159-929: Donald King (born August 20, 1931) is an American boxing promoter , known for his involvement in several historic boxing matchups. King's career highlights include, among multiple other enterprises, promoting " The Rumble in the Jungle " and the " Thrilla in Manila ". King has promoted some of the most prominent names in boxing, including Muhammad Ali , Joe Frazier , George Foreman , Larry Holmes , Tomasz Adamek , Roberto Duran , Mike Tyson , Evander Holyfield , Chris Byrd , John Ruiz , Julio César Chávez , Ricardo Mayorga , Andrew Golota , Bernard Hopkins , Félix Trinidad , Roy Jones Jr. , Azumah Nelson , Gerald McClellan , Marco Antonio Barrera , Salvador Sanchez , Wilfred Benitez , Wilfredo Gomez and Christy Martin . Some of these boxers sued him for allegedly defrauding them. Mike Tyson
318-452: A Prince Hall Freemason . In the following year, he was awarded an honorary Doctorate of Humane letters degree from Central State University in Wilberforce, Ohio , by University President Dr. Arthur E. Thomas. King has conducted an annual turkey giveaway each Christmas for several years, in which he distributes two thousand free turkeys to needy South Floridians. In September 2024, King
477-433: A prisoner of war involved in a Nazi propaganda soccer game. That same year, he starred in the thriller Nighthawks , in which he plays a New York city cop who plays a cat-and-mouse game with a foreign terrorist, played by Rutger Hauer . In 1982, Stallone starred as Vietnam veteran John Rambo , a former Green Beret , in the action film First Blood , an adaptation of the eponymous novel by David Morell , though
636-442: A 24-foot-square or similar ring. Rounds were three minutes with one-minute rest intervals between rounds. Each fighter was given a ten-second count if he was knocked down, and wrestling was banned. The introduction of gloves of "fair-size" also changed the nature of the bouts. An average pair of boxing gloves resembles a bloated pair of mittens and are laced up around the wrists. The gloves can be used to block an opponent's blows. As
795-570: A Rocky sequel and prequel are in development. Producer Irwin Winkler said "We're very high on it" and that negotiations are underway for Stallone to write and star in the feature. "We're very anxious to make it." Stallone said the plot of the film would be about Rocky befriending a young fighter who is an undocumented immigrant. "Rocky meets a young, angry person who got stuck in this country when he comes to see his sister. He takes him into his life, and unbelievable adventures begin, and they wind up south of
954-402: A TKO. A TKO is considered a knockout in a fighter's record. A "standing eight" count rule may also be in effect. This gives the referee the right to step in and administer a count of eight to a fighter that the referee feels may be in danger, even if no knockdown has taken place. After counting the referee will observe the fighter, and decide if the fighter is fit to continue. For scoring purposes,
1113-641: A bare-knuckle fight was an assault occasioning actual bodily harm , despite the consent of the participants. This marked the end of widespread public bare-knuckle contests in England. The first world heavyweight champion under the Queensberry Rules was "Gentleman Jim" Corbett , who defeated John L. Sullivan in 1892 at the Pelican Athletic Club in New Orleans . The first instance of film censorship in
1272-506: A beloved classic was met with disapproval by Variety and horror by top critic Roger Ebert . Cannon opted to make the action film Cobra which was released in 1986 and became a box-office success. It led to the setting up of his production company White Eagle Enterprises. In 1987, he starred in the family drama Over the Top as a struggling trucker who tries to make amends with his estranged son and enters an arm wrestling competition. This
1431-404: A box-office success. In preparation for these roles, Stallone embarked upon a vigorous training regimen, which often meant six days a week in the gym and further sit-ups in the evenings. Stallone claims to have reduced his body fat percentage to his all-time low of 2.8% for Rocky III . In 1983, he directed Staying Alive , the sequel to Saturday Night Fever , starring John Travolta . This
1590-657: A boxer is seriously injured, if one boxer is significantly dominating the other or if the score is severely imbalanced. Amateur bouts which end this way may be noted as "RSC" (referee stopped contest) with notations for an outclassed opponent (RSCO), outscored opponent (RSCOS), injury (RSCI) or head injury (RSCH). Professional bouts are usually much longer than amateur bouts, typically ranging from ten to twelve rounds, though four-round fights are common for less experienced fighters or club fighters. There are also some two- and three-round professional bouts, especially in Australia. Through
1749-519: A fighter lands a punch that opens a cut on the opponent, and the opponent is later deemed not fit to continue by a doctor because of the cut. For this reason, fighters often employ cutmen , whose job is to treat cuts between rounds so that the boxer is able to continue despite the cut. If a boxer simply quits fighting, or if his corner stops the fight, then the winning boxer is also awarded a technical knockout victory. In contrast with amateur boxing, professional male boxers have to be bare-chested. "Style"
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#17328769606361908-550: A film studio named Balboa Productions with Braden Aftergood in March 2018, where Stallone will serve as co-producer for each of their projects. The studio signed a multi-year collaboration deal with Starlight Culture Entertainment to develop projects for film and television. In May 2018, a fifth installment in the Rambo franchise was announced, and in August 2018, Adrian Grünberg was confirmed as
2067-467: A guide to fitness and nutrition as well as a candid insight into his life and works from his own perspective. The book also contained many photographs of Stallone throughout the years as well as pictures of him performing exercises. After a three-year hiatus from films, Stallone had a comeback in 2006 with the sixth installment of the Rocky series, Rocky Balboa , which was a critical and commercial hit. After
2226-487: A hidden manager. Holmes says he received only $ 150,000 of a contracted $ 500,000 for his fight with Ken Norton , and $ 50,000 of $ 200,000 for facing Earnie Shavers , and claims King cut his purses for bouts with Muhammad Ali , Randall "Tex" Cobb , and Leon Spinks , underpaying him $ 2 million, $ 700,000, and $ 250,000, respectively. Holmes sued King over the accounting and auditing for the Gerry Cooney fight , charging that he
2385-553: A jewelry-seller as his love interest. The film was re-cut and retitled Rebel years later, this second version featuring Stallone as its star. In 1990, this film was re-edited with outtakes from the original film and newly shot matching footage, then redubbed – in the style of Woody Allen 's What's Up, Tiger Lily? – into a parody of itself titled A Man Called... Rainbo . Stallone's other first few film roles were minor, and included brief uncredited appearances in M*A*S*H (1970), as
2544-438: A lawsuit which was eventually settled with Stallone for an undisclosed amount. Other possible inspirations for the film may have included Rocky Graziano 's autobiography Somebody Up There Likes Me , and the film of the same name . Stallone attempted to sell the script to multiple studios, with the intention of playing the lead role himself. Irwin Winkler and Robert Chartoff became interested and offered Stallone US$ 350,000 for
2703-409: A limited fashion but was praised by critics. He was also attached to star and direct a film tentatively titled Rampart Scandal , which was to be about the murder of rappers Tupac Shakur and The Notorious B.I.G. and the surrounding Los Angeles Police Department corruption scandal. It was later titled Notorious but was shelved. In 2005, alongside Sugar Ray Leonard , he was the co-presenter of
2862-528: A local library, and became interested in the works of Edgar Allan Poe . In 1972, Stallone was on the verge of giving up on having an acting career; in what he later described as a low point, he tried and failed to get a job as an extra in The Godfather . Instead, he was relegated to a background role in another Hollywood hit, What's Up, Doc? , starring Barbra Streisand . Stallone is hardly visible in his two appearances. Stallone happened to be acting in
3021-634: A man while down, holding the ropes, and using resin, stones or hard objects in the hands, and biting. In 1867, the Marquess of Queensberry rules were drafted by John Chambers for amateur championships held at Lillie Bridge in London for lightweights , middleweights and heavyweights . The rules were published under the patronage of the Marquess of Queensberry , whose name has always been associated with them. There were twelve rules in all, and they specified that fights should be "a fair stand-up boxing match" in
