ROCKY AND THE RING
enough to be ringside for Balboa vs. Drago. “They might have to stop this one before somebody gets killed.”
professional career, Morrison defeated George Foreman for the vacant WBO heavyweight title. He also suffered stoppage defeats to Ray Mercer (TKO 5), Michael Bentt (TKO 1) and Lennox Lewis (TKO 6). MICHAEL ANTHONY WILLIAMS When Rocky is forced into retirement due to a brain injury, he is replaced as champion by Union Cane, who was played by Houston- based professional heavyweight Mike “Mercury” Williams. Turning professional in 1984, Williams was largely unknown, but he does own
a TKO 8 win over James Tillis. In his biggest fights, he lost to former heavyweight champions Tim Witherspoon (SD 10) and Buster Douglas (TKO 7). William retired from boxing in 2000 and had movie and TV appearances both before and after Rocky fame. HENRY TILLMAN Olympic gold medalist and then- heavyweight fringe contender Henry Tillman mixes it up with Gunn during a montage sequence in the middle of the movie. It’s a brief part, but Tillman plays a contender named Tim Simms. Morrison and Tillman never fought in real life, but the latter did suffer real- world stoppage defeats to heavyweight legends Mike Tyson (KO 1) and Evander Holyfield (TKO 7).
There is a blink-and- you-miss-it cameo by the legendary ring announcer Michael Buffer, who we see in the ring when Union Cane wins the championship. We also have Frank Cappuccino as a fight referee when Gunn wins the title and uncredited appearances by Steve Lott and Kevin Rooney as cornermen in the same scene.
willing to get in on the action. The list of cameos in Rocky Balboa is too long for a deep dive, but outside of those detailed in other sections, look out for Lou DiBella, Michael Buffer, Mike Tyson, Brian Kenny, Larry Merchant, Jim Lampley, Max Kellerman, Bert Sugar (as a Ring Magazine reporter), Bernard Fernandez, Marc Ratner, Joe Cortez and Jacob “Stitch” Duran. OTHER ROCKY TRIVIA Actors Burt Young, who played Paulie, and Tony Burton, who played Duke, were professional fighters. Young, who was allegedly trained by Cus D’Amato for a brief spell, used aliases, so it’s almost impossible to confirm his career stats. While rumors persist that his 17-0 record was embellished, Canadian heavyweight legend George Chuvalo confirmed that the future Oscar nominee was his sparring partner. Young also boxed in the military. Burton was 10-3-1 as a light heavyweight between January 1958 and April 1959. In his final bout, he took on heavyweight knockout artist LaMar Clark and was stopped in four rounds. The legendary ex-champion Jack Dempsey was the referee that night in Palm Springs, California. Two years later, Clark, sporting a 43-2 (42 KOs) record, took on a 5-0 Cassius Clay in Louisville. He was knocked out in two rounds and never fought again.
ROCKY V TOMMY MORRISON
The first time Sylvester Stallone chose a world-rated professional boxer to tangle with was for Rocky V . Tommy Morrison, who had built his profile on ESPN by scoring bone- crushing knockouts with his signature left hook, was the ’90s answer to Gerry Cooney. The story goes that it was Stallone’s brother, Frank, who suggested him for the role of Rocky antagonist Tommy Gunn, who engages the iconic brawler in a no-holds-barred street fight in the final reel. In his
Rocky Balboa ANTONIO TARVER
Tommy Morrison played Rocky V antagonist Tommy Gunn.
A reigning world champion and pound- for-pound entrant, Tarver accepted the role of Mason Dixon after his adversary Roy Jones Jr. didn’t return Sylvester Stallone’s calls. The charismatic Tampa native was well cast in the only movie he has appeared in to date. Portions of an exhibition featuring Dixon vs. the very old Balboa were filmed before the Jermain Taylor vs. Bernard Hopkins rematch to capture the crowd and atmosphere. Coincidentally, when Tarver returned to real combat, he was dethroned by Hopkins in June 2006. When Rocky returned to the big screen for the first time in 16 years, a plethora of boxing luminaries were only too
Above: Antonio Tarver. Below: Burt Young as Paulie.
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