Boys, let's go. Come on. Tighten up. Single file, gentlemen. Centre of the hall. Come on. Tighten it up. (ALARM BUZZING) WOMAN ON RADIO: Condition unit one. Condition unit one, copy that. On the ground. Show me hands, let's go. Code blue. Fight in progress. All personnel... (INDISTINCT SHOUTING) Come on, let us fight, man! Let me go! At least let me get my shoes. (ALARM CONTINUES BUZZING) Mary Anne. Hello. (EXHALES) Adonis got into a fight today, and he's in holding. If you wanna see him, we're gonna have to go up there. He's a good kid, he just... Fights. All the time. (DOOR OPENS) (DOOR CLOSES) Johnson? Yeah. Right this way. Thanks. (DOOR UNLOCKS, OPENS) Johnson, you got a visitor. Adonis. Come on in. I'd like you to meet Mrs - Um...could we have a moment, please? Sure. I'll be right outside. Why were you fighting? I'm not going to another group home. I'm not from a group home. You a social worker? No. I am not a social worker. Nigga said something about my ma, so I beat his ass. I'm sorry about your mother. I know what it's like to lose someone. When your father died, I was angry for so long. I hurt myself, pushed family away. I don't have no father. What did you say? I said, I don't have no father. That's not true. He passed before you were born, but you had a father. You knew him? He was my husband. (SIGHS) Adonis, I would like it very much if you would come and stay with me. Do you think you'd wanna do that? What was his name? Subtitles by Deluxe www.able.co.nz Captions were made with the support of NZ On Air. Able 2018 (MAN SPEAKS SPANISH) (SPEAKS SPANISH) (DISTANT CROWD CHATTER) (GRUNTING) (DISTANT, MUFFLED, LATIN MUSIC) (CROWD CHATTER, MUSIC INTENSIFIES) (CHEERING, JEERING) (INDISTINCT CHATTER IN SPANISH) (BELL RINGS) (SHOUTING IN SPANISH) REFEREE: Uno, dos, tres, cuatro, cinco, seis, siete, ocho, nueve... (TAPPING) (SIGHS) Hey, James. Don, sit down. What you got there? You're joking, right? You get a promotion and you're quitting? Look, this career just ain't for me. What are you gonna do? Hey, man, thanks for everything. (BEEPING) Just wanna talk to you about my job. You see your new office? Yeah. But, um... Well, what's it like? This is a big deal, this promotion. Did they hire your assistant? Thank you. Very proud of you. (SIGHS) COMMENTATOR: Super fight two. Rocky Balboa, the challenger, and, of course, Apollo Creed, the world champion. (BELL RINGS) And there's the bell. Comes over in a hurry now. He throws a couple of rights and lefts. He starts to take command early here, and now he kinda moves his feet along the side of the ring. A good right hand thrown. Another right and another right thrown by the champion. Creed is going for the knockout. Just holding that right hand. He's just waiting for that precise moment. There it is! He unloaded that. But here comes Balboa! And there's rights and lefts. Here comes Balboa, coming back out. A left and a right to the head. But now it is Creed coming back. Creed with the left hand. Balboa appears to be getting hit often. Take it to him. Take it to the body. There you go! Make your time count, baby. You know what's coming up. There you go. Check it out. What you doing here, man? 15-0, 15 knockouts. In Tijuana? No, bro. That's bar-room brawling. Yeah, well, I'm all in anyway. I figure we start out local to get our momentum going. Then we can move wherever we want. We? Yeah, I was figuring - Adonis, these boys come in here, this is how they survive. They gotta fight for life. Kill or be killed. People die in there. Your daddy died in the ring. This ain't no joke. I don't know him. Ain't got nothing to do with me. Ah. OK. You real tough now. Yeah. No. I ain't training you. You know ain't training you. Nobody training you. I'm gonna make sure about that. (BEEPING) We making champs in the Delphi Gym! We not dancing! We not singing! We fighting! You struggle every day! You fought for something! You damn right! Hey. Hey, listen up. Adonis. These the keys to my 'stang right here. Adonis, get out the ring! All you gotta do is land one clean headshot. What I gotta put up for it? Put up your hands. You a pro, right? No, no, no. You gonna get the shit knocked out of you. You ain't gotta prove nothing to me. Better listen to your family, boy. Oh, my God. At least put on your headgear. No headgear? Mm-hm. It's on you. (GRUNTING) Killer, right? He a killer, right, Lil Duke? Where was you at when I was in group homes, huh? You missed a meal? No. Which one of your killers in here next? You pick him! You pick who's next! I'm next. Hey, I just need one round, bro. All right, you wanna warm up? I don't need no warm up. Get my stuff. I see you got your head gear on. Good job. (BEEPING) No. (INDISTINCT CROWD CHATTER) Show me something. All right. (INDISTINCT CROWD CHATTER CONTINUES, GROANS) (CROWD GROAN) Told you I'd win big. I told you. I tried to tell you something, bro. You don't wanna listen. You don't wanna listen. You gonna learn things the hard way, huh? (GROANS) (DOOR UNLOCKING) Hey. Hey. How you doing? Doing good. I just came home. I wanted to talk to you. Yeah? I quit my job. Yeah. No, I - Where did you get this? Mexico? It's not that bad. "It's not that bad." I ought to knock you out myself. You know how many times I had to carry your father up these stairs because he couldn't walk? Yes. How many times I had to wipe his ass because he couldn't use his hands. Is that what you want? No. You want brain damage. (SIGHS) Yeah, you do. You wanna be so brain damaged, you can't form a sentence. I can get hurt doing anything. Apollo didn't get hurt. He got killed! People get killed! I didn't take you in for you to go backwards. You're better than this. I'm leaving soon. I'm gonna be fighting full-time now, so I wanted to tell you face to face. You are your father's son,... and you're part of him,... but it doesn't mean you have to BE him. I'm gonna call you. Listen, you wanna be in somebody's ring,... you don't have to call me. # THE ROOTS: The Fire # The fire # The fire # There's something in your heart # And it's in your eyes # It's the fire # Inside you # Let it burn # Yeah, and if I'm ever at the crossroads # And start feeling mixed signals like Morse code # My soul start to grow colder than the North Pole # I try to focus on the whole of where the torch goes # Shine bright as an example of a champion # Taking the advantage Never copping out or cancelling # Burn like a chariot Learn how to carry it # Maverick Always above and beyond average # There's something in your heart # And it's in your eyes # It's the fire # Inside you # Let it burn # You don't say "Good luck" # You say "Don't give up" # It's the fire # The fire # (FOOTSTEPS) (GROANS) How you doing? This was from the tenth round of the first fight, right? Good call. How'd you know that? I heard about a third fight between you and Apollo... behind closed doors. That true? How'd you hear about that? Who won? It's kind of a secret. What'd you say your name was? I'm Donnie. OK. The girl said you wanted to talk about something. Yeah, I wanted to talk about you training me. Training you. (CHUCKLES) I don't do that stuff no more. Sorry, but it's getting late, kid, so I'm gonna close up. How good was he? Apollo? Yeah, he was great. He was the perfect fighter. Ain't nobody ever better. So how'd you beat him? Time beat him. Time, you know, takes everybody out - it's undefeated. Anyway, I gotta lock up. So, when Mickey died, he came and talked to you, right? Talked you out of quitting? Took you to LA. Trained you. Brought you back. How do you know all this? How do you think? What are you, like a cousin? He's my father. No, he ain't. I don't believe you. Call Mary Anne. Mary Anne? His wife? The house number still works. Oh, that's right. You haven't talked to her since the funeral. She said you gave a nice speech, though. Yeah. Nice speech. I want you to train me. All right? I need somebody solid, and who else better to go to? You at least owe me that. (SIGHS) I can tell the way you talk, you been to school. So I figure you got some brains. Why would you want to pick a fighter's life when you don't have to? If Apollo was around, he would tell you that, too. Well, he ain't around. I been fighting my whole life. I ain't got a choice. It's always about a choice. I was in the ring. I saw how it went down. That fight should've been stopped. I should have stopped it. Maybe he wanted to go out like a fighter. Maybe you did exactly what he wanted. I think he'd rather be here, talking with you. There is a resemblance. I'm usually here all the time, so... if you're ever in the neighbourhood, come by, if you need something. I'll be at Mickey's Gym tomorrow. I don't go there. I haven't been there in a long time. Since we're pretty much like family... who won the third fight? He did. Get unlimited data, talk and text with Vodafone for just $79.99 a month. Sign up in-store or online at vodafone.co.nz NARRATOR: In boxing, fighters' origins can endure as the most sacred element of their identity, shaping choices that can change their lives forever. 