3180-520: A match will personally score the match, and post their scores as an independent sentence in their report. Throughout the 17th to 19th centuries, boxing bouts were motivated by money, as the fighters competed for prize money, promoters controlled the gate, and spectators bet on the result. The modern Olympic movement revived interest in amateur sports, and amateur boxing became an Olympic sport in 1908. In their current form, Olympic and other amateur bouts are typically limited to three or four rounds, scoring
3339-433: A much-anticipated event. King's rivals all sought to promote the bout, but King was able to secure the then-record $ 10 million purse through an arrangement with the government of Zaire. King arranged Ali's 1975 fight against journeyman Chuck Wepner . It is widely believed the fight inspired Sylvester Stallone to write the screenplay for Rocky (1976). King solidified his position as one of boxing's preeminent promoters
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#17328769606363498-445: A multibillion-dollar commercial enterprise. A majority of young talent still comes from poverty-stricken areas around the world. Places like Mexico, Africa, South America, and Eastern Europe prove to be filled with young aspiring athletes who wish to become the future of boxing. Even in the U.S., places like the inner cities of New York, and Chicago have given rise to promising young talent. According to Rubin, "boxing lost its appeal with
3657-490: A play that a friend invited him to partake in, and an agent in attendance thought that Stallone fit the role of Stanley, a main character in The Lords of Flatbush , which had a start-stop schedule from 1972 to 1974 over budget issues. Stallone, around mid-1973, achieved his first proper starring role, in the independent film No Place to Hide , playing a man who is associated with a New York–based urban terrorist movement, with
3816-455: A point scoring system that measures the number of clean blows landed rather than physical damage. Bouts consist of three rounds of three minutes in the Olympic and Commonwealth Games, and three rounds of three minutes in a national ABA (Amateur Boxing Association) bout, each with a one-minute interval between rounds. Competitors wear protective headgear and gloves with a white strip or circle across
3975-522: A rematch with Lewis. In early 2006, Chris Byrd sued Don King for breach of contract, and the two eventually settled out of court under the condition that Byrd would be released from his contract with King. King appeared in the 2-part Miami Vice episode "Down for the Count" (season 3, episodes 12/13, 1987) as Mr. Cash. King acted in a small role as more or less himself in The Last Fight (1982) and in
4134-403: A result of the opponent's punch and not a slip, as determined by the referee, the referee begins counting until the fighter returns to their feet and can continue. Some jurisdictions require the referee to count to eight regardless of if the fighter gets up before. Should the referee count to ten, then the knocked-down boxer is ruled "knocked out" (whether unconscious or not) and the other boxer
4293-402: A result of their introduction, bouts became longer and more strategic with greater importance attached to defensive maneuvers such as slipping, bobbing, countering and angling. Because less defensive emphasis was placed on the use of the forearms and more on the gloves, the classical forearms outwards, torso leaning back stance of the bare knuckle boxer was modified to a more modern stance in which
4452-480: A result, he was bullied in his childhood, with which he coped by getting into bodybuilding and acting. A guidance counselor once told Stallone's mother: "Your son is suited to run a sorting machine or to be an assistant electrician, primarily in the area of elevator operations"; nevertheless, Sylvester aspired to be an actor and a screenwriter.” Stallone spent part of his infancy in foster and boarding care, rejoining and moving back with his family to Maryland when he
4611-566: A retired Rocky mentors former rival Apollo Creed 's son Donnie Creed . The film brought Stallone widespread praise and his first Golden Globe Award, as well as a third Academy Award nomination, having been first nominated for the same role 40 years prior. Since 2022, he has starred in the Paramount+ crime series Tulsa King . Sylvester Gardenzio Stallone was born in the Hell's Kitchen neighborhood of New York City's Manhattan borough on July 6, 1946,
4770-512: A script for a sequel to Creed , with a plot including the return of Ivan Drago from Rocky IV . That year, Stallone was featured in Derek Wayne Johnson 's John G. Avildsen: King of the Underdogs , a documentary about director John G. Avildsen . Creed II went into production in March 2018, with a scheduled release on Thanksgiving 2018. Stallone was originally slated to direct before
4929-522: A social drama in which he plays a warehouse worker, very loosely modeled on James Hoffa , who becomes involved in labor union leadership. In 1979, he wrote, starred, and directed (replacing John G. Avildsen ) in Rocky II . The sequel became a major success, grossing US$ 200 million. In 1981, he starred alongside Michael Caine and soccer star Pelé in Escape to Victory , a sports drama in which he plays
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5088-452: A soldier sitting at a table; Pigeons (1970), as a party guest; Woody Allen 's Bananas (1971), as a subway thug; in the psychological thriller Klute (1971), as an extra dancing in a club; and in the Jack Lemmon film The Prisoner of Second Avenue (1975), as a youth. In the latter film, Jack Lemmon's character chases, tackles, and mugs Stallone, thinking that Stallone's character
5247-428: A spin-off-sequel film, Creed , which focused on Adonis "Donnie" Creed, the son of his deceased friend/rival, Apollo Creed , becoming a professional boxer, played by Michael B. Jordan . The film, directed by Ryan Coogler , received critical acclaim. Portraying the iconic cinematic boxer for the seventh time in a span of 40 years, Stallone's portrayal of the character received widespread acclaim and accolades, including
5406-420: A standing eight count is treated as a knockdown. In general, boxers are prohibited from hitting below the belt, holding, tripping, pushing, biting, or spitting. The boxer's shorts are raised so the opponent is not allowed to hit to the groin area with intent to cause pain or injury. Failure to abide by the former may result in a foul. They also are prohibited from kicking, head-butting, or hitting with any part of
5565-520: A star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame in 1984. Stallone continued his established roles in Rocky Balboa (2006) and Rambo (2008) before launching The Expendables film franchise (2010–present), in which he starred as the mercenary Barney Ross . In 2013, he starred in the successful film Escape Plan and appeared in its sequels . In 2015, he returned to Rocky again with Creed , in which
5724-491: A system of headbutting, punching, eye-gouging, chokes, and hard throws, not recognized in boxing today. The first boxing rules, called the Broughton Rules , were introduced by champion Jack Broughton in 1743 to protect fighters in the ring where deaths sometimes occurred. Under these rules, if a man went down and could not continue after a count of 30 seconds, the fight was over. Hitting a downed fighter and grasping below
5883-450: A tendency to dominate. The style of boxing practiced typically featured an advanced left leg stance, with the left arm semi-extended as a guard, in addition to being used for striking, and with the right arm drawn back ready to strike. It was the head of the opponent which was primarily targeted, and there is little evidence to suggest that targeting the body or the use of kicks was common, in which it resembled modern western boxing. Boxing
6042-459: A villainous role in the third installment of the Spy Kids series: Spy Kids 3-D: Game Over , which was a huge box-office success (almost US$ 200 million worldwide). Stallone also had a cameo appearance in the 2003 French film Taxi 3 as a passenger. Also that year, Stallone started to regain prominence for his supporting role in the neo-noir crime drama Shade which was only released in
6201-590: A worldwide tally of US$ 113 million. Despite the film's poor box-office performance, Stallone signed a three-picture deal with Universal Pictures for $ 60 million, making him the second star after Jim Carrey to receive $ 20 million per film. The deal expired in February 2000 without him making any films, however, so he received no payment. That year, he also appeared in the thriller Assassins with Julianne Moore and Antonio Banderas . That same year, Stallone, along with an all-star cast of celebrities, appeared in
6360-455: Is a combat sport and martial art . Taking place in a boxing ring , it involves two people – usually wearing protective equipment, such as protective gloves , hand wraps , and mouthguards – throwing punches at each other for a predetermined amount of time. Although the term "boxing" is commonly attributed to western boxing, in which only fists are involved, it has developed in different ways in different geographical areas and cultures of
