Rocky Balboa and Adonis Creed are two of the greatest boxing heroes in cinema history, and both were born out of the same cinematic universe, dreamed up by Rocky actor Sylvester Stallone in the mid-1970s. Of course, because of the generation gap between them, we never get to see Rocky and Adonis fight it out together in the ring. Rocky is Adonis Creed’s boxing mentor and trainer in the first two Creed movies, while the older boxer also has plenty of history in the ring with Adonis’ father, former world heavyweight champion Apollo Creed.

It was Apollo that Rocky defeated at the second attempt to win the world championship in Rocky II​​​​​​. That was before the two boxers became friends, and Creed helped train Rocky in the third movie of Stallone’s franchise. Meanwhile, with Rocky’s help, Adonis Creed became the world heavyweight champion in Creed II, emulating both his father and his trainer. The success Adonis achieves in the same sport and weight category as Rocky encourages us to speculate about which boxer would have won if the two of them faced off in their respective primes.

Rocky Balboa Vs. Adonis Creed In Numbers

The Professional Records Of Both Boxers

Statistically speaking, the matchup between Rocky Balboa and Adonis Creed leans decisively in one fighter’s favor. Given the different eras in which they fought, Rocky and Adonis inevitably have very different professional boxing records. Rocky Balboa took a lot more fights than Adonis Creed during his career because the pay per bout was significantly less in the 1970s and 1980s than it was in the 2010s, and rules around health and safety allowed Rocky to fight several times in a short period. Naturally, then, Rocky lost more fights than Adonis, but he also won a lot more.

Overall, Adonis Creed’s professional boxing record reads better, as he’s only lost one fight – his first, by split decision, against “Pretty” Ricky Conlan – and has won 27. Rocky, by contrast, won 57 fights but lost 23, with one draw, according to Stallone’s 2006 comeback movie Rocky Balboa. Most boxers have an exceptionally high knockout percentage, with Rocky winning 54 of his 57 fights by KO and Adonis securing all but one of his wins by knockout. These percentages suggest that a fight between the two of them would be unlikely to go the distance.

How Rocky Balboa’s Style Compares To Adonis Creed’s

A Southpaw Slugger Versus An Orthodox Brawler

Brought up on the streets of Philadelphia and learning his trade sparring with journeymen in local gyms, Rocky Balboa was an old-fashioned brawler who tended to turn his boxing matches into slugfests. As we see throughout the Rocky franchise, Balboa’s general approach to the sweet science was “hit or be hit”. He liked to go on the attack and swarm his opponent with a barrage of body sH๏τs while fighting on the inside. At the same time, his iron jaw ensured that he could stay on his feet despite taking his own fair share of punches from an opponent.

Adonis Creed, meanwhile, had a very different upbringing from Rocky. Having been adopted by Apollo Creed’s widow at the age of 13, he’s lived a life of relative luxury and privilege since his teenage years. It’s Balboa who helps Adonis hone his craft when the younger fighter is already in his late twenties, meaning that Creed’s style is largely similar to Rocky’s own. Adonis is also a brawler who’s typically on the attack in the ring. In addition, Creed actor Michael B. Jordan modeled his boxing performance in the movie franchise on real-life boxer Timothy Bradley.

One key difference between Rocky and Adonis, however, is that Rocky was a southpaw who took up a left-handed stance almost exclusively throughout his professional career, whereas Adonis has an orthodox, right-handed stance. This clash of styles would add an interesting dynamic to a fight between the two of them, as Adonis would have to adjust his approach to steer clear of Rocky’s dangerous left hook.

How Rocky And Adonis Performed In Their Movie Fights

Both Snatched Victories From The Jaws Of Defeat

Both Rocky Balboa and Adonis Creed won the hearts of their movie audiences with extraordinary comebacks in the ring, in which they were able to snatch victories from the jaws of defeat. Like Rocky, Adonis lost his first major fight by decision against a reigning world champion, having put on a plucky display despite the odds being overwhelmingly stacked against him. In Rocky’s case, the world champion he lost to was Apollo Creed, Adonis’ father. Each fighter then avenged their defeat with comeback victories in the movies that followed.

Throughout five movies, Rocky Balboa took more punishment and suffered more losses in the ring than Adonis Creed. He was repeatedly knocked down and beaten up during his two-fight showdown with Apollo Creed, and was pummeled to breaking point in his defeat by Clubber Lang, played by Mr T.. Adonis Creed shows more tactical acumen in the ring during his movies, and makes relatively light work of most of his opponents, including world champions Danny “Stuntman” Wheeler and Ricky Conlan, following his initial loss.

In the case of both Rocky and Adonis, however, arguably the toughest opponent they ever face is a Russian boxer named Drago. Rocky managed to defeat the machine-like Soviet boxer Ivan Drago in Rocky IV after Drago killed Apollo Creed in the ring. Three decades later, Adonis Creed avenges his father’s death by decisively defeating Ivan’s son Viktor Drago in Creed II. In both fights, the Russian boxer seems to have the upper hand until Rocky and Adonis wrest control of the fight from their opponent in the later rounds.

Rocky Balboa Vs. Adonis Creed: Who’s Winning A Fight?

The Heart Says One, The Head Says Another

Watching Rocky’s performances in the ring during his movies through rose-tinted spectacles, it’s tempting to say that he has a good chance of beating Adonis Creed with sheer heart and determination. Rocky’s greatest strength was always that he never gave up, no matter how far behind he was on the scoreboard or how close he seemed to defeat. It’s his never-say-die atтιтude that won him legions of fans in the world of the Rocky movies and made them cinema’s most popular boxing franchise.

Nevertheless, regardless of Rocky Balboa’s admirable resilience, it’s clear that Adonis Creed would be just too good for him on a technical level. Creed inherited his father’s speed of thinking and slick movement, while he has the chin and killer instinct of a brawler. What’s more, Rocky himself has taught Adonis a thing or two about staying out of trouble and rolling with the punches. Adonis’ record speaks for itself. However legendary the Rocky movies might be, it’s Creed that showcases the superior boxer. With both fighters in their prime, Adonis is winning the fight.

Rocky

Created by

Sylvester Stallone

First Film

Rocky

Latest Film

Creed III

Upcoming Films

Creed 4

Cast

Sylvester Stallone, Michael B. Jordan, Talia Shire, Burt Young, Carl Weathers, Burgess Meredith, Tony Burton, Mr. T, Brigitte Nielsen, Dolph Lundgren, Tommy Morrison, Antonio Tarver, Tessa Thompson

Summary

The Rocky franchise follows boxer Rocky Balboa’s rise from underdog to champion, and later, Adonis Creed’s journey to honor his father, Apollo Creed. The films chronicle Rocky’s several rises and falls, and both it and the Creed series deal with their тιтular character’s internal and external struggles both in the ring and out.

<ʙuттon type="ʙuттon" class="show-more-new icon i-chevron-down-solid">Expand