Could Balboa Beat Modern Heavyweight Champions? How Rocky ...

Though he's one of the most iconic boxers of all time, Rocky's Rocky Balboa wouldn't necessarily fare so well against real-life modern heavyweight champions. Since his first appearance in his eponymous 1976 sports drama classic, Rocky has become one of the most well-known boxers, despite being entirely fictional. Rocky's status as a perpetual underdog has defined his stories, though he almost always overcomes the odds in order to achieve victory, whether literally or metaphorically. It's this success that has made Rocky Balboa such an iconic figure.

In terms of physical size, Rocky is actually a relatively small heavyweight. Officially weighing around 200 pounds in his prime and standing at 5 feet 11 inches with a reach of 74 inches, he is naturally much smaller than many real-life heavyweights. With regards to his style, Rocky Balboa isn't the most skilled boxer, though he makes up for his technical shortcomings with impressive stamina, power, and near-superhuman durability. Throughout the Rocky movie franchise, as portrayed by Sylvester Stallone, it's Rocky's ability to endure a staggering amount of physical punishment and still maintain the fighting spirit that has made him a champion so many times over.

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As Rocky Balboa's many movie appearances have offered great insight into his boxing abilities, speculating on how a boxer of his size, skill, and style would fare against modern heavyweight champions can be achieved through comparison and analysis of various boxers' styles. Although the movies of the Rocky franchise have featured many real-life fighters, how Rocky would actually manage against some of the biggest real names in heavyweight boxing would undoubtedly be something of a reality check for the Italian Stallion.

Rocky Would Lose To Tyson Fury (But Go The Distance)

One of the most massive personalities in the modern boxing world is Tyson "The Gypsy King" Fury. Standing at a lofty 6 feet 9 inches with an 85-inch reach, he is one of the largest active fighters in the world. What's more, Fury has racked up an impressive record of 32-1-0, with significant wins over Wladimir Klitschko, Dillian Whyte, and Deontay Wilder (twice). Having reached the championship once before a career lull and then making a historic comeback, Tyson Fury's story is almost as inspiring as Rocky Balboa's.

Though Rocky Balboa has faced many undefeated opponents, he's never faced one quite like this. Tyson Fury possesses the physical size of a fighter like Ivan Drago but the skill and showmanship of Apollo Creed, and he has proven to have an excellent chin to match it. As Fury has proven particularly difficult to knock out, or even down, it seems unlikely that the much smaller Rocky would be able to end their hypothetical match-up via knockout.

It seems equally unlikely that Rocky could outpoint Fury, who has proven time and again to be a particularly skilled boxer. Rocky's own resilience makes it almost impossible that the fight would end in a knockout at all, and therefore the most likely outcome would be that Fury uses his height and reach advantage to easily outpoint Rocky and take home a decision victory.

Related: Rocky Balboa vs. Adonis Creed: Who Would Win In A Fight

Rocky Vs Deontay Wilder Would End With A Knockout

In many ways, Deontay Wilder is like a real-life Clubber Lang, who some consider Rocky's worst enemy. He's a powerful and deceptively skilled fighter and often employs an overly antagonistic persona while promoting his fights in order to intimidate his opponents. Standing at 6 feet 7 inches tall with an 83-inch reach, Wilder also boasts a significant size advantage over Rocky Balboa. Wilder usually boxes at a slightly heavier weight than Rocky, too, which would only support his status as a power puncher. Wilder's ability as a knockout artist is widely celebrated, although his two losses to Tyson Fury have proven that he can be beaten by skilled opposition.

Interestingly, Rocky's style isn't unlike Wilder's. This is partly because the real-life inspirations for Rocky Balboa were also power punchers, but also because both fighters employ an unorthodox style of fighting. Though Wilder's size advantage is significant, Rocky's ability to absorb punches could potentially be enough to negate the Bronze Bomber's power. As both boxers put an emphasis on their power punches and forgo more traditional forms of defense, it's safe to say that their match-up would end with a knockout. This essentially hinges on who lands their biggest shot first, but Rocky's tried-and-tested chin gives him a slight edge over Wilder — especially after he was beaten twice by Fury — making a win for the Italian Stallion more likely by a narrow margin.

Balboa Vs Usyk Would Be A Close Fight

One of the main aspects of Rocky Balboa's movies is his status as an underdog, perpetuated by Rocky's heavyweight problem. Much like Rocky, Olexandr Usyk has proven a somewhat unlikely heavyweight champion, as he's naturally a much smaller fighter than his stiffest competition. Measuring 6 feet 3 inches with a 78-inch reach, he's much closer to Rocky's size than any other heavyweight, making their hypothetical match-up an interesting prospect. Usyk may lack the power of other heavyweights, but his speed and boxing skill secured him a convincing victory over Anthony Joshua.

This impressive speed and technical know-how would give Usyk an advantage over Rocky, which would mean he'd likely need to employ tactics much like Apollo Creed's in the first Rocky movie. In doing so, he could secure a points victory over Rocky, but he would likely find knocking Rocky out to be an impossibility. As Rocky shows he can withstand the immense power of Ivan Drago in Rocky IV, he'd be able to withstand Usyk's punches, but whether he could catch the Ukrainian to secure his own knockout victory is difficult to know. Though their fight would be a close one, the most likely outcome would be a points victory for Usyk.

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Rocky Would Easily Beat Anthony Joshua

Standing at 6 feet 6 inches with an 82-inch reach, Anthony Joshua is well-known for his chiseled physique and textbook style. Though Joshua has suffered two high-profile defeats, he spent a number of years at the pinnacle of the heavyweight division, earning a reputation as a respectable power puncher in the process. Interestingly, Joshua's first defeat was a shocking upset at the hands of the much smaller Andy Ruiz, whose pressure-style boxing proved to be too much for the then-champion.

As Rocky Balboa was based on real-life underdog Chuck Wepner as well as champions Rocky Marciano and Joe Frazier, it's safe to say that the Italian Stallion is fearless. His relentless style would undoubtedly prove too much for the relatively simple boxing of Joshua, and Rocky has proven he could withstand the power of the larger fighter. Rocky's ability to withstand punches would make Joshua's victory all but impossible, particularly as Rocky is a boxer who repeatedly takes the fight to his opponents. Even if Rocky's titular character was unable to knock Joshua out, he'd likely win a points decision thanks to his aggressive and relentless fighting style.

Next: How The Creed Movies Can Beat The Rocky Franchise