6519-600: Is a pickpocket. He had his second starring role in 1974, in The Lords of Flatbush . In 1975, he played supporting roles in Farewell, My Lovely ; Capone ; and Death Race 2000 . He made guest appearances on the TV series Police Story and Kojak . He is also supposedly in Mandingo . It is often said that his scene was deleted. Stallone gained worldwide fame with his starring role in
Don King - Misplaced Pages Continue
6678-479: Is actor and musician Frank Stallone . Many biographies of Stallone indicate that his birth name is "Michael Sylvester Gardenzio Stallone" and his mother explained in an interview that she originally named him "Tyrone" because she admired the actor Tyrone Power , but Stallone's father changed it to "Sylvester". His nickname as a child was "Binky" but he chose to go by the nickname of Mike/Michael after schoolmates began calling him "Stinky". His middle name "Gardenzio"
6837-650: Is an American actor and filmmaker. He has received numerous accolades , including a Golden Globe Award and a Critics' Choice Award , as well as nominations for three Academy Awards and two BAFTA Awards . Stallone is one of only two actors in history (alongside Harrison Ford ) to have starred in a box-office No. 1 film across six consecutive decades. Struggling as an actor for a number of years upon moving to New York City in 1969, Stallone found gradual work in films such as The Lords of Flatbush (1974). He achieved his greatest critical and commercial success starting in 1976 with his iconic role as boxer Rocky Balboa in
6996-493: Is an alteration of the Italian given name " Gaudenzio " and he usually shortened it to "Enzio". Complications during Stallone's birth forced his mother's obstetricians to use two pairs of forceps while delivering him, accidentally severing a nerve in the process. This caused paralysis of the lower left side of his face (including parts of his lip, tongue, and chin) which gave him his signature snarling look and slurred speech. As
7155-519: Is computed by points based on the number of clean blows landed, regardless of impact, and fighters wear protective headgear, reducing the number of injuries, knockdowns, and knockouts. Currently scoring blows in amateur boxing are subjectively counted by ringside judges, but the Australian Institute for Sport has demonstrated a prototype of an Automated Boxing Scoring System , which introduces scoring objectivity, improves safety, and arguably makes
7314-522: Is from Egypt and Sumer, both from the third millennia, and can be seen in Sumerian carvings from the third and second millennia BC. The earliest evidence of boxing rules dates back to Ancient Greece , where boxing was established as an Olympic game in 688 BC. Boxing evolved from 16th- and 18th-century prizefights, largely in Great Britain, to the forerunner of modern boxing in the mid-19th century with
7473-415: Is knocked down, the other boxer must immediately cease fighting and move to the furthest neutral corner of the ring until the referee has either ruled a knockout or called for the fight to continue. Violations of these rules may be ruled "fouls" by the referee, who may issue warnings, deduct points, or disqualify an offending boxer, causing an automatic loss, depending on the seriousness and intentionality of
7632-414: Is often defined as the strategic approach a fighter takes during a bout. No two fighters' styles are alike, as each is determined by that individual's physical and mental attributes. Three main styles exist in boxing: outside fighter ("boxer"), brawler (or "slugger"), and inside fighter ("swarmer"). These styles may be divided into several special subgroups, such as counter puncher, etc. The main philosophy of
7791-587: Is politically active and supported Barack Obama in the 2008 and 2012 presidential elections. During the previous election , he had made media appearances promoting George W. Bush , which had included attendance at the 2004 Republican National Convention in New York City. On June 10, 1987, King was made a ' Mason-at-Sight ' by "Grand Master" Odes J. Kyle Jr. of the Most Worshipful Prince Hall Grand Lodge of Ohio, thereby making him
7950-884: Is related to other forms of martial arts found in other parts of the Indian cultural sphere including Muay Thai in Thailand, Muay Lao in Laos, Pradal Serey in Cambodia and Lethwei in Myanmar. In Ancient Greece boxing was a well developed sport called pygmachia , and enjoyed consistent popularity. In Olympic terms, it was first introduced in the 23rd Olympiad , 688 BC. The boxers would wind leather thongs around their hands in order to protect them. There were no rounds and boxers fought until one of them acknowledged defeat or could not continue. Weight categories were not used, which meant heavier fighters had
8109-417: Is ruled the winner by knockout (KO). A "technical knock-out" (TKO) is possible as well, and is ruled by the referee, fight doctor, or a fighter's corner if a fighter is unable to safely continue to fight, based upon injuries or being judged unable to effectively defend themselves. Many jurisdictions and sanctioning agencies also have a "three-knockdown rule", in which three knockdowns in a given round result in
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#17328769606368268-805: The Rig Veda ( c. 1500–1000 BCE) and Ramayana ( c. 700–400 BCE). The Mahabharata describes two combatants boxing with clenched fists and fighting with kicks, finger strikes, knee strikes and headbutts during the time of King Virata . Duels ( niyuddham ) were often fought to the death. During the period of the Western Satraps , the ruler Rudradaman —in addition to being well-versed in "the great sciences" which included Indian classical music , Sanskrit grammar , and logic—was said to be an excellent horseman, charioteer, elephant rider, swordsman and boxer. The Gurbilas Shemi , an 18th-century Sikh text, gives numerous references to musti-yuddha . The martial art
8427-664: The American College of Switzerland . He returned to the United States to study as a drama major at the University of Miami , from 1967 to 1969, but did not graduate. Decades later, after Stallone's request that his acting and life experiences be accepted in exchange for his remaining needed college credits to graduate, he was granted a Bachelor of Fine Arts (BFA) degree by the University of Miami in 1998. Until 1969, he appeared on
8586-486: The Fifth Amendment when questioned about his connection to mobster John Gotti . When IBF president Robert W. Lee Sr. was indicted for racketeering in 1999, King was not indicted, nor did he testify at Lee's trial, though prosecutors reportedly "called him an unindicted co-conspirator who was the principal beneficiary of Lee's machinations." King has been involved in many fraud litigation cases with boxers. In 1982, he
8745-787: The Golden Globe Award for Best Supporting Actor , and his third Academy Award nomination, this time for Best Supporting Actor . In 2017, Stallone appeared in Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 2 as Stakar Ogord / Starhawk , the leader of a Ravagers faction. In 2018, he co-starred in Escape Plan 2: Hades with Dave Bautista which was released straight to home-video. Upon wrapping production, he announced via his social media page that work on Escape Plan 3: Devil's Station began immediately thereafter. In July, Stallone announced that he had finished
8904-510: The Jason Statham action film vehicle Homefront . The Expendables 3 , the third installment in the ensemble action film series, was released on August 15, 2014. The returning ensemble cast also added Wesley Snipes , Antonio Banderas , Mel Gibson and Harrison Ford . This film was negatively received by both critics and audiences and became the lowest-grossing film in the series . In 2015, Stallone reprised his role as Rocky Balboa in
9063-633: The NBC reality television boxing competition series The Contender . That same year he also made a guest appearance in two episodes of the television series Las Vegas . That year, Stallone also inducted professional wrestling icon Hulk Hogan , who appeared in Rocky III as a wrestler named Thunderlips, into the WWE Hall of Fame; Stallone was also the person who offered Hogan the cameo in Rocky III . In August, Stallone released his book Sly Moves which claimed to be
9222-636: The Olympic Games and other tournaments sanctioned by AIBA . This was done in part to level the playing field and give all of the athletes the same opportunities government-sponsored boxers from socialist countries and post-Soviet republics have. However, professional organizations strongly opposed that decision. Amateur boxing may be found at the collegiate level, at the Olympic Games, Commonwealth Games , Asian Games , etc. In many other venues sanctioned by amateur boxing associations. Amateur boxing has
9381-702: The Rocky series led the area to be nicknamed the Rocky Steps , and the city has a statue of the Rocky character placed permanently near the museum. The character was also voted into the International Boxing Hall of Fame . Stallone made his directorial debut and starred in the 1978 film Paradise Alley , a family drama in which he played one of three brothers who get involved in professional wrestling . That same year, he starred in Norman Jewison 's F.I.S.T. ,