'Pretty' Ricky Conlan is a faithful son of Liverpool, England. A place where people find hope in the tales of their heroes. But for the undefeated, best pound-for-pound boxer in the world, the future is filled with uncertainty, with a seven-year prison sentence looming. I didn't plan on spending my prime years in a prison cell. I hate letting my family down. Now what could be his final bout awaits him at home in one of his city's most hallowed sporting temples. Here, he'll welcome an opponent who's also never been beaten and who's boxed his way from California streets to American stardom. Fighting out of the famed Delphi Boxing Academy, with a trainer whose father guided icons of the past... ..Danny 'Stuntman' Wheeler believes he's the sport's future. Conlan's going away for a long time. Now it's my turn. I've never lost. I've never even been knocked down. And that's not gonna change. A champion in a dark and extraordinary predicament. A challenger uninterested in a hero's send-off. This is 24/7: Conlan/Wheeler. (VIDEO STOPS) (DISTANT INSTRUMENTAL MUSIC, HEAVY DRUMBEAT) Kick this dude ass. (MUSIC INTENSIFIES) No respect, man. (MUSIC STOPS) I'm Donnie. Yeah? And I just moved in upstairs. OK. What do you want, Donnie? It's late. I can hear your music. Yeah? I didn't know it was that loud. Well, it is, all right? I gotta wake up early and work out. Oh, I got you. You gotta wake up early and, er... and do your, er, jawns. Keep your body tight. Cool. I'll turn my music down. You won't hear a peep. Thanks. (DOOR LOCKS) (MUSIC RESUMES) # MEEK MILL: Check # Flexing from the bottom # Flexing, flexing from the bottom # We just want the money, the respect and all the power # Money and the power The money and the power # Check, check, check, check... # Snap it back! (BUZZER) Breathe, now, breathe. Good boy. Hey. Can I help you? Looking to sign up. Where are you from? LA. Hollywood! Which gym? I know all those guys. Don't have one. I'm more self-taught. Self-taught? You, uh... You know Balboa? Yes, we grew up together. Most members just work themselves out. An extra $20 a month, I can give you drills, check in on you when I can. Yeah, that works. Double jab. Move your head. (INDISTINCT CHATTER) # Grip, grip, grip, grip # Grip # Grip me # I might give a little # But you can take it all # I might try to run # But just to make you follow # I like it when you # Grip, grip, grip # Got you right where I want # I can see it all # Don't let me go, let me go # Take me to the floor, to the floor # I need more, I need more... # PRESENTER: Boxing fans have been waiting years for the super fight between 'Pretty' Ricky Conlan and Danny Wheeler, but we guess the fighters couldn't wait another 24 hours. Conlan punched Wheeler after words were exchanged during the face-off. Wheeler suffered a broken jaw and has already announced plans to sue Conlan and the WBC. Hey, Unc! Unc! How you doing? Did you call me 'Unc'? Yeah, it was either that or OG. What's an OG? Old-ass gangster. Unc's good. I can do that. It's all good. So why'd you come by? Are you hungry? No, I just wrapped up at the gym. Figured I'd stop by. OK. Maybe ask you a question. Sure. I can do all this. What are some drills I can do to get my hand speed up? Some guys up there, I bet they can help you. There's a guy there named Pete. He's a pretty good trainer. Yeah, but he's with his fighter most of the time. I mostly just train myself. They know you're a Creed? I don't go by that. I'm trying to make it on my own. My name's Johnson. Who's Johnson? Mom's name. Plus, just makes life easier. Right. Plus, you know, if you train me... Nobody around here knows me. We could fly under the radar. They'll never know. Yeah. I told you before. I just don't wanna do it, kid. I mean, that's cool, but maybe you could just give me some drills. Drills? Things I can do on my own. You don't stop, do you? You're like a woodpecker. My God. All right. I got a few. But that's it. OK? Yeah, of course. Five rounds...of jumping rope. Three rounds...on each of the bags. When you get to the heavy bag, just don't keep throwing your hands, cos you can hurt them. It's also about using your legs, all right? And then five rounds...of... ..shadow... O-W. There's a W. ..boxing. Boxing, yeah. And that's it. All right? Yeah. OK, here you go. That's perfect. Good luck with that. All right. (CAMERA CLICKS) I got it. Hold that real quick. All right, man. Wait, don't you want this? I got it right here. What if you lose that or it breaks? It's already up in the cloud. (CAR HORN HONKS) What cloud? What cloud? Hey, Ma, it's me. I was just calling to let you know I'm doing good. I got an apartment. It ain't much, but I'm trying to make it into something. I miss you. I wanna hear from you, so call me back when you get a chance. All right. (DISTANT INSTRUMENTAL MUSIC, HEAVY DRUMBEAT) (EXHALES) (MUSIC CONTINUES) What, it's too loud? No, I just, uh, heard you down here working. Figured you'd wanna take a break. Maybe get some food? Where are you from, Donnie? I'm from LA. OK, so is this how y'all ask females out in LA? Just wanted to know if you were hungry. Not a date. Right. You know what? It's all good. It's OK. Hey, yo. I am hungry. I only have an hour. Do you know where you wanna go? I was hoping you could tell me. You're from Philly, right? OK. Good luck, man. (KEYS JINGLING, LOCKS DOOR) So where are we? North Philly. So, this is Max's. Hey! Hey, superstar! Hey. What's going on? I'm well, thanks. How you doing? You're looking wonderful as always. Thank you. This is my - How you doing there, my friend? This is my neighbour. He's a West Coast boy. Never had a steak before. I'll treat him like he was my neighbour. That's how good we'll take care of you. All right. You like pickles? No. OK, mayonnaise. Put us some peppers on that jawn. Both kinds. Ketchup. Extra cheese. How much I owe you? $9.95. No, I wanna get these. No, that's cool. I asked you out, right? You said it wasn't a date, though. It's not. Where we eating at? Right there. I heard you back there, jawn this, jawn that. What's a jawn? It's a noun. OK. It's like... See, these is jawns. This is a jawn. This restaurant we're sitting in is a jawn. You're a jawn. You got a jawn? Like, a dude? No. I got too much going on right now. Shows and stuff? Yeah. I'm opening Electric Factory next month. What's that? It's a big venue out here. A lot of people got their start - Jill, Legend, the Roots. That's what's up. Can I ask you something personal? Mm-hm. I got progressive hearing loss. Just started wearing these the past year. But I only need them in places with a lot of background noise...for now. So, it's progressive. So eventually... Yeah. Yeah. I'm just getting ready for it. Like, I'm getting used to these. I'm learning sign language and stuff. But I really can only remember... bad words... ones that aren't that useful, like... What the fuck's that? You can't tell? There's the bull, the horns, this is... Yeah, this is bullshit. Uh-huh. That's your favourite? Uh-huh. You don't really seem like a boxer to me. I mean, you're in shape and all, but... I don't know, aren't most boxers like... Like what? Like street. I'm not saying you're a square or anything, but... I'm just curious. What made you wanna fight? My pop was a fighter. Oh, right. That makes sense. Did he fight pro? Something like that. Does he train you? My pop died before I was born. I'm sorry to hear that. So... what made you wanna sing? Um, it makes me feel alive. Where's your next show? That place that you saw me at, Johnny Brenda's. I got a residency there, so we're back on Friday. Can I roll with you? I wanna show up, you know. Show some love. Let me think on it. (LAUGHTER, INDISTINCT CHATTER) (SIGHS) (GROANS) OK. Here you go, Paulie. Happy birthday, my friend. I didn't forget you. Your favourite. Miss you, pal. Yo, Adrian, my darling. The best of the best. (GROANS) I'll tell you, Adrian, God! It's getting harder to walk up this hill. What does that mean? (SIGHS) Anyway, it's a good day today. It's a good day. Got no problems. The bills are paid. Only thing is, it's tough to sleep at night sometimes. My back. No matter what you do, it catches up to you. Anyway, shall we see what's new in the world today? Hey, Rocky! Hey, how you doing? Good to see you. How you doing? Hey, Rock! Long time no see, brother. Still here? Good to see you. Yeah, yeah. Hey, the Italian stallion's back! How you doing? It's like a party here with everyone. Yeah. Welcome back. Thank you very much. How do you feel? Good. What, you making a comeback? No, no, no. Hey, champ. Hey, Pete. What's up? Didn't know you were coming by. I was just in the neighbourhood. You've done nice. Place is looking good. New paint and everything. Very good. I do what I can. Remember my son, Leo? Of course I do. A lot bigger since you last seen him. Very big. Rocky, he's 17-0. Things are really opening up for us. Leo! Rocky, option's still open if you wanna get involved. Little training, little motivation. Let me think about it. Sure, sure. How you doing, kid? It's an honour to meet you, champ. Nice to meet you, too. 17-0, very good. Yeah, I was supposed to fight Ricky Conlan... Hey, Unc! ..but it got cancelled. Unc. He talking to you? Yeah, I think so. You made it. Yeah. Just walking by. Here I am. How do you know Hollywood? Uh, we met at the restaurant. That's it. OK, Rock. OK. You need anything, you let me know. OK. Good luck, kid. Seriously. Thanks. 