I know this is a movie site, but when the International Boxing Hall of Fame makes an exception to induct Sylvester Stallone because of his movie career, we can make an exception to our format to report it! Stallone was inducted to the Hall of Fame this past weekend along with Mike Tyson — who has carved out quite an acting resume on his own recently — and several other notable pugilists.
Stallone, of course, is a legend in boxing circles not for any in-ring feats but for creating and starring as Rocky Balboa, the down-on-his-luck Philly southpaw whom Stallone based in part on ring legend Joe Frazier (himself a Hall of Famer). Stallone played Rocky in five sequels, including the latest, and final film in the series, 2006’s Rocky Balboa, which also featured Tyson in a brief cameo. Even before his induction, Stallone already made his mark on the Hall of Fame, as the theme song to the Rocky films is played every year when the inductees come to the dais for the ceremony. Stallone will appear next in Bullet to the Head (formerly known as Headshot), directed by Walter Hill (The Warriors).
Mike Tyson — who went from being the youngest undisputed world heavyweight champion of all time to criminal to laughingstock to a repentant former addict — has touched the film world as well, appearing in memorable cameos in The Hangover, The Hangover Part II, Play It To The Bone, and the chilling 2008 documentary Tyson which chronicled Tyson coming to terms with the poor decisions that lead to the downward spiral of his career.
Check out the highlights of the two inductions in the video from the New York Post here. Of course, Stallone made sure to end his speech with the line you’d most expect him to say — and we love him for that!
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