@jashro44 said:
@nickzambuto said:
I think the real question is can Rocky go the distance with Cap? Because against an actual superhero, for a regular guy like Rocky, that's all anyone can possibly expect. If Rocky manages to do that, then he proves his worth. Since Ivan Drago hits harder than Steve, and is a much better boxer, I don't see why this wouldn't be a fantastic fight that lasts all 15 rounds, with the Stallion landing some nasty blows of his own throughout it. In fact, since Rocky is a far superior boxer, he might actually win by points in the end. Steve's superhuman stamina is his biggest advantage.
You say this as if Steve doesn't incorporate boxing regularly in his fighting style.
I'd also like to point out that, Drago too, is a better boxer than Captain America. Before any of his enhancements, he was a trained Soviet military captain and Olympic gold medalist, who became a boxer and defeated every other boxer in Russia by knockout before becoming the world amateur champion.
Interestingly enough, Drago is the only Rocky villain to get somewhat of an epilogue, in 'Rocky: The Ultimate Guide.' It says that after assaulting the Soviet government official in his fight with Rocky, Ivan had his boxing license revoked and was not allowed to continue his career. Years later, after the collapse of the Soviet Union, he finally returned to boxing, but without the aid of the Government's specialized training equipment, blood doping or anabolic steroids, yet he still became the World Heavyweight Champion through just his own talents, possibly defeating Tommy Gunn for the title.
That makes Drago a two-time world champion. He was a champion before his enhancements, and he was a champion after losing his enhancements. Rocky fought him at his pinnacle, when he had the championship AND the enhancements together, and still won.
Yes Captain America knows how to box, but... so does friggin Spider Rico. It's the Captain's enhanced physicals and WIDE knowledge of MANY martial arts that makes him so dangerous, with boxing just being one among them. Who's to say Steve is championship material with his boxing skill alone, when his whole fighting style revolves around numerous martial arts all together? I mean we know that Spider Rico isn't anything special in boxing, but if he knew Judo, Kung Fu, Muai Thai, Krav Maga, Karate, AND his boxing skill all together, he'd be F'ing dangerous. But with his boxing skill alone, not so much. Same with Cap. Who's to say Steve is anywhere even near any of the 10 title contenders all of whom Rocky beat during the timeskip between II and III, most of whom were knocked out by the third round with no issues, even though Rocky had lost his Eye of the Tiger by that point and still wasn't even close to his peak?
So with boxing just being one part of Captain America's fighting style, what makes you think he's championship material on that part by itself, LET ALONE championship material by Rocky standards, where we have characters like Mason Dixon, who started boxing training at 10 and is a very unpopular champion because -- get this -- he beats all of his opponents too quickly and too easily, and therefore has never put on a good show... And the entire lynch pin of that movie's plot was a bunch of professional analysts saying Mason lived in a weak era of boxing and would not last two rounds against the guys from Rocky's time.
Think about that. Let's give Steve a huge benefit of the doubt and say he'd be the world champion through sheer skill in the real world. That means Mason Dixon would curbstomp him... and then Rocky curbstomps Mason Dixon. So should we just assume Steve is on Mason's level? Why? Saying he's real-world champion level is already a HUUGE benefit of the doubt.
Frankly, I don't see any reason to believe that Steve can even scratch the surface of Rocky's boxing talent, when, in regards to Rocky's training, Duke stated outright in the sixth film "You already know all there is to know about fighting, so there's no sense us going down that road again."
The battle forum rules mention that unless specified otherwise, we should assume all characters are at their best. Rocky at his best, would probably be the experience and mindset seen in Creed, with the youth and body seen in Rocky IV, given a few months to train with Mick and Apollo together, and if he wins the match he's promised he'll be able to spend one more day with Adrian. Now THAT Rocky... I point you to the "all the good things in a bowl" quote from Creed, and use that as evidence that the Hulk himself would not be able to put this man down under these conditions.
(Paraphrased) Rocky: "If-If I could just take, take everything good, from my entire life, and put it in-in a bowl or something... and trade it all in, for one more day with my wife... I would... And I'd be happy."
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