But in this powder keg of an arena it was understandable.
The mutual antipathy spilt over in some ugly scenes come the end of the round, both fighters and corners involved in a fracas that does the image of the sport no good. The Russian was cut, and probably as shocked as most of us at ringside, as Balboa moved in, belief emanating from every part of his body. Balboa, still pinned into the corner and taking a fearful battering, unleashed a right hand that stunned Drago and immediately silenced the crowd.
The barrage continued, many feeling the referee should have stepped in to prevent any more punishment.Īnd then it happened. Drago demonstrated his strength further by throwing Balboa to the floor, the American's anger resulting in a foolish charge towards Drago that should have ended in a count for the visitor, only for the referee to ignore the apparent knock down. It was pretty much the same at the start of the second, with Balboa on the receiving end of more bombs. Somehow, Balboa got up, his spirit beyond question as he staggered back to his corner. At one point, Drago even seemed to enjoy soaking up numerous stomach punches thrown by Balboa, before going on the offensive and flooring the Italian Stallion (although we could have done without the punch thrown by the Russian as his opponent sat on the canvas). Regularly caught by Drago's long jab, the American was unable to get close to his opponent, and as the round progressed it looked as if this would be Balboa's last. Only Balboa will know how he got through the first round. Fortunately, Rocky Balboa is no ordinary fighter. And boy did it work when Drago took to the ring after a rousing reception, his physique was staggering, a man-mountain of Russian granite, muscles bulging, and a look in his eye that was so terrifying he would have beaten 99% of his opponents before any punches were thrown. Technology from the space-age, machines beeping repeatedly, wires attached to Drago's body with monitors checking his every detail. The contrast to Drago's preparation could not have been more different. But Balboa knew that such a build-up to the fight would stand him in good stead, and if by some miracle he could last the distance, that he would need to dig down to the deepest parts of his soul to simply survive against this Russian machine. To prepare for this war – and it is no exaggeration to describe this fight as such – Balboa went back to basics, his training camp in Krasnogourbinsk so remote and apparently primitive that it made you wonder if the man had taken leave of his senses. Derailing the Siberian Express looked an impossibility. However, those close to Balboa, and the vast majority of his fans, were rightly worried that Rocky was risking his own life in his attempts to avenge the events of that fateful night. It wasn't just the members of the boxing press who were appalled with the comments made by the Russians in the immediate aftermath of the so-called exhibition bout in Las Vegas, and America at large wanted revenge. Yet the impression that the great man was doing it for his close friend was beyond doubt.
Rocky balboa speech about getting beat down full#
Whether victory here in Moscow tonight can provide Balboa with full closure over his part in Apollo Creed's tragic death is questionable. There are worse ways to spend your Christmas Day than this. But in a performance so brave that it seemed to extend the limits of humanity, the former heavyweight champion of the world not only silenced his doubters in defeating Ivan Drago, he also turned a hostile home crowd in his favour, so much so that come the end of almost 15 rounds of brutal boxing, cries of "Rocky, Rocky" were resonating around the auditorium. Wow! Many felt Rocky Balboa was crazy to take this fight in Moscow, myself included among the dissenting voices.
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