9540-632: The Stockholm International Film Festival Best Actor Award. In 1998, he did voice-over work for the animated film Antz , which was a success domestically. In 2000, Stallone starred in the thriller Get Carter , a remake of the 1971 British film of the same name , but the film was poorly received by both critics and audiences. Stallone's career declined considerably after his subsequent films Driven (2001), Avenging Angelo (2002) and D-Tox (2002) were also critical and commercial failures. In 2003, he played
9699-572: The Trey Parker and Matt Stone short comedy film " Your Studio and You " commissioned by the Seagram Company for a party celebrating their acquisition of Universal Studios and the MCA Corporation. Stallone speaks in his Rocky Balboa voice with subtitles translating what he is saying. At one point, Stallone starts yelling about how can they use his Balboa character, that he left it in the past;
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#17328769606369858-729: The first film of the successful Rocky franchise , which he also wrote. In 1977, he became the third actor in history to be nominated for two Academy Awards for Best Original Screenplay and Best Actor . He portrayed the PTSD -plagued soldier John Rambo in First Blood (1982), a role he would play across five Rambo films (1982–2019). From the mid-1980s to the late 1990s, Stallone would go on to become one of Hollywood's highest-paid actors acting in action films such as Cobra (1986), Tango and Cash (1989), Cliffhanger (1993), Demolition Man (1993), and The Specialist (1994). He received
10017-464: The futuristic action film Demolition Man directed by Marco Brambilla , co-starring Wesley Snipes and Sandra Bullock . On Rotten Tomatoes the film has an approval rating of 60% based on 42 reviews, with an average rating of 5.43/10. The site's consensus reads: "A better-than-average sci-fi shoot-em-up with a satirical undercurrent, Demolition Man is bolstered by strong performances by Stallone, Snipes, and Bullock." The film debuted at No. 1 at
10176-478: The prison library he could get his hands on. Having been released in 1972, King was pardoned in 1983 by Ohio Governor Jim Rhodes , with letters from Jesse Jackson , Coretta Scott King , George Voinovich , Art Modell , and Gabe Paul , among others, being written in support of King. King entered the boxing world after convincing Muhammad Ali to box in a charity exhibition for a local hospital in Cleveland with
10335-472: The 1867 introduction of the Marquess of Queensberry Rules . Amateur boxing is both an Olympic and Commonwealth Games sport and is a standard fixture in most international games—it also has its world championships. Boxing is overseen by a referee over a series of one-to-three-minute intervals called "rounds". A winner can be resolved before the completion of the rounds when a referee deems an opponent incapable of continuing, disqualifies an opponent, or
10494-403: The 1974 film Score by Radley Metzger . After moving to New York City, Stallone shared an apartment with his girlfriend, Sasha Czack, an aspiring actress who supported them by working as a waitress. Stallone took odd jobs around this time, including being a cleaner at a zoo, and a theater usher; he was fired from the latter for scalping tickets. He furthered his writing skills by frequenting
10653-620: The 1990s starring in the fifth installment of the Rocky franchise, Rocky V . This film brought back the first film's director, John G. Avildsen, and was intended to be the final installment in the series. It was considered a box-office disappointment and received negative reviews. Stallone next appeared in John Landis ' period comedy Oscar which was both a critical and box-office failure. In 1992, he appeared in Roger Spottiswoode 's action comedy Stop! Or My Mom Will Shoot which
10812-451: The American middle class, and most of who boxes in modern America come from the streets and are street fighters". The Marquess of Queensberry Rules have been the general rules governing modern boxing since their publication in 1867. A boxing match typically consists of a determined number of three-minute rounds, a total of up to 9 to 12 rounds with a minute spent between each round with
10971-537: The Don King Productions promotional banner in the 1970s. For the next two decades, King continued to be among boxing's most successful promoters. Mike Tyson, Evander Holyfield, Julio César Chávez, Aaron Pryor , Bernard Hopkins , Ricardo López , Félix Trinidad, Terry Norris , Carlos Zárate , Azumah Nelson , Andrew Gołota, Mike McCallum , Gerald McClellan , Meldrick Taylor , Marco Antonio Barrera, Tomasz Adamek , John Ruiz , and Ricardo Mayorga are some of
11130-453: The Mr. Olympia competition. That meant two workouts a day, six days a week. Both films were major financial successes. It was around 1985 that Stallone was signed to a remake of the 1939 James Cagney classic Angels with Dirty Faces . The film would form part of his multi-picture deal with Cannon Films and was to co-star Christopher Reeve and be directed by Menahem Golan . The re-making of such
11289-481: The Stone in order to make Rhinestone instead, a decision he later regretted. In 1985, Stallone continued his success with the Rocky and Rambo franchises with Rocky IV and Rambo: First Blood Part II . Stallone has portrayed these two characters in a total of 13 films. Stallone met former Mr. Olympia Franco Columbu to develop his character's appearance for the film Rocky IV , just as if he were preparing for
11448-618: The US box office. The figure marked the biggest opening weekend in Stallone's career. In summer 2010, Brazilian company O2 Filmes released a statement saying it was still owed more than US$ 2 million for its work on the film. In 2011, Stallone provided the voice of a lion in Kevin James ' comedy Zookeeper . The Expendables 2 was released August 17, 2012; the sequel received a positive critical reception of 67% on Rotten Tomatoes , as opposed to
11607-413: The US box-office intake was significantly less than the $ 139.5 million earned by Saturday Night Fever , the film nevertheless ranked in the top ten most financially successful films of 1983. During the 1980s, Stallone was considered one of the biggest action film stars in the world, along with Arnold Schwarzenegger . The Schwarzenegger-Stallone rivalry continued for years; they attacked each other in
11766-455: The United States occurred in 1897 when several states banned the showing of prize fighting films from the state of Nevada, where it was legal at the time. Throughout the early twentieth century, boxers struggled to achieve legitimacy. They were aided by the influence of promoters like Tex Rickard and the popularity of great champions such as John L. Sullivan. The modern sport arose from illegal venues and outlawed prizefighting and has become
11925-491: The WBC sanctioning fee was also deducted from his purse. He was forced to train at King's own training camp at Orwell, Ohio, instead of Ali's Deer Lake camp which Ali allowed Witherspoon to use for free. For his fight with Greg Page he received a net amount of $ 44,460 from his guaranteed purse of $ 250,000. King had deducted money for training expenses, sparring partners, fight and airplane tickets for his friends and family. Witherspoon
12084-633: The World. In global terms, "boxing" today is also a set of combat sports focused on striking , in which two opponents face each other in a fight using at least their fists, and possibly involving other actions, such as kicks , elbow strikes , knee strikes , and headbutts , depending on the rules. Some of these variants are the bare-knuckle boxing , kickboxing , Muay Thai , Lethwei , savate , and sanda . Boxing techniques have been incorporated into many martial arts , military systems , and other combat sports. Humans have engaged in hand-to-hand combat since
12243-499: The action thriller Escape Plan , along with Arnold Schwarzenegger and Jim Caviezel , and in the sports comedy drama Grudge Match alongside Robert De Niro , harkening back to the Rocky franchise. Stallone was reported to be developing an English-language remake of the Spanish film No Rest for the Wicked , though the project was shelved. That year Stallone was credited as writer for
12402-478: The appointment of Steven Caple Jr. , in his feature film directorial debut. Creed II was released in the United States by Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer on November 21, 2018. The film received generally positive reviews from critics and it went on to debut to $ 35.3 million in its opening weekend (a five-day total of $ 55.8 million), marking the biggest debut ever for a live-action release over Thanksgiving. On July 23, 2019, in an interview with Variety , Stallone said that
12561-424: The arm other than the knuckles of a closed fist (including hitting with the elbow, shoulder or forearm, as well as with open gloves, the wrist, the inside, back or side of the hand). They are prohibited as well from hitting the back, back of the head or neck (called a "rabbit-punch") or the kidneys. They are prohibited from holding the ropes for support when punching, holding an opponent while punching, or ducking below
