Was Rocky Balboa based on a real fighter, and if so, who?

Yes. He was based on Chuck Wepner, a boxer picked to fight Muhammad Ali (who Creed was based on, but you probably guessed that...) People assumed Ali would steamroll him easily but Wepner took him to the last minute of the 15th round before Ali beat him by TKO. read more

Based off two fighters actually. The name was taken from Rocky Marciano and the first major fight was based off the Muhammad Ali vs Chuck Wepner fight. Wepner tried to sue Stallone for using his story and Ali even joked on the oscars with him regarding it. read more

Actually i agree that the movie was about wepner. however, there was actually a boxer by the name of rocky balboa. I worked in a family owned italian restaurant for years and the owner had all sorts of italian memorabilia from years past. read more

Mispelled the headline - baLboa Rocky Balboa was based on a fighter named Chuck Wepner. Sylvestor Stallone attended a fight between Muhammad Ali and Chuck Wepner, and Chuck was basically a no skill fighter going up against the best boxer of the time, Muhammad Ali (Apollo Creed). read more