17-0. Kid's got a future. Tough. Can I talk to you a minute? I don't even know what I'm doing here, cos I got other plans for my life, and this wasn't part of it. Your father was special. Tell you the truth, I don't know if you're special. Only you gonna know that when the time is right. And it ain't gonna come overnight. You're gonna take a beating, you're gonna get knocked down, you're gonna get up, and you're gonna see if you got the right thing. But...you gotta work hard. I swear to God, if you're not gonna do it, I'm out. Every punch I've ever thrown has been on my own. Nobody showed me how to do this. I'm ready. Come on. Let's do this. Step into my office. Are you serious? I am serious. This is old school. You should be able to grab one of these birds. 30 seconds? Yeah, in your dreams. # NAS: Bridging The Gap Come on! You call that fast? # I named the boy Nasir # All the boys call him Nas # I told him as a youngster... No. Again. I thought you were fast. Come here! Get them legs moving! Little harder, little faster! Keep up the pace! Keep going! # Hey, hey, hey, hey # Tribrary of these rap skits Styles I mastered # Many brothers snatched it up and tried to match it # But I'm still number one Every day real... Control your tempo then build slowly. More. Build, build, build. Go! # His home was Natchez, Mississippi # Did it like Miles and Dizzy Now we getting busy # Bridging the gap from the blues to jazz to rap # The history of - (BUZZER) (PANTING) That bell don't mean school's out, Donnie. Keep going. That bell means hell. Just go get the chicken. It's not that big a deal. Come here! Oh! (LAUGHS) Oh, my God! That's pretty good. Chickens are slowing down. All right, Donnie, get into your stance. Make a small target. Turn sideways. OK. You see this guy here staring back at you? Yeah. That's your toughest opponent. Every time you get into the ring, that's who you're going against. I believe that in boxing and I do believe that in life, OK? Now throw a jab in the jaw. All right, one to the gut. Now, every time you punch this guy, what's he doing? He's throwing one back at me. That's right. So either you block it, slip it or get out of the way. Go. I'll leave you two alone for a while. Good luck. Hey. (CHUCKLES) Hello. Hello. Hey. They say language is the gateway to culture. And I have the key. Can I interest you in the big Kiwi breakfast? (PHONE TRANSLATES INTO SWEDISH) (SPEAKS SWEDISH) PHONE TRANSLATOR: Kiwis are endangered, no? (SPEAKS SWEDISH) PHONE TRANSLATOR: I could try a little one. # Oh, oh. Oh, oh. Oh. # Hey. Yo. What's up? Is it cool? Yes. Smells good in here. I don't even know what fighters drink. Do you drink tea? Yeah, tea's good. Thank you. Yeah. So, this is the house. This is it. What you working on? Uh... # Hey # Hey, uh, uh, uh # This your boy, Donnie # From LA to Philly # Philly, the home of the cheesesteaks # Oh, I want a cheesesteak # I'm so hungry, hungry for the title # I'll settle for a cheesecake # Cheesecake, the cake that you make # The cake that you got # Where the beat go? I'm sorry. (ELECTRONIC MUSIC) Hey, check you out. # The hand that holds the heart that holds me down # Breathe # The feeling that we had is nowhere now # And I almost lost my mind... # One, two, three. I like that. Very good. Keep that balance going. (BUZZER) Way to go. Donnie, get up. You gotta keep moving. It's tough, but you gotta do it. You get a B in tough. Kid's looking good, champ! Yeah, he's getting there. Hey, Hollywood, what do you weigh right now? I don't know, probably, like, 180. Why? Get down to a buck 75, we'll make something happen, if you're interested. Hell, yeah, I'm interested. No, no. I do the talking, OK? You do the fighting. 175? That's your boy's weight. How you doing, Leo? What's up, Rock? Yeah. He could use a fight to keep warm. Warm? I not gonna lie. People will come out to see you in the corner again. We'll make it like the old days. Get the whole city there. Make a few bucks for everybody, huh? I understand that. But I'm just getting used to this kid right now and he's getting better every day, but he's gonna take a while. He's hungry. You gotta feed him every now and again, you know that. Thanks. I appreciate it, chef. We'll be OK. Thanks. Think about it. I'll think about it. Rock, what we training for? What are we training for? We're training to win, not get killed. You're not ready yet. I can lose five pounds like that! It's nothing. It's easy. (BUZZER) Hit the bag. Come on. This kid's like a tough Philadelphia fighter. I ain't never even seen you battle before. But I've been watching him and I'm sure he'd catch my fade. What's a fade? I could take him out. Oh. OK. All right, listen. (IMITATES THE GODFATHER) Let me make you an offer you can't refuse. Are you crazy? I'm serious. Look, we take the match. Right. I got six weeks to get in shape. Six weeks. I'll do whatever it takes. At the end of the six weeks, you don't think it's right, call it off. This is what I'm here for, all right? I'll go 24-7 with this shit. Matter of fact, we can go get my stuff right now. For what? So I can move into your spot, start training camp. No. No. Old school, remember? No-one's been in my house in a long time. I don't think you'd be comfortable there. What, you walk around naked? No. We're good, then. You better not walk around naked either. That's for sure. (ENGINE STARTS) Yeah, that's all of it. (VAN DOOR CLOSES) Hey! Hey! You moving? Yeah. Today's been crazy. I didn't get a chance to tell you. I'm gonna be living with my uncle for a while, training for the fight. That's your uncle? He's white. Yeah, a long time. He's gonna be staying with me and when we ain't training, you're welcome to come on over. Cool. Thank you. It's nice to meet you. Why you giving me that look? When were you gonna tell me that your uncle's Rocky Balboa? I'm gonna call you. All right. I'm not gonna hold my breath. (ENGINE STARTS) That Bianca girl looks kind of nice. Do you like her? Yeah, she cool. What, this one? Yeah. Women weaken legs, you know what I mean? My legs work just fine. Whose room was this? This was Paulie's room. Paulie was my best friend, even though he wasn't so friendly. What happened to him? Passed away. I'm sorry. It's kinda a mess. We'll straighten it up later. It'll be comfortable. Oh, man, this is a dope pic! That's your boy? Yeah, that's my kid, Robert. Did you train him, too? I tried, but he just didn't like fighting. Didn't take to it. Oh. He still around here? No, he moved to a place called Vancouver with his girlfriend. I think they're having a great old time up there. You know, I hear from him now and then, but it was tough for him to live in Philadelphia. Me and all that stuff. You know, Rocky's son. He's happy. I'm happy for him. Why don't you unpack, all right? Make yourself comfortable. Then I'm gonna go to the restaurant and I'll be back. Then we start first thing in the morning, all right? You got it. All right, man... All right, Paulie! # HAROLD MELVIN & THE BLUE NOTES: Wake Up Everybody # Wake up all the doctors Make the old people well # They're the ones who suffer and who catch all the hell... (HUMMING) Hey, it's time to train. This is how you start. Get your engine going. # The world won't get no better... I'm gonna take you to this place called the Front Street Gym up in North Philly. It's pretty good. OK. Train you there, cos I don't want you to train in the same place as the guy you're gonna be fighting, right? Yeah, that makes sense. Don't get in. Why? Run alongside. I'm kinda antique, right? Yeah. So I'll drive and you try to keep up. How close is it? It's close enough. (ENGINE STARTING) Hey. Let me warm up real quick. # Wake up everybody # Need a little help, y'all # Yes, I do Need a little help # Say it, boy # (PANTING) You made it. Hey. I thought you said it was close. Not that close. This is Frankford. Tough place. You wanna be a Philly fighter, this is the place to go. Philly fighters, you know, I think they're the toughest guys in the world. In a lot of ways. Maybe it's in the water, I don't know, but great place, though. What's with all these bikes? It's a Philly thing. These guys are popping wheelies and making noise, going up