12720-479: The back and killed him while he was attempting to rob one of King's gambling houses in 1954. In 1967, King was convicted of second-degree murder for the second killing after he was found guilty of stomping to death an employee, Sam Garrett, who owed him $ 600. While he served his term at the Marion Correctional Institution , he began self-education; according to his own words, he read everything in
12879-400: The belt of their opponent (dropping below the waist of your opponent, no matter the distance between). If a "clinch" – a defensive move in which a boxer wraps their opponent's arms and holds on to create a pause – is broken by the referee, each fighter must take a full step back before punching again (alternatively, the referee may direct the fighters to "punch out" of the clinch). When a boxer
13038-654: The best boxing strategists due to their ability to control the pace of the fight and lead their opponent, methodically wearing him down and exhibiting more skill and finesse than a brawler. Out-fighters need reach, hand speed, reflexes, and footwork. Notable out-fighters include Muhammad Ali , Larry Holmes , Joe Calzaghe , Wilfredo Gómez , Salvador Sánchez , Cecilia Brækhus , Gene Tunney , Ezzard Charles , Willie Pep , Meldrick Taylor , Ricardo "Finito" López , Floyd Mayweather Jr. , Roy Jones Jr. , Sugar Ray Leonard , Miguel Vázquez , Sergio "Maravilla" Martínez , Wladimir Klitschko and Guillermo Rigondeaux . This style
13197-527: The best debut of the franchise. The film grossed $ 91 million worldwide against a production budget of $ 50 million. In late 2020, Stallone lent his voice as Rambo to the fighting video game Mortal Kombat 11 , as part of the game's 2nd Kombat Pack. In 2021, he voiced King Shark in the DC Extended Universe film The Suicide Squad . In 2022, Stallone starred in Samaritan , a dark interpretation of
13356-426: The body, such as kicks and punches , as an act of human aggression , has existed across the world throughout human history , being a combat system as old as wrestling . However, in terms of sports competition , due to the lack of writing in the prehistoric times and the lack of references, it is not possible to determine rules of any kind of boxing in prehistory, and in ancient times only can be inferred from
13515-432: The border. It's very, very timely." Stallone said. Stallone also said there are "ongoing discussions" about a Rocky prequel television series, which he hopes will land on a streaming service and the series will likely follow a young Rocky Balboa as a professional boxing hopeful. Stallone said producer Irwin Winkler is hesitant on making the series saying that "There was some conflict there, yes. He felt in his mind that "Rocky"
13674-543: The box office. Demolition Man grossed $ 58,055,768 by the end of its box-office run in North America and $ 159,055,768 worldwide. His string of hits continued with 1994's The Specialist co-starring Sharon Stone and directed by Luis Llosa , which opened in the U.S. on October 7. While the critical reception was overwhelmingly negative, the film was a commercial success. In its opening weekend it made $ 14,317,765 and ended up making back its budget with $ 57,362,582 at
13833-608: The boxers who chose King to promote many of their biggest fights. Outside of boxing, he was the concert promoter for The Jacksons ' 1984 Victory Tour . In 1998, King purchased a Cleveland-based weekly newspaper serving the African American community in Ohio, the Call and Post , and as of 2011 continued as its publisher. King was elected to the Gaming Hall of Fame in 2008. In 2023, He
13992-422: The boxers, based on punches and elbows that connect, defense, knockdowns, hugging and other, more subjective, measures. Because of the open-ended style of boxing judging, many fights have controversial results, in which one or both fighters believe they have been "robbed" or unfairly denied a victory. Each fighter has an assigned corner of the ring, where their coach, as well as one or more "seconds" may administer to
14151-417: The boxing promoter had cheated him out of millions over more than a decade. The lawsuit was later settled out of court, with Tyson receiving $ 14 million. In 1996, Terry Norris sued King, alleging that King had stolen money from him and conspired with his manager to underpay him for fights. The case went to trial, but King settled out of court for $ 7.5 million in 2003. King also acceded to Norris's demand that
14310-463: The challenged statements were false. The judgment also pointed out that the studio had tried on a number of occasions to interview King for the documentary, but he had declined; while not suggesting that King had a legal obligation to do so, the court sympathized with ESPN's circumstances on those grounds. King appealed the decision and, 3 years later, the Second District Court of Appeals upheld
14469-613: The comedy Head Office (1985). He also had another brief cameo as himself in the film The Devil's Advocate (1997). He also appeared in a season 4 episode of Knight Rider , titled "Redemption of a Champion". King made an appearance in the documentaries Beyond the Ropes (2008) and Klitschko (2011). King appeared in Moonlighting episode "Symphony in Knocked Flat" (season 3, episode 3, 1986) as himself. Boxing Boxing
14628-400: The contestants did not have heavy leather gloves and wristwraps to protect their hands, they used different punching technique to preserve their hands because the head was a common target to hit full out. Almost all period manuals have powerful straight punches with the whole body behind them to the face (including forehead) as the basic blows. The British sportswriter Pierce Egan coined
14787-514: The critical and box-office failure of the previous installment Rocky V , Stallone had decided to write, direct and star in a sixth installment which would be a more appropriate climax to the series. The total domestic box office came to US$ 70 .3 million (and US$ 155.7 million worldwide). The budget of the film was only US$ 24 million. His performance in Rocky Balboa has been praised and garnered mostly positive reviews. That year,
14946-513: The development Death Wish remake began, when Stallone announced that he would be directing and starring in a remake of the 1974 film . Stallone said, "Instead of the Charles Bronson character being an architect, my version would have him as a very good cop who had incredible success without ever using his gun. So when the attack on his family happens, he's really thrown into a moral dilemma in proceeding to carry out his revenge." He later told
15105-399: The director. Rambo: Last Blood began filming by September 2018, with a script co-written by Stallone, who also reprised his role as Vietnam War veteran John Rambo. The plot centers around Rambo infiltrating a Mexican drug cartel to rescue a family friend's daughter. The film, which was released on September 20, 2019, in the United States, grossed $ 18.9 million in its opening weekend,
15264-411: The documentary repeated many claims that were already made, King said he had now had enough. King's attorney said "It was slanted to show Don in the worst way. It was one-sided from day one, Don is a strong man, but he has been hurt by this." The case was dismissed on summary judgment with a finding that King could not show "actual malice" from the defendants, and that King had failed to prove that any of
15423-473: The domestic box office while making another $ 113,000,000 overseas, giving it a worldwide gross of $ 170,362,582. In 1995, he played the title character (from the British comic book 2000 AD ) in the science fiction action film Judge Dredd . His overseas box-office appeal saved the domestic box-office disappointment of Judge Dredd , which cost almost US$ 100 million and barely made its budget back, with
15582-445: The domestic box office, grossing $ 33 million, but did better overseas and grossed a total of $ 158 million worldwide. In 1997, Stallone was cast against type as an overweight sheriff in the crime drama Cop Land in which he starred alongside Robert De Niro and Ray Liotta . The film was critically well-received and was a modest success at the box office, earning $ 63 million on a $ 15 million budget, and Stallone's performance earned him
15741-661: The earliest days of human history. The origins of boxing in any of its forms as a sport remain uncertain, but some sources suggest that it has prehistoric roots in what is now Ethiopia , emerging as early as the sixth millennium BC. It is believed that when the Egyptians invaded Nubia , they adopted boxing from the local populace, subsequently popularizing it in Egypt. From there, the sport of boxing spread to various regions, including Greece , eastward to Mesopotamia , and northward to Rome . The earliest visual evidence of any type of boxing
15900-514: The early 20th century, it was common for fights to have unlimited rounds, ending only when one fighter quit, benefiting high-energy fighters like Jack Dempsey . Fifteen rounds remained the internationally recognized limit for championship fights for most of the 20th century until the early 1980s , when the death of boxer Kim Duk-koo eventually prompted the World Boxing Council and other organizations sanctioning professional boxing to reduce
