Sylvester Stallone’s Rocky Balboa became an absolute icon. This film is considered to be the greatest ever made about boxing. It grew into a major franchise that spanned over 46 years. From Rocky’s beginnings in the underground boxing rings to his rise to stardom, there were numerous iconic fights – be it in the ring or out in the streets.

Without further ado, here’s a complete list of every fight in the Rocky movie franchise, ranked from worst to best, including the fights from the two Creed movies where Donnie Creed is fighting, and Rocky serves as his trainer and father-figure. I am sorry if I get a bit biased, but I’ll admit that I clearly have my favorites.

17. Rocky Vs. Mason Dixon – Rocky Balboa (2006)

Rocky VI (aka Rocky Balboa) was the movie that made me hate Rocky Balboa. Sly looked like an elderly bodybuilder, who had lost weight since he quit using steroids. The premise of this fight was ridiculous.

Adrian died, and Rocky was alone, still feeling that “beast” inside him. He comes out of retirement at 60 – yes, 60 years old – and fights the cocky world champion, Mason Dixon, who’s an epitome of the corrupt business that became boxing. Dixon chooses his opponents rather than fighting the best. Rocky will be his opponent.

The fight was extremely well choreographed and painful to watch. Grandpa Rocky nearly wins, but ultimately loses by split decision. We’ve seen some surreal moments in the Rocky franchise, but a 60-year-old guy that barely trained for decades almost beating the world heavyweight champ? It was too much.

16. Rocky Vs. Spider Rico – Rocky (1976)

The fight that started the franchise – this was the first fight we’ve ever seen Rocky Balboa in. It was held in a shabby, underground Philly boxing ring. The fight was more street fight than a real boxing match. They were carrying one another across the ring, grabbing, throwing, and carrying them.

To put an end to the fight, Rocky literally sat down and pummeled Spider Rico. There wasn’t much boxing skill on display here, but we’ve seen what the Italian Stallion is ready to do and what he’s capable of.

15. Adonis Johnson Vs. Title – Creed (2015)

Adonis Creed was still going by his biological mother’s last name, Johnson. He was a student who used weekends to travel to Tijuana to fight in the boxing arena. Title was the only name we saw him fight in his first fight. This is where Donnie shows his power – and that Creed-cockiness – for the first time.

Adonis fought his opponent with a few punches. Adonis took off his gloves before the count was over. The fight was a great homage to Rocky Vs. Spider Rico, with the same setting, which showed how the two men had similar beginnings.

14. Rocky Vs. Thunderlips – Rocky III (1982)

This fight was the most hilarious in the franchise. Rocky became the champion and became a star. He destroyed opponents and did endorsement deals, commercials and yadda, and so on. So, inspired by the Muhammad Ali – Antonio Inoki boxer-wrestler fight, Rocky took an exhibition fight against Thunderlips, a pro-wrestler played by no other than Hulk Hogan.

Hogan was right at the top of his popularity at the moment, and the fight – much like the rest of Rocky III – was cartoonish and a bit ridiculous. Rocky was a bit naive, but Thunderlips took it seriously and began to break Balboa up like a ragdoll. If Rocky took such a beating in real life, he’d end up in a wheelchair.

Thunderlips yanks Rocky out of his ring and Rocky asks Paulie to help him take off his gloves. Rocky then gets back in the ring and begins to pummel Thunderlips, eventually throwing him out of it as well. The movie ends in a draw, and 8-year-old me had a lot of laughs while watching it for the first time.

13. Rocky Vs. Tommy Gunn – Rocky V (1990)

I feel like the Rocky saga should’ve ended with Rocky IV because Rocky V and Rocky Balboa (Rocky VI) were just too much. Here, we have a retired Rocky, training a thug named Tommy Gunn, and he’s like a son to Rocky. This is until he leaves him out of pocket and betrays him for more cash.

However, nobody acknowledges Tommy as the true champ, calling him Rocky’s puppet, so he picks a fight with Balboa, who keeps refusing it. It’s not until Gunn punches Paulie in the mouth in a bar that Rocky decides to settle it out in the streets.

The street fight is very well directed, but at times it’s a bit ridiculous, especially when Rocky repeatedly punches Tommy in the stomach, while Gunn bounces around in the air with each punch. Rocky almost loses but remembers Mickey’s words – I didn’t hear the bell – and then smacks the kid into oblivion. Rocky Vs. Spider Rico is a street fight that was better than this.