and down the street. Do you ride? No. I had a Harley once, but I fell off, so I decided to use my feet. Now, this kid, Sporino, he got something special. He's no pushover, so you're gonna have to work, you know what I mean? What do you think? Not bad, huh? Not bad at all. Yeah. This'll get the job done. Really will. Oh. Look at these guys. Hey. The gang's all here. Donnie. Look at this. This is a crew if I ever saw one. Hey, Padman. Good to see you. Hey, champ. How you doing, bro? This guy is so good with the mitts, he's gonna teach you a lot. He's got a lot of knowledge. Stitch, best cut man in Philadelphia. What's going on? Hope you don't need him. Pleasure. And over here is Elvis Grant. He makes the best gloves in the world. And as my present to you, starting out on the right foot... Thank you. ..he's gonna make you a pair of gloves, so that your hands don't get so bad... Is that coffee I smell in there? Yeah, that's coffee. You guys get to know each other. Amir. Man, I could use some coffee. Let me introduce you to my son, Amir. The man you're gonna be sparring with. Amir. Donnie. Nice to meet you. (INDISTINCT CHATTER) Right hand fast. Let it go, let it go. Push off that back foot. Come on, Donnie, a little quicker. Back it up. No, no. Just like he's doing. Yeah. I can't pivot fast enough. Yeah, just turn it. That's your power. Fast. Pop it fast. I'm popping as fast as I can. I'm pushing off my back foot. Hey, Donnie. Donnie, come here. I came out here to work with you. This is how I work, OK? There's some things I can't do. I can't do this any more. I can never hold the pads like that. But I'm looking at you. I'm working with you. I'm working with this. Lighten it up. Am I still taking them real shots? Slow it down. Hey, hey! That's it. Hey, hey, hey! This easy work, Pop. Gotta keep moving. (BUZZER) Time! Bell! Bell. Huh? Taking real shots, though! What you mean? Taking real shots, though! Take those gloves off right now! This my gym! Take your soft ass back to LA! You ain't ready yet! This my gym! Fuck this gym! They call it a learning curve. Ain't no learning. Hey, hey, hey. You know what? You can't learn anything talking. That's a fact of life. As long as you're talking, you're not listening. Go apologise. You guys are on the same damn team, OK? There you go. Good. You good. You good. All right. Now let's go to work. Double jab. Yeah. Go ahead. Over the top. Right hook here. Over here. One step at a time. One punch at a time. One round at a time. One step at a time. One punch at a time. One round at a time. Turn right. Come on, let's go. Fast, pop it fast. Right upper cut. Right up top. Boom! Boom! Bah! Good. I want you to let it all out. Look at me. Everyone's that's ever disrespected you - see them. Anything you ever wanted, go after it. Bam! Now it's your time! Make a statement! One step! One punch! One round at a time! Go, go, go! You cheated! Get unlimited data, talk and text with Vodafone for just $79.99 a month. Sign up in-store or online at vodafone.co.nz (INDISTINCT CHATTER) Rock. Hey, how you doing, Pete? (BIANCA CHUCKLES) Is something wrong? Rock, I knew. I knew there was something with this kid. Rocky, I have been trying for years to get you to come work with us. It's OK. All of a sudden, this kid from Hollywood gets you out of the shadows. No. No shadows. I just didn't want to do nothing in the gym. That's all. Rocky, I made calls to LA. Kid's name is Adonis. Kid has Creed's blood. Now this fight just got big time. I apologise. Do me a favour. Can we keep this between ourselves? Oh, come on... No. I'm asking you as a favour. I want him to make a name on his own. (SIGHS) Come on, Pete. Yeah. Your secret's safe with me, Rock. I appreciate it. (INDISTINCT CHATTER CONTINUES) Keep going. You're looking good. Go on. Go ahead. (KNOCKS ON DOOR) Hey, so how's everybody feeling tonight? I'm about to go over the ABC rules and the rules governed by the state. No three-knockdown rule. No standing eight-count. A fighter cannot be saved by the bell. What we mean by 'no three-knockdown rule' is basically whatever the referee sees fit for competition... (CHEERING INTENSIFIES) Unc, cut my gloves off. What's wrong? My gloves, just cut them off! I can't cut them off. You're ready to go fight. Are they too tight? I'm freaking out. I gotta take a shit! Somebody gonna wipe my ass for me? Oh, shit! Cut my gloves off! All right. Relax. I'll cut you out of these gloves. It happens. Hey, ref, I'm gonna need some help here. D, I'm gonna be right outside. That's right. Can you stall for, like, ten minutes? I gotta put the gloves back on. OK. I'll step on outside. I appreciate it. Thank you. No problem. First for me, man. All right, come on. It'll be all right. A little nervous? Nerves. Hurry up. (CHEERING, INDISTINCT SHOUTING) Blue corner, red corner. All right, y'all had your instructions in the dressing room. Obey my commands at all times. Protect yourself at all times. Any questions from the blue corner? Questions from the red corner? Touch them up. Be ready on seconds out. Right. It's about you. Yeah. It's all about you. Now, you wanted this. Let's go, coach. I want you to make it happen. Can you do it? Let's do it. Let's make it happen. Let's go, Unc. It's all about today! (BELL RINGS) There is no tomorrow! Let's go! PETE: Nice. ROCKY: Move and target, move and target! Jab! Jab! His face is right there! Come on! Where's the jab? Hands up. Hands up, kid. That's it. That's it. Breathe, kid. That's it. Let's go, boy! Let's go, boy! Way to get out of there. Keep moving, Donnie! Move your head! That's it. Get on him! Get on him! Break! Break! Let's go, boy! There you go! There you go! Good! Back off. CROWD (CHANTING): Leo! Leo! Leo! One punch on top. Keep moving. That's right. Block left. Let's go, boy! Come get this shit! Come get it! You're doing good. Keep the pressure up! Tie him up! Tie him up! That's it. Get off the rope! Break. Let's go, Leo! Keep moving! Keep moving! Keep coming forward! Good shot! BIANCA: Come on, Donnie! Tie him up, tie him up, tie him up! What are you doing? Tie him up! (BELL RINGS) OK. All right. That was OK. Deep breath, through your lungs. Deep breath. Deep breath. Look at me. I like what you're doing out there. You're a little tight. You're gonna loosen up, all right? Here's what I want you to do. I want you to throw your left under the radar. Come up with a shovel hook. You see an opening, put a right on his chin, that'll drop him. Mouthpiece in. Seconds out! Your old man did that to me. It worked. Mouthpiece in. Seconds out! Cave his face in. Finish it up, Leo. (CROWD CHANTING) Leo! Leo! Leo! (BELL RINGS) Come on! Come on! Move your head! Move your head! Good job! That's it. Good boy! Tie him up! Break! Come on! Come on! Kid, seize it now! Now! Now! (CROWD CHEERING, GROANING) Get up! Get up! Come on, kid! Come on! REFEREE: One! Two! Get up. Come get some! Three! Four! We got one, Rock! Five! Six! Seven! Eight! Nine! Ten! That's it, baby! We got one, Rock! Whoo! We got one! Yeah, we got one! It's because of you! No, you did it. Come on, man! Give him some room. Rock. Rock. Lucky shot. Come on in! Bianca! Bianca! Come in! Sorry! Sorry! I'm good. You didn't say you had hands like that. Why didn't you say you had hands like that, though? But, girl, I'm square, though. I'm square, though. You good? What we doing after this? Let's go for it. Let's go tear the city up! OK. (EXPLOSIONS ON TV) (FLOORBOARDS SQUEAK) Hey. Hm? I made something for you. Keep them closed. Mm-hm. (ELECTRONIC MUSIC) # Everywhere I go # Everywhere I shed what we just shared # Everywhere I go # There's pieces of you there Come listen with me. # There's no waiting, no # Till I know I won't be holding air # Tonight, I'll get you through # So you can have me here # Share you # Why share you? # I wanna give you all # Share you, why share you? # What about your uncle? He's asleep. He old man. # I was once allowed # Used to be a cross that I would bear There he is. What's up, Unc? How you feeling? I'm good. I'm a little sore, but I'm all right. You want some toast? OK. So, you cooking or you watching? No, I'm looking you up. You doing what? I'm looking you up. Don't do that. I'm right here. What's up? You got something you wanna tell me? I didn't lie. You might as well have. You told me your dad was some fighter, not the most famous fighter that ever lived. People look at me differently when they know. They look at Apollo differently. Yeah, but I'm not people. I don't care about that shit. I do care about you keeping it 100, though. Well, listen, listen. You're right, OK? No, seriously, look. You... 100% honesty from here on out. All right. So his... His wife, that's not your mom? Apollo had an affair with my mom. All right? She died when I was young. I bounced around foster care for a couple of years, in and out of juvie. Then Mary Anne, she tracked me down and took me