"I Play Rocky" revives Northeast Ohio's role in boxing classic
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Anthony Ippolito in "I Play Rocky." Photo: Courtesy of Amazon MGM Studios
The new movie "I Play Rocky" tells the story behind one of Hollywood's greatest underdog tales — inspired in part by a legendary Northeast Ohio boxing match.
Why it matters: The film, which expands nationwide later this week, revives the unlikely connection between the original "Rocky" and a 1975 heavyweight championship fight at Richfield Coliseum.
State of play: Peter Farrelly directs "I Play Rocky," which features Anthony Ippolito as a struggling Sylvester Stallone who refuses to surrender the starring role in the screenplay he wrote for 1976's "Rocky."
Flashback: On March 24, 1975, Muhammad Ali defended his heavyweight title against little-known New Jersey boxer Chuck Wepner at Richfield Coliseum.
- A 40-to-1 underdog, Wepner stunned spectators by knocking Ali down in the ninth round before losing by technical knockout with just 19 seconds remaining in the fifteenth and final round.
What he said: Stallone later credited Wepner's resilience with helping him create Rocky Balboa.
- "That night I went home and I had the beginning of my character," Stallone wrote in his 1977 book, "The Official Rocky Scrapbook."
Zoom in: A scene in "I Play Rocky" depicts Stallone, played by Ippolito, watching the Ali-Wepner fight on TV at a bar.
Friction point: Wepner embraced his status as the real-life Rocky, but grew frustrated over never receiving compensation.
- He sued Stallone in 2003. The two reached an undisclosed settlement in 2006.
- Wepner has since softened his stance, praising Stallone's performance and expressing regret over how the lawsuit unfolded in a 2024 Forbes interview.
The bottom line: Philadelphia has Rocky's famous steps, but Northeast Ohio helped give the Italian Stallion his fighting spirit.