16059-412: The elder son of women's professional wrestling promoter Jacqueline "Jackie" Stallone (née Labofish; 1921–2020) and hairdresser Francesco "Frank" Stallone Sr. (1919–2011). His mother was an American from Washington, D.C. , with Breton French and Ukrainian Jewish ancestry, while his father was an Italian immigrant from Gioia del Colle who moved to the U.S. in the 1930s. His younger brother
16218-669: The few intact sources and references to the sport. The origin of the sport of boxing is unknown, however according to some sources boxing in any of its forms has prehistoric origins in present-day Ethiopia , where it appeared in the sixth millennium BC. When the Egyptians invaded Nubia they learned the art of boxing from the local population, and they took the sport to Egypt where it became popular. From Egypt, boxing spread to other countries including Greece , eastward to Mesopotamia, and northward to Rome. The earliest visual evidence of any type of boxing comes from Egypt and Sumer both from
16377-406: The fight is ruled the winner. With three judges, unanimous and split decisions are possible, as are draws. A boxer may win the bout before a decision is reached through a knock-out; such bouts are said to have ended "inside the distance". If a fighter is knocked down during the fight, determined by whether the boxer touches the canvas floor of the ring with any part of their body other than the feet as
16536-415: The fight to go to a decision if enough rounds (typically four or more, or at least three in a four-round fight) have passed. Unheard of in the modern era, but common during the early 20th Century in North America, a "newspaper decision (NWS)" might be made after a no decision bout had ended. A "no decision" bout occurred when, by law or by pre-arrangement of the fighters, if both boxers were still standing at
16695-545: The fight's conclusion and there was no knockout, no official decision was rendered and neither boxer was declared the winner. But this did not prevent the pool of ringside newspaper reporters from declaring a consensus result among themselves and printing a newspaper decision in their publications. Officially, however, a "no decision" bout resulted in neither boxer winning or losing. Boxing historians sometimes use these unofficial newspaper decisions in compiling fight records for illustrative purposes only. Often, media outlets covering
16854-407: The fighter at the beginning of the fight and between rounds. Each boxer enters into the ring from their assigned corners at the beginning of each round and must cease fighting and return to their corner at the signalled end of each round. A bout in which the predetermined number of rounds passes is decided by the judges, and is said to "go the distance". The fighter with the higher score at the end of
17013-403: The fighters resting in their assigned corners and receiving advice and attention from their coach and staff. The fight is controlled by a referee who works within the ring to judge and control the conduct of the fighters, rule on their ability to fight safely, count knocked-down fighters, and rule on fouls. Up to three judges are typically present at ringside to score the bout and assign points to
17172-408: The fighters weigh under 165 pounds (75 kg), thus allowing them to wear ten ounce gloves. A punch is considered a scoring punch only when the boxers connect with the white portion of the gloves. Each punch that lands cleanly on the head or torso with sufficient force is awarded a point. A referee monitors the fight to ensure that competitors use only legal blows. A belt worn over the torso represents
17331-668: The following year with the third fight between Ali and Joe Frazier in Manila , the capital of the Philippines , which King deemed the " Thrilla in Manila ". Aside from promoting the premier heavyweight fights of the 1970s, King was also busy expanding his boxing empire. Throughout the decade, he compiled an impressive roster of fighters, many of whom would finish their career with Hall of Fame credentials. Fighters including Larry Holmes , Wilfred Benítez , Roberto Durán , Salvador Sánchez , Wilfredo Gómez , and Alexis Argüello would all fight under
17490-400: The former to fight for the prize, which was accepted by the latter. Proper sidesmen were chosen, and every matter conducted in form. After several knock-down blows on both sides, the battle ended in favour of Mary Farmery. The London Prize Ring Rules introduced measures that remain in effect for professional boxing to this day, such as outlawing butting, gouging, scratching, kicking, hitting
17649-409: The foul. An intentional foul that causes injury that prevents a fight from continuing usually causes the boxer who committed it to be disqualified. A fighter who suffers an accidental low-blow may be given up to five minutes to recover, after which they may be ruled knocked out if they are unable to continue. Accidental fouls that cause injury ending a bout may lead to a "no contest" result, or else cause
17808-447: The help of singer Lloyd Price . Early on, he formed a partnership with a local promoter named Don Elbaum, who already had a stable of fighters in Cleveland and years of experience in boxing. In 1974, King negotiated to promote a heavyweight championship fight between Muhammad Ali and George Foreman in Zaire , popularly known as " The Rumble in the Jungle ". The fight between Ali and Foreman was
17967-685: The knockout. A boxer must be well rounded to be effective using this style. Notable boxer-punchers include Muhammad Ali, Canelo Álvarez , Sugar Ray Leonard, Roy Jones Jr., Wladimir Klitschko, Vasyl Lomachenko , Lennox Lewis , Joe Louis , Wilfredo Gómez, Oscar De La Hoya , Archie Moore , Miguel Cotto , Nonito Donaire , Sam Langford , Henry Armstrong , Sugar Ray Robinson , Tony Zale , Carlos Monzón , Alexis Argüello , Érik Morales , Terry Norris , Marco Antonio Barrera , Naseem Hamed , Thomas Hearns , Julian Jackson and Gennady Golovkin . Sylvester Stallone Sylvester Gardenzio Stallone ( / s t ə ˈ l oʊ n / ; born July 6, 1946)
18126-400: The knuckle. There are cases however, where white ended gloves are not required but any solid color may be worn. The white end is just a way to make it easier for judges to score clean hits. Each competitor must have their hands properly wrapped, pre-fight, for added protection on their hands and for added cushion under the gloves. Gloves worn by the fighters must be twelve ounces in weight unless
18285-556: The latter winning the prize. Early fighting had no written rules. There were no weight divisions or round limits, and no referee. In general, it was extremely chaotic. An early article on boxing was published in Nottingham in 1713, by Sir Thomas Parkyns, 2nd Baronet , a wrestling patron from Bunny, Nottinghamshire , who had practised the techniques he described. The article, a single page in his manual of wrestling and fencing, Progymnasmata: The inn-play, or Cornish-hugg wrestler , described
18444-400: The limit to twelve rounds. Headgear is not permitted in professional bouts, and boxers are generally allowed to take much more damage before a fight is halted. At any time, the referee may stop the contest if he believes that one participant cannot defend himself due to injury. In that case, the other participant is awarded a technical knockout win. A technical knockout would also be awarded if
18603-405: The lower limit of punches – any boxer repeatedly landing low blows below the belt is disqualified. Referees also ensure that the boxers don't use holding tactics to prevent the opponent from swinging. If this occurs, the referee separates the opponents and orders them to continue boxing. Repeated holding can result in a boxer being penalized or ultimately disqualified. Referees will stop the bout if
18762-401: The narrator calms him with a wine cooler and calling him "brainiac." In response, Stallone says, "Thank you very much." He then looks at the wine cooler and exclaims, "Stupid cheap studio!" In 1996, he starred in the disaster film Daylight as a disgraced former emergency services chief who attempts to rescue survivors of an underground tunnel explosion. Daylight also underperformed at
18921-417: The opponent resigns . When the fight reaches the end of its final round with both opponents still standing, the judges' scorecards determine the victor. In case both fighters gain equal scores from the judges, a professional bout is considered a draw . In Olympic boxing, because a winner must be declared, judges award the contest to one fighter on technical criteria. Hitting with different extremities of
19080-536: The original's 41%. As well as returning cast members from the first film, the ensemble cast also included Jean-Claude Van Damme and Chuck Norris . That year, Stallone co-wrote the book for the Broadway musical adaptation of Rocky . In 2013, Stallone starred in the action film Bullet to the Head , directed by Walter Hill , based upon Alexis Nolent's French graphic novel Du Plomb Dans La Tete . Also in 2013, he starred in