12. Adonis Johnson-Creed Vs. Leo Sporino – Creed (2015)

This fight was the turning point of Adonis Johnson’s career and life. Leo The Lion Sporino beat Adonis to the pulp. However, after the fight, Leo’s father leaked the info that Adonis was actually Apollo Creed’s bastard child. That’s irrelevant right now, though. What’s relevant is the spectacularly directed fight between Donnie and Leo.

Gabriel Rosado (professional boxer) was Sporino’s actor. It was very convincing that the exchanges looked legitimate. But the best part was that the entire fight was shot in one take. It’s a shame that not all fights were shot in the same style, as it would have taken away the magic.

11. Adonis Creed Vs. Danny Wheeler – Creed II (2018)

Donnie continued his boxing career after the first movie’s events and the split loss to Ricky Conlan (more about that fight later). He won six fights via knockout in the next three years, moving from light heavyweight to a cruiserweight weight to the heavyweight division. 

There, he got the opportunity to fight the champ, Danny Wheeler – the same guy who had his jaw broken by Ricky Conlan at the weigh-ins for their match and the same guy that embarrassed Donnie in a sparring match in the first Creed movie. 

The title fight between Creed and Wheeler was cool – well directed and edited, but nothing special. It made Adonis the heavyweight champion after he avenged his sparring match loss with a fourth-round TKO. This fight is incredibly important in the context for the franchise. He also got his Mustang back.

10. Rocky Vs. Clubber Lang 1st Fight – Rocky III (1982)

I pity the fool who doesn’t take Mr. T seriously! This was the fight that made Rocky Balboa who he is today. Mr. T’s character, Clubber Lang, was nothing but pure brute force. Rocky was the champ. He sliced through his opponents like butter, until Lang appeared. Balboa believed he was invincible.

His rage was only amplified when Clubber pushed Rocky’s trainer Mick, resulting in the old man staying in the locker room. Rocky came out swinging, but Lang ate all the shots and then returned with his brute force to pummel an unprepared, coachless Rocky, knocking him out cold for the first time in Balboa’s career.

Mick, who was returning to the locker room with Rocky, died. Although the fight itself was very cartoonish, there were some nice first-person shots. However, overall it felt unreal even for a movie.

9. Rocky Vs. Adrian – Rocky III (1982)

Yes, you did read it correctly. Not every fight in Rocky’s life happened inside the ring or even being an actual, physical fight. Rocky and Adrian were in the ring for the first fight against Clubber Lang. This was one of the most important fights in the entire Rocky franchise.

Rocky is reluctant to train despite Apollo Creed helping him change his style, and Adrian sees something’s wrong. When the fight breaks out, Rocky admits to her that, for the first time in his life, he’s afraid to step into the ring again because he knows he has so much to lose, and Mickey’s death opened his eyes.

That’s when Adrian reassures him, and Rocky goes on to reclaim his title. It was as important as any win he achieved in the ring for his fight with Adrian.

8. Adonis Creed Vs. Ricky Conlan – Creed (2015)

Just like Rocky had his breakthrough fight with Apollo Creed, Apollo’s son and Rocky’s protege, Adonis, had one with Ricky Conlan, the light-heavyweight champion of the world.

Conlan’s fight against Danny Wheeler fell through, because Ricky broke Danny’s jaw at their weigh-ins. Meanwhile, Ricky was going to jail right after and didn’t want to go out without one last big fight. Donnie was a Creed, and Ricky heard of Donnie and challenged him to take over Wheeler’s place. Donnie accepted.

Conlan was portrayed by former world champ Tony Bellew, and despite his horrible acting, the fight was just epic – quick, well-directed, and immersive. Conlan won by split decision. However, just like Apollo won the first fight against Rocky with a split decision, he didn’t really win.

As the announcer said after the Creed-Conlan bout: “Conlan might’ve won the fight, but Creed won the night.”

7. Adonis Creed Vs. Viktor Drago 1st Fight – Creed II (2018)

Donnie was the heavyweight champion, but there was a serious challenger. It was Viktor Drago, the son of Ivan Drago – the guy who killed Donnie’s father, Apollo, in an exhibition bout. Creed wins the fight against Viktor, and is absolutely pummelled.

Adonis won via disqualification despite Viktor’s destruction of him. Viktor punched Creed when he was already down. Still, it left a sour taste in Donnie’s mouth, and revenge was destined to happen. The situation was quite similar to Rocky’s first fight – and loss- against Clubber Lang.

