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Hollywood legend Sylvester Stallone is one of the most celebrated actors of our generation. He has built a solid reputation for himself in his field thanks to a distinguished career lasting more than 40 years. He did, however, once state in an interview that he attributes one particular athlete to his achievement.

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It is a world-renowned fact that Stallone got the idea for his blockbuster flick ‘Rocky’ from the 1975 fight between boxing great Muhammad Ali and Chuck Wepner. Stallone was once quizzed in an interview about Ali, and he stated, “He is everything an athlete should be and a man should be. And will never see the likes of him again and I based Apollo Creed on him. Thank God a character like that existed, because I never would have thought one up.”

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Additionally, Stallone and Ali once shared the stage at the Academy Awards. Hilariously, the great boxer blamed the ‘Rocky’ star for stealing his script from him. Ali kept accusing Stallone by saying“you stole my script,” while the audience laughed at the entertaining interplay between the two legends.

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Well, Stallone gives Ali credit for his accomplishment since the latter served as the model for the character of Apollo Creed in his movie. The film was a big hit, and Stallone went on to create multiple sequels based on the story. 

How Muhammad Ali unknowingly helped Sylvester Stallone in becoming a global star 

Stallone once struggled to make it as a screenwriter and actor in New York. After having little success with the film ‘The Lords of Flatbush’, he moved to California. He had to sell his pet dog as he couldn’t afford to feed it because of his financial difficulties at the time.

Notably, during that difficult period, he went to see Ali and Wepner’s fight, which gave him the inkling of a script. Notably, Stallone finished writing the Rocky script in just three days. His story was turned into a movie, which went on to become one of the all-time great cult movies.

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Meanwhile, what do you think about Stallone’s remarks about Ali? Let us know in the comments below. 

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Shashank Wankhede

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Shashank Wankhede is a Boxing writer at EssentiallySports. When it comes to boxing, the blockbuster film 'Rocky' sparked his interest in the sport. He holds Muhammad Ali in great regard and is a sincere admirer of his narrative, struggle, and accomplishments. After watching the 1974 fight between Ali and Joe Frazier in a video, he realized that boxing is much more than just two people battling it out in a ring. Shashank has also worked for one of India's most famous media houses, The Times of India, where he covered sports and beyond. He has also spent time as a creative writer in the reputed advertising and branding sector. His degree is a blend of interest and necessity and so, is currently pursuing his undergraduate degree in Electrical Engineering at the G.H. Raisoni College of Engineering. Apart from being a professional sports author, Shashank also has a knack for writing poetry and has performed at various open mics.

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Tony Thomas

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