Sylvester Stallone has made his place in the hearts of millions of boxing fans through his Rocky franchise. The Hollywood actor wrote the story and acted in one of the most thrilling boxing franchises ever. Everything about the franchise is immaculate. The heartwarming story of a nobody who gets a once-in-a-lifetime shot at glory and creates history has inspired millions across the globe. What is noteworthy is the exciting boxing sequences in the movie. The boxing matches in the movie continue to be one of the most talked about aspects of the franchise.

Even though Sylvester Stallone is not a professional boxer, he indulged in vigorous boxing training for the Rocky movies. He was also a fitness symbol in Hollywood, and is still in great shape, given he is 76 years old.

Did Sylvester Stallone train like a boxer? Was he good at boxing?

The Hollywood sensation’s training plan for the movie is not for the faint-hearted. ‘The Italian Stallion’ pushed his body to extreme levels to portray a professional boxer’s life in the movie. And the star did not only have to train in boxing for the movie, Sly had a strict training regime of working out consistently 6 days a week to get those chiseled abs and shredded physique. Reportedly, he was trained by former Mr. Olympia and a boxer himself, Franco Columbu, to help him get in the best shape of his life.

When it comes to boxing training, Stallone shared the gym with professional boxers to understand better how to present himself for a scene as a professional boxer. Sly sparred with the former four-division world champion Roberto Duran in Rocky 2, even though his experience of the sparring session left him in awe of the champ. It shaped the Hollywood sensation to add some Duran-inspired tweaks to his character. And not only this, Sly described Duran as a fighter who could demolish him in “11 seconds, including the count.”

For Rocky 5, Stallone trained with the former Light Heavyweight champion Antonio Tarver to prepare for the franchise’s fifth iteration. A behind the scene video of the two went rounds on the internet. Sylvester Stallone put his heart and soul into the Rocky franchise and pushed his body and mind to extreme limits to be well-prepared for the role.

Why was Sylvester Stallone inducted into the International Boxing Hall of Fame?

Sylvester Stallone was never a boxer himself. But he contributed to the sport through his franchise. The series of movies played a significant role in the promotion of sports and increase boxing’s popularity. It is safe to say that many people became strong fans of the sport after watching Stallone’s movies.

Even though he is not a professional boxer, Stallone has become an important part of the sport and is adored by fans for portraying one of the most famous fictional professional boxers of all time.

Read More: Before Rocky’s Success, Sylvester Stallone “Was Out There Eating Rats and Fly”

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