Chuck Wepner was the original inspiration for “Rocky”
Local boxer Chuck Wepner was selling liquor in Bayonne, New Jersey, when he received a phone call. Chuck was going to fight the world heavyweight champion, Muhammad Ali. Chuck trained hard and went to extremes to take on the greatest fighter of all time. His heroic fight against Ali was only the beginning of a wild ride that would take Chuck from the slums of New Jersey to the fame of Hollywood.
Sylvester Stallone's Rocky, one of Hollywood's most iconic characters, has been made into eight films in the past forty-three years, including 2018's Creed II. Much less known, however, is Wepner, the boxer who served as the basis for "The Italian Stallion" in the first place. The former heavyweight boxer was a contender for the world title at one point in his career, narrowly losing to Muhammad Ali after the full 15 rounds in a fight in 1975. Their fight was later used as an example for the match between Rocky and Apollo Creed in the first Rocky.
Boxing-inspired tourism
The Rocky films led to many tourists visiting the USA to climb the classic “Rocky Steps”, as well as to see the famous Rocky statue, making Philadelphia, Pennsylvania a bit of a boxing Valhalla.
While this may sound outrageous all just for a movie, travelling to the USA as a Brit is in fact exceedingly easy. Not only is the distance manageable compared to other overseas destinations, This British travellers to the USA don’t need a visa to visit the country. All they need is an ESTA USA, as the UK is part of America’s Visa Waiver Program. This travel permit is applied for online through the digital ESTA form, after which it is generally approved within a few days. So British travellers don’t have to visit the embassy to get their visa, which can often take weeks if not months.
The “real” Rocky
Although Stallone initially denied that the script of Rocky was based on Wepner's confrontation with Ali, he eventually settled a lawsuit with Wepner over the matter, and since then the connection has been accepted as common fact. Wepner was brought to life on the big screen in the 2016 film Chuck, a biographical drama starring Liev Schreiber as the heavyweight. Now the story is retold in The Brawler, but with Zack McGowan – best known for his roles in the TV series Black Sails and Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D. – stepping into the ring instead.
The Brawler was directed by Ken Kushner (Murderland, When the Devil Comes) from a screenplay he co-wrote with Robert Dibella (The Rise and Fall of Howie Spira). Kushner's film certainly has a compelling storyline and, as it stands, should be a great showcase for McGowan's acting. The latter has impressed audiences for years with his supporting roles on television, including shows like The 100 and The Walking Dead, in addition to the aforementioned series and his two-season role in Shameless a few years ago. For those who have not seen Chuck or want to see how McGowan portrays his own of Wepner, this film is worth watching.