19239-529: The press, and tried to surpass the other with more on-screen killings and larger weapons. Stallone occasionally attempted, albeit unsuccessfully, roles in different genres. In 1984, he co-wrote and starred alongside Dolly Parton in the comedy film Rhinestone , where he played a wannabe country music singer. For the Rhinestone soundtrack , he performed a song. Stallone turned down the lead male role in Romancing
19398-460: The publication that he was no longer involved. In a 2009 interview with MTV , though, Stallone stated that he was again considering the project. However the role went to Bruce Willis with Eli Roth as director. Stallone partnered with a beverage company producing an upscale bottled water brand called Sly Water. In 2008, Stallone reprised his other famous role as Rambo with the fourth installment of his other successful film franchise which
19557-420: The right to promote any future Ali fights. According to Shabazz, "Ali was ailing by then and mumbling a lot. I guess he needed the money." Shabazz later regretted helping King. Ali's lawyer cried when he learned that Ali had ended the lawsuit without telling him. Larry Holmes has alleged that over the course of his career, King cheated him out of $ 10 million in fight purses, including claiming 25% of his purses as
19716-425: The rights, but they had their own casting ideas for the lead role, including Robert Redford and Burt Reynolds . Stallone refused to sell unless he played the lead character – and, eventually, after a substantial budget cut to compromise, it was agreed he could be the star. Upon its release, critic Roger Ebert stated that Stallone could become the next Marlon Brando . In 1977, at the 49th Academy Awards , Rocky
19875-462: The script was significantly altered by Stallone during the film's production, which was both a critical and box-office success. Critics praised Stallone's performance, saying he made Rambo seem human, as opposed to the way he is portrayed in the book of the same name. It launched the Rambo franchise . That year Rocky III was released in which Stallone wrote, directed, and starred. The second sequel became
20034-493: The settlement be made public. In 2005, King launched a $ 2.5 billion defamation suit against the Walt Disney Pictures –owned ESPN , the makers of SportsCentury , after a documentary alleged that King had "killed, not once, but twice", threatened to break Larry Holmes ' legs, had a hospital invest in a film that was never made, cheated Meldrick Taylor out of $ 1 million, and then threatened to have Taylor killed. Though
20193-467: The smash hit Rocky (1976), a sports drama about a struggling boxer, Rocky Balboa , taking on heavyweight champion Apollo Creed . On March 24, 1975, Stallone saw the Muhammad Ali vs. Chuck Wepner fight. That night Stallone went home, and after three days he had completed the first draft of Rocky . Stallone subsequently denied that Wepner provided any inspiration for the script; however, Wepner filed
20352-670: The sport more interesting to spectators. Professional boxing remains by far the most popular form of the sport globally, though amateur boxing is dominant in Cuba and some former Soviet republics. For most fighters, an amateur career, especially at the Olympics, serves to develop skills and gain experience in preparation for a professional career. Western boxers typically participate in one Olympics and then turn pro, while Cubans and boxers from other socialist countries have an opportunity to collect multiple medals. In 2016, professional boxers were admitted in
20511-474: The stage under the name Mike Stallone; in 1970, he started using the stage name Sylvester E. Stallone. While attending the University of Miami, Stallone had a role in the drama That Nice Boy (aka The Square Root ), filmed in 1968. Moreover, he and John Herzfeld worked together in 1969 on a low-budget self-produced film called "Horses". Stallone had his first starring role in the softcore pornography feature film The Party at Kitty and Stud's (1970). He
20670-636: The styles is, that each style has an advantage over one, but disadvantage over the other one. It follows the rock paper scissors scenario – boxer beats brawler, brawler beats swarmer, and swarmer beats boxer. A classic "boxer" or stylist (also known as an "out-fighter") seeks to maintain distance between himself and his opponent, fighting with faster, longer range punches, most notably the jab, and gradually wearing his opponent down. Due to this reliance on weaker punches, out-fighters tend to win by point decisions rather than by knockout, though some out-fighters have notable knockout records. They are often regarded as
20829-446: The summary judgment, but disagreed with the original finding that none of the statements were false. In any case, Judge Dorian Damoorgian ruled, "Nothing in the record shows that ESPN purposefully made false statements about King in order to bolster the theme of the program or to inflict harm on King". In May 2003, King was sued by Lennox Lewis , who wanted $ 385 million from the promoter, claiming King used threats to pull Tyson away from
20988-463: The term "the sweet science" as an epithet for prizefighting – or more fully "the sweet science of bruising" as a description of England's bare-knuckle fight scene in the early nineteenth century. Boxing could also be used to settle disputes even by females. In 1790 in Waddington, Lincolnshire Mary Farmery and Susanna Locker both laid claim to the affections of a young man; this produced a challenge from
21147-569: The third millennium BC. A relief sculpture from Egyptian Thebes ( c. 1350 BC ) shows both boxers and spectators. These early Middle-Eastern and Egyptian depictions showed contests where fighters were either bare-fisted or had a band supporting the wrist. The earliest evidence of use of gloves can be found in Minoan Crete ( c. 1500 –1400 BC). Various types of boxing existed in ancient India . The earliest references to musti-yuddha come from classical Vedic epics such as
21306-601: The torso is tilted forward and the hands are held closer to the face. Through the late nineteenth century, the martial art of boxing or prizefighting was primarily a sport of dubious legitimacy. Outlawed in England and much of the United States, prizefights were often held at gambling venues and broken up by police. Brawling and wrestling tactics continued, and riots at prizefights were common occurrences. Still, throughout this period, there arose some notable bare knuckle champions who developed fairly sophisticated fighting tactics. The English case of R v. Coney in 1882 found that
21465-408: The waist were prohibited. Broughton encouraged the use of "mufflers", a form of padded bandage or mitten, to be used in "jousting" or sparring sessions in training, and in exhibition matches. These rules did allow the fighters an advantage not enjoyed by today's boxers; they permitted the fighter to drop to one knee to end the round and begin the 30-second count at any time. Thus a fighter realizing he
21624-402: The wearing of weapons became common once again and interest in fighting with the fists waned. However, there are detailed records of various fist-fighting sports that were maintained in different cities and provinces of Italy between the 12th and 17th centuries. There was also a sport in ancient Rus called kulachniy boy or 'fist fighting'. As the wearing of swords became less common, there
21783-470: The word "boxing" first came to be used. This earliest form of modern boxing was very different. Contests in Mr. Figg's time, in addition to fist fighting, also contained fencing and cudgeling. On 6 January 1681, the first recorded boxing match took place in Britain when Christopher Monck , 2nd Duke of Albemarle (and later Lieutenant Governor of Jamaica ), engineered a bout between his butler and his butcher with
21942-534: Was a popular spectator sport in Ancient Rome . Fighters protected their knuckles with leather strips wrapped around their fists. Eventually harder leather was used and the strips became a weapon. Metal studs were introduced to the strips to make the cestus . Fighting events were held at Roman amphitheatres . Records of boxing activity disappeared in the west after the fall of the Western Roman Empire when
22101-507: Was also both a critical and box-office disaster. Stallone signed onto the film based on rumors that Schwarzenegger was interested in the lead. Schwarzenegger said that, knowing the script's quality was poor, he publicly faked interest in starring for producers to lure Stallone. In 1993, he made a comeback with Renny Harlin 's action thriller Cliffhanger , which was a success in the US, grossing US$ 84 million, and worldwide, grossing US$ 171 million. Later that year, he starred in
22260-520: Was also used by fictional boxer Apollo Creed . A boxer-puncher is a well-rounded boxer who is able to fight at close range with a combination of technique and power, often with the ability to knock opponents out with a combination and in some instances a single shot. Their movement and tactics are similar to that of an out-fighter (although they are generally not as mobile as an out-fighter), but instead of winning by decision, they tend to wear their opponents down using combinations and then move in to score