in. Anything else? Ask me. How many females have you been with before me? (SCOFFS) Anything else? Look, Bianca, come on, now, you different. How? When I'm around you, I feel like I've know you my whole life. Mm-hm. Tell me you don't feel the same about me. That's passion. Infatuation. That fades. I can't see that happening. Why not? You motivate me. So I'm just motivation to you? You gonna find a problem with everything I say? I wanna find the real in what you saying. Don't worry, it's cool. Maybe you're just motivation to me, too. Oh, really? Mm-hm. I don't mind that. What? You do look like him, though. Oh, God. I hate that! Used to get on my nerves! (LAUGHING) Welcome to PTI, boys and girls. We begin today with the boxing world. Adonis Johnson, a little-known boxer being trained by Rocky Balboa, handed light-heavyweight title contender Leo Sporino a second-round TKO defeat in Philadelphia last night. An anonymous source confirmed to ESPN that Johnson is the youngest biological son of Apollo Creed - a fact that was kept under wraps, because Johnson was the product of Creed's infidelity. The boxing world is excited to have another Creed in the ring, but Wilbon, does knowledge of this affair damage Apollo Creed's legacy? Damage his legacy? Let's go back a second. Little history on Apollo Creed. I have him right up there as maybe the best of all time. End of discussion. He made a mistake like a lot of people. This isn't gonna be the first, particularly in the boxing world! Yeah. I'm not gonna say it's gonna kill his legacy. I think it's an embarrassment, and the family must have felt this embarrassment because they kept it under wraps for so long. But I have one question. What? Can the kid fight as well as the old man? That's a stretch. MAN: I've found us our next payday. Check it out. Creed's son? Yeah. Are you kidding me? No. He's got one fight under his belt. Yeah, yeah, yeah. Yeah, I know. But he's got Balboa in his corner. No-one cares about Balboa any more. Kid's here cos of a name alone. You're gonna do it. This guy doesn't even deserve a shot. Listen to me. This is not a negotiation, all right? You're the idiot that ran around Toxteth with a gun. Do you remember that? And you are the clown who couldn't control himself at a weigh-in and lost us millions in the process. Millions. So look at it again. I don't wanna be remembered like this. I don't care how you're remembered. I care about your kids having a roof over their head when you're done. Do you understand? (PHONE RINGING) Hello? It's Tommy Holiday. I look after Ricky Conlan. Yeah, how you doing? Listen, is it true about the kid? About the kid? Uh... Think you and the kid have got 30 minutes for a business meeting? All right, I'll tell you what. Yeah, if you can get over here, sure. We'll talk with you, but it's gotta be fast cos we're training. I can be there. Couple of days. Yeah. I'll be in touch. OK. Oh, man. Thanks for taking the time. I'll get right to it. My guy needs to fight in the next six months. And we've beaten everybody. You want me to fight Conlan? I think it would be a very wise move. You've been down in Mexico doing pro fights, eh? I've got you as 15-0 down there. And with the Sporino fight, that makes you 16-0. Now, nobody needs to know these fights were in some hole in the wall, do they? You think I'm ready? This man came here cos he knows you're a sure thing. Right? It's a sure victory. That is not true. Yeah, it is. OK, listen. All right. This could be my guy's last fight. And I wanna make it count. Now, on that note, we would need you to change your name to Creed. It's just a formality. And what if I say no? Well, then...then there's no fight. Without the name, there's no fight. It's a non-starter. OK. OK. Why don't you both take a day, talk about it, and we'll, uh, see what you say, OK? It's a good deal. Can't do it. No, it's not my name. Plus, I wanna make it on my own merit anyway. (SCOFFS) Yeah? Yeah. You got a funny way of showing it. What's that supposed to mean? Weren't Apollo and Rocky, like, best friends? It feels like you're trying to tap into whatever it is he left behind. I don't think that's anything to be ashamed of, you know? What are you afraid of? What are you afraid of? I don't know. This hearing shit don't scare you? Um...I always knew it would happen eventually, so...my plan has always just been to do... ..what I love for as long as I can. I think that's all we ever do. You know? So, what are you afraid of? I'm afraid of taking on the name and losing. They'll call me a fraud. Fake Creed. Why don't you think about what's true? You love to fight, right? Yeah, it makes you happy, right? Yeah. Yeah, and you are Apollo Creed's son, right? Yes. So then use the name. It's yours. Hey, Unc, you down there? Yeah. I know you don't want me to do this, right? I can think of better things to do, Donnie. But if we did do it... ..how we get it done? (CLEARS THROAT) Well... He's taller than you. He has a reach on you. Definitely has a lot more experience than you. And he's faster than you are. He's the champion. And since he's the champion, you gotta bring the fight to him, like I did. You gotta go to the body. Dig. And in doing that... ..you're in a very dangerous place cos you can get laid out. It ain't easy for me to be in your corner, kid. I don't know if you're ready for it. I don't know if I'm ready for it. But I'll do what you wanna do. If it was anybody else in my corner, I wouldn't do it. But I got you. So make the call. All right. I'm fighting Ricky Conlan. I'm fighting 'Pretty' Ricky Conlan! Don't work him too hard, Rock. Yeah. He's still a puppy. Come on, come on. Close the distance. That's it. Yeah. One, two. Good. Come on. Body, come here. Yeah. Got a good hit. OK. Come on. Dig deep. Body, body, body. Good. (BUZZER) You up to moving around? (PANTING) Take a break. Hey, Unc, you all right? I'm all right. It's out. All right. Just let me walk. Just... I'm good. Sure? Yeah. (GROANING) Hey. What's wrong with you? I don't know. I don't know. Come here. Just let me walk. No, we gotta call someone and get you to the doctor, OK? OK. All right, come on. Off the rope. I got you. Hey, Stitch! I'm sorry. No. No. I'm really... Somebody help! WOMAN VIA TANNOY: Dr Ellis, call extension 4324, stat. Dr Ellis, call extension 4324. (KNOCKS ON DOOR) Hi. Hi. Donnie. Dr Kathari. Mr Balboa, how you feeling? I'm feeling good, real good. I could go now. Heard you fell down. Was that the first time? Well, without being punched. I'm gonna give you more fluids. That should help you feel better. We're gonna run some tests in the morning. Can you do this fast? Cos we got a lot of stuff to do. Relax. All right? Go to sleep. I'll check on you later. Thank you. Gotta do it fast. We have to... Donnie, we gotta train. Yeah, go to sleep. (SIGHS) (CHUCKLES) Hello. Hello. Hey. They say language is the gateway to culture. And I have the key. Can I interest you in the big Kiwi breakfast? (PHONE TRANSLATES INTO SWEDISH) (SPEAKS SWEDISH) PHONE TRANSLATOR: Kiwis are endangered, no? (SPEAKS SWEDISH) PHONE TRANSLATOR: I could try a little one. # Oh, oh. Oh, oh. Oh. # You guys need any more help? BOTH: No! We're good. Thank you. You got it? Thought you got lost for a minute. I have not seen food look like this in this house, ever. Yeah? Yes. Usually everything I have has sauce or something on it. Get some of these collard greens. You just... Just a little bit? Yeah, a little bit. Bianca, uh, you're beautiful, and I think you'll be a great singer. And I think you're gonna be a great champ, like your father. Maybe even better. And for me, who's lucky enough to be knowing both of you guys. Here we go. Cento anni. 100 years. Lucky me. Keep working on that shovel hook. Ah. That's it. Now, I wanna throw the hook on the same side. So you come up on the right, you throw on the right. That's very good. (PHONE RINGING) A little more vicious than that, little more power. Overdo it. Yeah! Very good. Hey, Rock. Good. You're looking good. Are you getting jealous? Yeah, a little. It's for you. Thanks. Hello? Yeah? Yeah. Yeah, OK. All right. Thanks. Mr Balboa? Thanks for coming in on such short notice. Well, we went through your test results and your biopsy came back showing signs of large cell non-Hodgkin's lymphoma. What's that do? Well, it's a form of cancer. I know that sounds scary, but the good news is we caught it early. However, we will have to remove the tumour in your lymph nodes and start chemotherapy immediately. My wife tried that. Mr Balboa, as far as options for treatment, this is the best plan of action. I understand, but my wife tried that and I don't think I wanna do it. It didn't turn out so good. But it's OK. With treatment, you'll have a very good chance of recovery. Without it... I'm OK with it. Really. Well, at least take these. It has information on your diagnosis and options for treatment. We can start - Thank you very much. Listen, I'd appreciate if you wouldn't say nothing to nobody, OK? Man, there's so much traffic, you wouldn't believe it. That senior bus was running late, huh? (CHUCKLES) Hey, that's a cheap shot. It's the truth. Get in the ring. Hurry up and get ready. I've been ready. Good. I've been waiting on you. Come on, just put your gloves on and stop talking so much. We got a few things to do. It's all about you. I already had my career. I did OK. What's your excuse? You got no excuse. Now is the time for you to rise to the occasion there. Just gonna put my... You can do it. OK, all right. Now... I want you to always, always pay attention to yourself first. If I'm not here to start with, just start moving around. All right. OK. Know what I'm saying? Too many punches to the head, huh? Whatever. All right, get going there, champ. (BUZZER) Bell. AMIR: Come on, Creed! (THUDS) Be first, Donnie. Come on! All right, Amir. All right, champ. Don't work too hard. This shit for real? Doesn't matter. What you should be thinking about is that fight coming up. That's the only thing that should be on your mind. Nothing else. What do you mean, don't think about this? When you starting treatment? I'm not doing no chemotherapy. No. If you don't jump on this quick, you're gonna end up dying. I know. And you're all right with that? I am. You sound crazy. Give me the keys. I'll take you to the hospital. I'm not crazy at all. If I could take everything that was good and put it into a bowl or something and say, "Hey! Here. I'd like to buy one more day with my wife," I'd do it. I would die a happy man, right then. Not gonna happen. (EXHALES) So... ..everything I got has moved on, and I'm here. But you know what? It's OK. Because I said to myself, "If I break, if I'm hurt, whatever. I ain't gonna fix it. Why bother?" And I'm just some bum living in your crib, just nothing? You're a good kid, a good fighter. But you got your whole future ahead of you. Mine? Back there, like all them guys on that wall. In the back, in the past. We're going nowhere. I am to you just an old trainer. That's what brought us together. You know? We're not a real family. That was just in our heads, kid. (SIGHS) What'd you do? What'd you do? Why did you say that? (DISTANT LAUGHTER, INDISTINCT CHATTER) (MUFFLED DRUMBEAT) Hey, what's up, Lil Creed? It's good. (KNOCKS ON DOOR) What's up, guys? Hey. What's up? Hi. Are you OK? Yeah. How you doing? You good? Yeah, I'm good. I'm a little nervous. There's a lot of people here. Not really my crowd. Yeah, I can see. It's the boxing boy, Lil Apollo Creed. Ha, I know his girl. What's up, Bianca? Hey. You don't know nobody no more? I said hello to you when I walked passed. You didn't say nothing. Stop acting light-skinned. Hey, come here and grab this pic with me for the 'gram? Yeah, that's cool. Come on, man. You know he busy, man. Welcome to my city, champ. There it is. Believe that. Hey, good looking, Baby Creed. Don't call me that. Don't call you what? You just called me Baby Creed. I said, don't call me that. Hey, fam, dig this. I was showing you love. Ain't gotta come off like that. Yo, that's cool. I know it's cool. You definitely know it's cool. You talking to me? You talk real tough. Talk to your pretty boy boyfriend. Get a VIP pass next to your pop, talking to me like that. No! Who are you? Donnie! Donnie! Donnie! Donnie! Stop it! Stop it! Stop it! I'll kill your ass! Donnie! Donnie! How's he doing? He's all right now. What happened? We had to separate him. Fighting with the other inmates. Anybody get hurt? No, nothing life-threatening. Thank you. No problem, champ. Yeah. Hey, Donnie. How you doing, son? I know a lot of cops and they said, "Your friend's locked up." Friends? You're just a trainer to me, right? I'm sorry about what I said to you back at the gym. That was me talking. I didn't mean it. Just stay away from me. Listen, Donnie... Man, don't touch me. Come on, what... Get your hands off me, old man! Get your sick ass out of here! Leave! You here talking like you my family! You got my real family killed! I ain't leaving... till I tell you what's on my mind. You hate me, if that's what it is. Or maybe you're mad with somebody who ain't here, Donnie, who can't defend himself. You know? I understand what you're going through, young man. I've been there. And I know what it's like to feel abandoned, to be mad at everything. But you're a better person than that. Forgive him. Cos there's nothing you can do about it. It's taking a toll on you. (SNIFFLES) You're still caught in his shadow. You gotta move, Donnie. Just leave, man. (CLEARS THROAT) (KEYS JINGLE) (DOOR OPENS, SHUTS) (FOOTSTEPS APPROACHING) (UNLOCKS DOOR) Let's go, Johnson. (KNOCKING) Bianca! Yo! Stop knocking on my door like the police. Can you let me apologise? Doesn't work like that. You apologise when you spill a drink on someone's shirt. You assaulted the headliner to my show, a show I worked really hard to get. What if I came to your fight acting like an ass? Would that be cool with you? No, I didn't think so. How'd you do, though? Did you kill it? Yeah, we did good. I messed that up and I gotta live with that. But I never meant to let you down. Then what did you mean to do, D? Just have a little ego contest? Rocky's sick. He's got cancer. I ain't trying to make excuses for anything that I did, but I found out right before your show. How bad is it? They want him to start chemo, but he's too macho to do that. Jesus. Well, maybe you can talk some sense into him. I don't think he'd wanna hear anything I gotta say. Yeah, well, give him my love. Hey, Bianca, don't close me out right now. Look, we both got a lot going on right now, so I think you should focus on yours and I'm gonna focus on mine. Sorry. What's that mean? I get it, I messed up. I trusted you! Can you please not shut me out? (RATTLES DOOR HANDLE) I'm sorry, OK? I need you right now. Get unlimited data, talk and text with Vodafone for just $79.99 a month. Sign up in-store or online at vodafone.co.nz What's up? What's up? Hey, I heard you Apollo Creed's son. Yeah. That's what's up. Look like you lost five pounds. You ought to sit down and eat. I mean, what I look like? Letting you train me while you sit around and die? Just like any other fight. This fight? I seen it before. It gets as bad as it can get. And most of the time, you don't win it. Yeah, but I don't care. I ain't training if you don't get the treatment. So if I fight, you fight. (CLINKING FORK) (PUTS FORK DOWN) Hey. What's up? You been to the gym? No, I've been here. OK. Here you go. Remember this? Get up. Ready? What's... I want you to shadow box. This is a nice room. Let's see you move around. You serious? Want me to do it for you? No, no, no. I'll do it. OK. Ready? Come on. Time! There you go. We used to do that with one hand. I don't wanna say anything, though. One, two... Don't hit the lady. (NURSE CHUCKLES) She'll probably drop you. All right. Come on, almost there. (GROANING) Come on, Unc. (GROANS) Oh, God. Come on, let's go. Move! Let's go! Yes! That's your thing. Yes! More! Yes! One, two. The deal was two! I can't, no. I'm dizzy. Oh, yeah. Step round here. Hold your fight. Good. At least we got the speed. We just need him to sit down, so when he hits something, he breaks it. Step with it. Little bit more. Little bit more, dig down. Good. Good, good, good. Keep it right. Yes! He's doing the same thing. Yeah, it looks that way. But I think he's got something up his sleeve for you. Wow, beautiful. Yo, you gonna see Rock? Yeah, let's go! We got you! Let's go! Make history, Creed! # MEEK MILL: Lord Knows # All this ice is like 50 bricks... Come on, y'all! Let's ride! Come on! That's what I like, man! Ride with me! # Remember I prayed I really wished for this # To get the crib with the maid and with the picket fence # We took a risk for this Lord knows that I repent for this # But Lord knows if I get penned for this # I probably won't get home until I'm 56 # I don't know why they be gassing these suckers # But I am not feeling their shit # Difference between me and most of these rappers, I'm talking about work that I really put in # Talking about pistols I put on my hip... # (YELLS) # LUDWIG GORANSSON: If I Fight, You Fight (INAUDIBLE) (INAUDIBLE) (INAUDIBLE) (DISTANT SIREN) (SPORADIC CHEERS, CLAPPING) (INDISTINCT CHATTER) Place looks like a church. It's like an art museum. Yeah, it's beautiful. The fight starts in about two minutes. As soon as he shows up, he's gonna start on you. OK. (CHEERING, CLAPPING) Don't let him get to you. OK, great. Thank you all for coming. Let's get straight into questions. Uh, young lady to the left. Conlan, can we expect any more fireworks at the weigh-in? I've been doing anger management classes, trying to control that temper of mine. Just gonna make sure he forgets it all by Saturday night. (LAUGHTER) OK, next question. Young man