6. Apollo Creed Vs. Ivan Drago – Rocky IV (1985)

This was the most heart-breaking, gut-wrenching fight in the franchise’s history. Apollo Creed comes out of retirement to face Ivan Drago from Soviet Russia. His punches literally broke the power-measuring machine. Creed comes in cockily, as he usually did, thinking they’re in a light exhibition match, here to put on a show.

Drago, however, takes the fight too seriously and beats Apollo so badly that Rocky is ready to give up. Apollo tells Rocky that he won’t do it no matter what and Drago kills him in the next round. Balboa didn’t forgive Apollo for not listening and not forfeiting the match to save his best friend.

Dolph Lundgren was the only person I disliked after seeing this movie.

5. Adonis Creed Vs. Viktor Drago 2nd Fight – Creed II (2018)

After the first fight, Donnie was still the champion but didn’t feel like the champion because of the way the fight ended. The second fight was more difficult for Donnie, who came prepared and trained to take the high-impact punches Viktor was well-known for. 

Viktor actually won the fight on the scorecards in the second fight. However, due to his sheer power, Drago never went further than the fourth round, so by round ten, he was so exhausted he couldn’t even defend himself. Adonis took advantage of the situation and continued to attack Viktor, beating him hard.

An unforgettable moment took place. Viktor’s father, Ivan Drago – the guy who killed Donnie’s dad, Apollo – did what Rocky couldn’t do. He gave up and lost the fight to save his son. Adonis was then left as champion. 

It was a great conclusion to the movie and the franchise – at least so far, as Creed III is set to come out in March 2023.

4. Rocky Vs. Clubber Lang 2nd Fight – Rocky III (1982)

The number of punches landed in this fight would be enough to give 30 professional boxers permanent brain damage, but hey, it’s a movie. This was the best fight in the entire franchise. Rocky got his head together after the first loss, trained like hell, changed his style, and ensured he didn’t underestimate Lang this time.

Rocky ignored the tactics of his opponent and decided to let Clubber slap him silly. Rocky didn’t fall for these sick punches. Instead, Rocky stood and Lang was exhausted. Balboa knocked Clubber out cold.

3. Rocky Vs. Ivan Drago – Rocky IV (1985)

Rocky felt guilty for not listening to Creed after Drago had killed Apollo. Rocky was determined to avenge Apollo and even made the unprecedented move to go to Russia to fight Ivan.

He trained with Creed’s former coach, Duke, in a rural barn, while Drago trained with the top-notch high-tech equipment – and steroids. The fight was probably the best-directed fight in the franchise, with crazy moments that would immediately lead to disqualification in real life, but hey – it’s a movie.

After Drago and Balboa gave each other permanent brain damage, Rocky was the first guy to knock Drago down – and eventually knock him out. It was the epic end of a movie my little self watched about twice daily for a year. Rocky IV was my favourite movie in the franchise.

2. Rocky Vs. Apollo Creed 1st Fight – Rocky (1976)

The fight that started it all. A bum, semi-amateur boxer from Philly’s down skirts got an ultimate, once-in-a-lifetime opportunity to fight the heavyweight champ, Apollo Creed. Creed was his usual cocky self – and rightfully so, as nobody came close to beating him for so long.

He had nothing to prove, whereas Rocky wanted to show that he’s not just some punk who’ll never do anything with his life. Balboa learned by freezing meat carcasses, while Creed took pictures and enjoyed the publicity of giving someone a chance. He was confident that he would be able to finish the round.

It was an epic fight. Rocky fought hard and fought the fight to the end. Surely, he lost in the end via split decision, but he was everyone’s winner. Not even Apollo felt victorious, which is why they ran it back for a second time in Rocky II – and delivered the best Rocky fight ever.

1. Rocky Vs. Apollo Creed 2nd Fight – Rocky II (1979)

Finally, the best Rocky fight ever – the rematch between Apollo and the Italian Stallion. Sylvester Stallone was the director of the second movie and this fight delivered. Don’t get me wrong; the punches look semi-real until you see how Stallone cocks his head back, breaking the illusion of a real fight. 

I hate it when boxing movies end up with pauses between fights. One fighter punches another like mad and then they stop to allow the fight to continue.

The fight was thrilling, despite all of that. The fight went on for several rounds, until it came to an end. Rocky, a southpaw (left handed), fought in an orthodox stance with Creed (right-handed).

Rocky was able to stand up just a second before Apollo got a ten-count from his referee. Apollo stayed on the ground, and Rocky Balboa became the world heavyweight champion. Loved the fight, the movie, and the epic ending – it’s not a coincidence that this particular fight is considered the best in the franchise.