22419-510: Was an exclusive promotional contract with Don King, two were managerial contracts with Carl King, identical except one was "for show" that gave Carl King 33% of Witherspoon's purses and the other gave King a 50% share, more than is allowed by many boxing commissions. The fourth contract was completely blank. Other examples include Witherspoon being promised $ 150,000 for his fight with Larry Holmes but receiving only $ 52,750. King's son Carl took 50% of Witherspoon's purse, illegal under Nevada rules, and
22578-661: Was announced as the financier of the Bomaye Fight Club in Major League Wrestling . As of 2024, King still promotes world champions and is in talks with Canadian Boxing promoter Dan Otter to stage the WBC Cruiserweight World Title bout sometime this year. Don King's wife, Henrietta, died on December 2, 2010, at the age of 87. They had one biological daughter, Debbie, a son, Eric and adopted son Carl, five grandchildren and three great grandchildren. King
22737-701: Was announced on December 7, 2010, that Stallone was voted into the International Boxing Hall of Fame in the non-participant category. Also that year, Stallone wrote, directed and starred in the ensemble action film The Expendables . The film, which was filmed during summer/winter 2009, was released on August 13, 2010. Joining him in the film were fellow action stars Jason Statham , Jet Li , and Dolph Lundgren , as well as Terry Crews , Mickey Rourke , Randy Couture , Eric Roberts , and Stone Cold Steve Austin , and cameos by fellow '80s action icons Bruce Willis and Arnold Schwarzenegger . The film took US$ 34,825,135 in its opening weekend, going straight in at No. 1 in
22896-473: Was at the end – the very end – of my rope". The film was released several years later as Italian Stallion , in order to cash in on Stallone's newfound fame (the new title was taken from Stallone's nickname since Rocky ). Stallone also starred in the erotic off-Broadway stage play Score which ran for 23 performances at the Martinique Theatre from October 28 to November 15, 1971, and was later made into
23055-469: Was born in Cleveland , Ohio, where he attended school and graduated from John Adams High in 1951. After dropping out of Kent State University , he ran an illegal bookmaking operation out of the basement of a record store on Kinsman Road and was charged with killing two men in incidents 13 years apart. The first was determined to be justifiable homicide after it was found that King shot Hillary Brown in
23214-811: Was five. In the early 1950s, his father moved the family to his mother's native Washington, D.C. to open a beauty school. In 1954, his mother opened a women's gym called Barbella's. He initially stayed with his father following his parents' divorce when he was 11, but joined his remarried mother in Philadelphia when he was 15. At one point, Stallone's teachers voted him "Most Likely To End Up In The Electric Chair"; nevertheless, Stallone attended Notre Dame Academy and Abraham Lincoln High School in Philadelphia , and Charlotte Hall Military Academy in Charlotte Hall, Maryland , prior to attending Miami Dade College . He spent two years, from September 1965 to June 1967, at
23373-410: Was hospitalized for an unspecified illness that required a blood transfusion. Widespread concern for King's health was prompted by a Mike Tyson media interview where he said, "You know, Don is not doing well right now. He's probably close to 100 years old. He's not doing well." King has been investigated for possible connections with organized crime . During a 1992 Senate investigation, King invoked
23532-414: Was in trouble had an opportunity to recover. However, this was considered "unmanly" and was frequently disallowed by additional rules negotiated by the seconds of the boxers. In modern boxing, there is a three-minute limit to rounds (unlike the downed fighter ends the round rule). Intentionally going down in modern boxing will cause the recovering fighter to lose points in the scoring system. Furthermore, as
23691-744: Was never paid a stipulated $ 100,000 for his training expenses and instead was billed $ 150 a day for using King's training camp. Carl King again received 50% of his purse, despite Don King Productions falsely claiming he had only been paid 33%. HBO paid King $ 1,700,000 for Witherspoon to fight Frank Bruno . Witherspoon got a purse of $ 500,000 but received only $ 90,000 after King's deductions. Carl King received $ 275,000. In 1987, Witherspoon sued King for $ 25 million in damages. He eventually settled for $ 1 million out of court. Former undisputed World Heavyweight Boxing Champion Mike Tyson has described King, his former promoter, as "ruthless", "deplorable", and "greedy". In 1998, Tyson sued King for $ 100 million, alleging that
23850-655: Was nominated for ten Oscars , including Best Actor and Best Original Screenplay nominations for Stallone. The film went on to win the Academy Awards for Best Picture , Best Directing , and Best Film Editing . Rocky has since been inducted into the National Film Registry and had its props placed in the Smithsonian Museum . Stallone's use of the front entrance to the Philadelphia Museum of Art in
24009-484: Was paid US$ 200 for two days' work. Stallone later explained that he had done the film out of desperation after being evicted from his apartment and finding himself homeless for several days. He has also said that he slept three weeks in the Port Authority Bus Terminal in New York City prior to seeing a casting notice for the film. In the actor's words, "it was either do that movie or rob someone, because I
24168-488: Was poorly received by critics and was a box-office failure. In 1989, he co-starred alongside Kurt Russell in the buddy cop action film Tango & Cash , which did solid business domestically and overseas, grossing US$ 57 million in foreign markets and over US$ 120 million worldwide. Stallone became a boxing promoter in the 1980s. His boxing promoting company, Tiger Eye Productions, signed world champion boxers Sean O'Grady and Aaron Pryor . Stallone began
24327-411: Was primarily a feature film, and he didn't see it as being translated for cable, so there was a big bone of contention." That year, Stallone hand-picked Derek Wayne Johnson to direct and produce a documentary on the making of the original Rocky , entitled 40 Years of Rocky (2020). The documentary features Stallone narrating behind-the-scenes footage from the making of the film. Stallone formed
24486-530: Was quoted as saying, "He did more bad to black fighters than any white promoter ever in the history of boxing." King has been charged with killing two people in incidents 13 years apart. In 1954, King shot a man in the back after spotting him trying to rob one of his gambling houses; this incident was ruled a justifiable homicide . In 1967, King was convicted of voluntary manslaughter for stomping one of his employees to death because he owed him $ 600. For this, he served three years and eleven months in prison. King
24645-477: Was renewed interest in fencing with the fists. The sport later resurfaced in England during the early 16th century in the form of bare-knuckle boxing , sometimes referred to as prizefighting . The first documented account of a bare-knuckle fight in England appeared in 1681 in the London Protestant Mercury , and the first English bare-knuckle champion was James Figg in 1719. This is also the time when
24804-437: Was sued by Muhammad Ali for underpaying him $ 1.1 million for a fight with Larry Holmes . King called in an old friend of Ali, Jeremiah Shabazz, and handed him a suitcase containing $ 50,000 in cash and a letter ending Ali's lawsuit against King. He asked Shabazz to visit Ali (who was in the hospital due to his failing health) and get him to sign the letter and then give Ali the $ 50,000, and Ali signed it. The letter even gave King
24963-465: Was the only film Stallone directed that he did not star in. Staying Alive was universally panned by film critics. Despite being a critical failure, Staying Alive was a commercial success. The film opened with the biggest weekend for a musical film ever (at the time) with a gross of $ 12,146,143 from 1,660 screens. Overall, the film grossed nearly $ 65 million in the US box office against its $ 22 million budget. Worldwide it grossed $ 127 million. Though
25122-506: Was titled simply Rambo ( John Rambo in some countries where the first film was titled Rambo ). The film opened in 2,751 theaters on January 25, 2008, grossing US$ 6,490,000 on its opening day and US$ 18,200,000 over its opening weekend. Its box office was US$ 113,244,290 worldwide with a budget of US$ 50 million. In July 2009, Stallone made a cameo appearance in the Bollywood film Kambakkht Ishq , where he played himself. It
25281-529: Was underpaid by $ 2 to $ 3 million. Holmes sued King after King deducted a $ 300,000 'finder's fee' from his fight purse against Mike Tyson ; Holmes settled for $ 150,000 and also signed a legal agreement pledging not to give any more negative information about King to reporters. Tim Witherspoon was threatened with being blackballed if he did not sign exclusive contracts with King and his stepson Carl. Not permitted to have his own lawyer present, he signed four "contracts of servitude" (according to Jack Newfield ). One
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