in the glasses. What about the contrast between you two? You, the overnight success, versus Conlan's rags-to-riches background? Nothing happened overnight. I've been fighting for some time now. That's exactly how it happened. He's an overnight success. Never had a fight. He's got this shot cos he found that name last night. REPORTER: One more. There's talk about legacy in this fight. Johnson, can you speak to that? I've been working on trying to build my own legacy. Legacy? Are we at some kind of comedy club? The guy next to him, that's legacy. And I'm cut from that cloth. Don't fall for it. My father worked on the docks. His was heavyweight champion of the world. People like 'silver spoon' over here... You don't know nothing. I know enough. I'm here now, though. You a false Creed. I'll show you right now. (INDISTINCT SHOUTING) I'll do it right now! I can do it right now, bitch! (INDISTINCT SHOUTING) Creed, my asshole! Keep it down! Yo, you OK? I'm all right. Yeah. OK, we'll see what's up. I'm gonna knock that smile off your face. (KNOCKS ON DOOR) Yo, Donnie, it's Rock. Unc. You OK? Yeah, I'm good. Just couldn't sleep. Yeah, me either. Is it OK I sit down? Of course. Donnie... I'd like you to do me a favour when all this is over. Yeah, anything. OK, good. It's not important, but I just wanna lock it in, OK? Yeah, you got it. There you go. (CLEARS THROAT) Are you OK? Yeah, why? You keep looking at the door. No! No. Mm-mm. Do you hear something? No. (KNOCKS ON DOOR) Who is that? I don't know. How you doing, Bianca? What are you doing here? Y'all two are killing me. (CHUCKLES) Oh, listen. Could you guys just keep... We, uh... We know. Leg thing. Yeah. The legs, yeah. It's important. Got you. (CLEARS THROAT) You wanna come in? Yeah. Please. Look at those big, brown eyes. This is the time he won 'Baby of the Month' competition for the local Courier newspaper. 'Course, we weren't in very much doubt about it, cos he's so photogenic, eh? (CHUCKLES) I used to dread these afternoons. Now I positively cherish them. Play music. (JAUNTY CLASSICAL MUSIC PLAYS) Buckle up, Margaret. This is the future of bragging. # Oh, oh. Oh, oh. Oh. # I got it. Good. All right. A lot of room. Didn't we have enough surprises for one weekend? That's not me. Very nice colours. Why don't you take them in the other room and see how well they fit? Yeah. Hey, champ. All right, Donnie. I'm proud of you. That's gonna bring him luck. (EXHALES) You never been in front of this many people before, right? That don't matter. You've never been this far away from home. That don't matter. What matters is what you leave in that ring and what you take back with you. You know what that is? Pride. And knowing that you did your best. And you're doing it for yourself. Not for me, not your father's memory, but for you. I can see in your eyes, you're gonna do it. Let's go now. Padman. (DISTANT CROWD CHEERING) Fight's right here. Let's go. Yeah! Left hook combination. Come on, man. There you go! Go up top. STITCH: All right, guys, it's time. Let's go win a championship! It's time, baby. Let's go, guys. (CHEERING INTENSIFIES) Come on, man. Let's go. (CROWD SINGING, CHANTING, INDISTINCT) I'd always get nervous during times like this, but that's normal, and it's gonna give you energy. Very normal. Very normal. (CHEERING, JEERING) # 2PAC: Hail Mary # I ain't a killer but don't push me # Revenge is like the sweetest joy next to getting Picture paragraphs unloaded # Wise words being quoted Peeped the weakness in the rap game and sowed it # Bow down, pray to God Hoping that he's listening # Seeing niggas coming for me to my diamonds when they glistening # Now pay attention Rest in peace, Father # I'm a ghost in these killing fields Hail Mary # The solitary mind of a madman who screams in the dark # Evil lurks, enemies, see me flee # Activate my hate Let it break, to the flame # Set trip, empty out my clip Never stop to aim # Some say the game is all corrupted # Mama told me never stop until I bust a nut # The world if they can't adjust It's just as well, Hail Mary # Come with me, Hail Mary Run quick see, what do we have here # Now, do you want to ride or die La da da da, la la la la # Come with me, Hail Mary # Run, quick see What do we have here? # Now, do you wanna ride or die? # (CROWD CHANTING) Conlan! Conlan! Conlan! This is what you wanted, and what you got. And I want you to enjoy it, OK? Do that. (CHANTING) Conlan! Conlan! Conlan! (CHEERING) # KREPT & KONAN: Don't Waste My Time # If she ain't She got to go # Tell her don't waste my time # Police wanna stop me Search my clothes # Tell them don't waste my time # If it ain't money, I ain't involved # Tell them don't waste my time # Wasteman waffling down my phone # Tell them don't waste my time No, no, no, no # Tell them don't waste my time Kaboom # Tell them don't waste my time Oh, yeah # Tell them don't waste my time No # Tell them don't waste my time No, no, no, no # Tell them don't waste my time Kaboom # Tell them don't waste my time Behave # Tell them don't waste my time No # Tell them don't waste my time No, no, no, no # Pray to the Lord In this cold world # I'm a born sinner, we pour liquor # Girl, come over, it's all jigga # Chicks wanna holla Can't be my baby mama # Cos I don't need that drama # Unless she Rihanna # Most of you are bummy # I'll pop her cherry now she call me Papi... COMMENTATOR: Hello again. I'm Jim Lampley. Here comes Ricky Conlan. 100,000 on their feet for what may conceivably be his last walk to the ring for a professional fight. Max Kellerman, what chance does the young American have? He's got the name. That's why he's here tonight. Does he have the game? He's Apollo Creed's son, he's got Rocky Balboa in his corner. But all the legends in the world can't help him tonight if he can't fight. The question is, can he fight? (CHEERING) (CHANTING) Conlan! Conlan! Conlan! # Tell them don't waste my time Kaboom # Tell them don't waste my time Behave # Tell them don't waste my time No # Tell them don't waste my time # (CROWD SINGING, INDISTINCT) Ladies and gentlemen, welcome to Goodison Park here in Liverpool, England, where tonight, this is the main event. 12 rounds of boxing for the light... (ON TV) ..heavyweight championship of the world. For the thousands in attendance and the millions watching around the world, ladies and gentlemen, let's get ready to rumble! In the red corner, wearing the stars and stripes, his professional record, 16 fights, 16 victories, the challenger, Adonis 'Hollywood' Creed! (CHEERING, JEERING) And fighting out of the blue corner, wearing black with blue, with 36 fights, 28 KOs, he's the light heavyweight champion of the world, 'Pretty' Ricky Conlan! OK, let's go. Mm-hm. Well done. You know what I expect of you. We talked about it in the locker rooms. Protect yourselves and obey my commands at all times. No low blows. No silly business. Keep it clean, will you? Understand? Touch gloves. Nice shorts, boy. Too bad your daddy ain't here to fight in them. You know what? You're gonna close his big mouth, OK? You know what to do. Uh-huh. One step, one punch, one round at a time. You got this. (BELL RINGS) LAMPLEY: Round one begins. 'Pretty' Ricky Conlan in the black trunks and Adonis Creed in the red, white and blue. Conlan is significantly taller and thinks it will be easy to use his jab to keep young Creed at bay. KELLERMAN: You can see how much more relaxed Conlan is... Move your leg! Keep your left up! ..can wear you out as the fight goes on. Hard left hook by Conlan. Creed backs off. It's not easy to just jump right into the major leagues like this, having never fought an opponent like Conlan. There aren't many fighters like Conlan. Creed trying to get close to Conlan, against the ropes. Conlan easily puts distance between them again. Creed lands a jab. Conlan grins at it. Conlan fires a hard body punch, hits him hard with a right cross and backs Creed into the ropes. REF: Break! Ref, come on! Keep it clean! And he gets a warning from the referee. Creed woke him up with that shot and Conlan really made him pay for it. Creed ready to let his hands go. Creed misses and gets hit in return. Perfect uppercut on the inside. Creed down. Two! Three! I'm good. Four! Five! I'm good! I'm good. Six! Shake it off! Shake it off! But already a knockdown for Ricky Conlan. Are you OK? Are you sure? I'm good! Fight! (BELL RINGS) Conlan lands a shot after the bell, and round one was all Ricky Conlan. Real for you now, boy. Real for you now. Fight him, Conlan! Yeah! (CROWD CHANTING) How's the eye? A little bloody. All right. Don't get rattled. I'm gonna knock his ass out. In the next round. Don't wait. Make mistakes like that, we're gonna pick you up with a vacuum cleaner. Adonis was lucky there wasn't another 30 seconds. Come on, baby. What you doing? Here's what I want you to do. He's gonna jab and throw the right. When he leaves it out