’s (!!!) and the reigning heavyweight champion. He was by far the most accomplished opponent in the series, and his size, reach, and boxing IQ in his prime could be countered only by a fighter in Rocky who could take more punishment than honestly should be allowed. As Rocky says himself, Apollo was the perfect fighter.
2. Adonis Creed
Thanks to the guidance of Rocky in the first two Creed films, Adonis as a fighter became a unique blend of both Rocky and his father, Apollo. But it wasn’t until I saw Creed III that I was finally ready to rank Adonis ahead of Apollo. During the first two films, Adonis becomes a champion, but is caught in the shadow of two of the greatest fighters this universe had ever seen. The third film is where we truly got to see Adonis’s own legacy take shape, both in retirement and in the ring. After he avenged his loss to Ricky Conlan with a knockout at the start of the film, then proceeded to come out of retirement and unseat Damian as the heavyweight champ, it was enough for me to give Adonis the nod. By returning to the ring and regaining the title, Adonis showed a career longevity and staying power that has been bested only by the fighter at the top spot on this list.
1. Rocky Balboa
A lot can be said about what makes Rocky Balboa great, but I’ll let one of my favorite scenes in the entire series do the talking. Here’s Apollo’s trainer Duke Evers (Tony Burton) in Rocky II explaining to Apollo exactly why he fears the eventual rematch with Rocky:
“I saw you beat that man like I never saw no man get beat before, and the man kept coming after you.”
Man, that still gives me chills. It proved to be wise advice from Duke, and it perfectly represents the challenge Balboa presented to every single one of his opponents. Rocky wasn’t always the better boxer in terms of technique, but his ability to go the distance and take an obscene amount of punishment is ultimately what won him almost every notable fight he was a part of during the series. His ability to not only take that sort of punishment but to also dole it out with a relentless body attack (and later, a more well-rounded approach thanks Apollo’s guidance) makes him undoubtedly the pound-for-pound best fighter in the series.