there, drop that right hook and smash him. Stay focused. Round one was a forbidding experience for young Adonis Creed. And now, after a discussion with Rocky Balboa between rounds, he comes in for more. Conlan showed his power with the uppercut at the end of round one. Goes back to boxing to begin the second. Be first! Keep the pressure on, Rick! Logic says Creed needs to find a way to get inside of Conlan's long arms and create pressure on the inside. Come on! So far, it's still mostly Ricky Conlan. Hard left hook for Conlan. Uppercut. Keep your hands up! Creed into the corner again. Tie him up! Tie him up! Creed wraps him up and pulls him in to stop the onslaught. You the champ, right? Huh? You the champ? Show me. Come on. There's a perfect right-hand shot by Creed! Yeah! Yes! Creed misses wildly and they are going toe-to-toe. It's becoming a phone booth fight! Go! Go! Trading punches. Right hand, left hand! Both guys landing! This is unbelievable! Throw a hook! Come on! (BELL RINGS) Hard right hand by Creed. You bleed just like me, man! Go to your corners! Come on! You bleed just like me! That ain't shit! If Conlan thought he had a pushover, he knows better now! He bleed like me! You belong in here. They don't know what you've been through or what we've been through. I don't want you trading blows with him. I want you to protect yourself. Keep your distance! I'm gonna smash this kid! Now he knows you're for real. You gotta believe you can do it. That was such a big round for Creed. Not just on the scorecards, but psychologically, Jim. You woke up a sleeping giant. He's gonna come at you with all he's got. Adonis, looking more and more comfortable, seems to have found his rhythm. Go and finish him off. (BELL RINGS) This is a slugfest! One punch at a time! Come on, D! Conlan trying to punish Creed. Finish him now! (BELL RINGS) Big combination to end the third by Conlan and Creed does not know where he is, walking to the wrong corner. His arm is long. Because you're playing his game, Donnie. Be patient. One step, one punch... One round at a time. There you go. One step. One punch. One round at a time. Round five of a scheduled 12. Already it's a far different fight than most expected. He's just a pretender. He's lucky to be in the same ring with you hitting him. OK? Adonis Creed has succeeded in pressuring Conlan and making him fight. Creed has proven plenty in this fight. He's taken it, he's given it back. But he does not look like a match for the best pound-for-pound fighter in the world. You're going through hell, but you're hurting him too. I can see it in his eyes. You're not as far behind as you think. Shorten that jab, shorten the distance, get underneath him and you'll be able to rip him. You gotta push him back. Most critics didn't think Creed could make it this far. Step under! Yes! Come on, Ricky! Creed is assertively taking over. A hard counter right drives Creed back into the corner just when Creed was taking control... (BELL RINGS) ..Conlan comes close to knocking him down. Use that pressure. You're in the driving seat. He's not used to this level. Get him on the rope. Get him on the rope! Deep breath. Boy's fast. Hey! It's you against you. Me against me. That's right. He's just in your way. Get him out of the way! Let's go! Not only is young Adonis Creed still in the ring, he may be in the fight. Hard left hand by Creed! Conlan was an overwhelmingly heavy favourite, pounding young Creed with right hands as you saw right there. Bring back everything that's ever hurt you. (DISTORTED) All the pain inside. Everything that held you back. Put it in both fists and I want you to drive it through his body, and I promise you, his head will fall. We're into the part of the fight where all your instincts come into play. Most experts expected that Conlan would avoid trading shots with Creed, but he's trading willingly. Creed fires a hard body punch. Conlan in trouble! Hard left hand to the body. Yeah! The champ is in bad shape, Jim. Creed has a better chance of hurting Conlan to the body than to the head! What an uppercut! No! And Creed staggers back. Body! Body! Body! To the body, trading shots! Pawing with his jab, Creed looks to land one big shot. Move your legs! (CHEERING) Yeah! Yeah! Donnie, get up! Get up, D! Come on, baby. Stitch! (BEEPING) (GRUNTS) Creed just got up like a man possessed. He was down but not out. Conlan thinks he's celebrating a knockout. He's getting up! The referee is dusting Creed's gloves. REF: You're good. Creed beats the count, and the action begins again. That's the heart of a champion. He has his daddy's heart. Donnie, be ready! More work to do for Conlan. Body shot. Body shot. Trying to set Creed up one more time. (BELL RINGS) Stitch has done a great job over that right eye, but now the left eye looks like it's almost shut. Closing up. Is he OK? Go back to your seat. Stay there, Bianca, it's OK. I'm cool, man, I'm cool! I'm good. You're good? You sure? I'm good. He's taken a lot of punishment to both the body and the head. Left eye completely closed. I'm gonna stop this thing. No! Let me see the eye. Time! Doc, give him a look! All right. Show me your eye. Show me your eye, Adonis! How many fingers? How many fingers? How many, Adonis? Four. And again. Two. REF: Time in! Breathe through your mouth. Deep breaths, kid. Deep. You are up on the cards, you're winning. You are gonna win. But just keep away from him. He's going to sleep this time! He's going out! I should've stopped it with your father. I'm stopping this now. Don't, OK? Let me finish. I gotta prove it. Prove what? That I'm not a mistake. Look at me. I never got a chance to thank Apollo for helping me out after Mickey died. But it's nothing compared to what you've done. You taught me how to fight again and I'm gonna go home and fight this thing. But if I fight, I want you to fight too. I want you to go across this ring and knock that son of a bitch down. Can you do it? Say it. I'm gonna knock that son of a bitch down. I know you are. You know why? Cos you're a Creed and I love you, kid. I love you, too. Go on. All right, let's go. (ROCKY THEME MUSIC) Go get him, Donnie! (BELL RINGS) Round 12 begins. Virtually no-one outside of Adonis Creed's family and group of friends would ever have expected to see him in the 12th round against 'Pretty' Ricky Conlan and trading shots as they come to these last three minutes. There's a hard left hook upstairs. Yeah! Every time you wanna say it's the beginning of the end, the other guy comes through with a shot you can't believe. Hard right hand by Conlan. Come on! Don't sit there! They're trading shots in the kind of back-and-forth action that most of us didn't expect to see. Oh! Creed getting hit with some hard shots, but landing some of his own, and Adonis is firing back! Another pitched battle between the two warriors. Nail him! Come on, kid! Creed spins, puts the champ in the corner! Body! Body! Throwing body shots like he's Rocky Balboa! Going upstairs like he's Apollo Creed! Knock his ass out! Closing seconds of the fight! Ricky! That's what I'm talking about! Conlan is down! That is the first time in his career he's been on the canvas. You cannot be saved by the bell in the 12th and final round. Ricky, get up! Stay down! Stay down! Stay down! Six! Dramatic count! Seven! Eight! He must get up to preserve his chance. Are you all right? Look at me! I'm all right! He's up! (BELL RINGS) The bell sounds, so Conlan survives the 12th round! What a finish! If that round goes another 30 seconds, we may have a new champion. An unforgettable fight on an unforgettable night! He's no longer just the namesake of Apollo Creed, he's the living embodiment. Ladies and gentlemen, a round of applause for these two warriors in the ring! To the winner by split decision... ..and still the undefeated champion of the world... You did great, kid. ..'Pretty' Ricky Conlan! Hey, you were robbed. If this fight had been ten seconds longer, ten seconds longer... CONLAN: Creed. You go and get it, chum. You the future of this division. You wear that name with pride. Respect. Congratulations, Adonis, on a sensational effort. I just wanna thank my mom. She's at home. I love you. I know she's mad at me for doing this. Hopefully, I made her proud. You almost gave me a heart attack, but I'm proud of you. I got my family here. Without them, none of this would've been possible. Rocky, Apollo Creed's son looks at you and says "family." What does that mean to you? It means I'm a lucky guy. What can I say? Right, kid? He's a real fighter, and he's helping me fight a few things, so I appreciate it. I really do. Adonis, I know you never met your father. But if he was here tonight, what would you say to him? I'd just tell him that I love him. I know he didn't leave me on purpose. I'm proud to be a Creed. Thanks, Adonis, and congratulations on a sensational performance. Jim. (CROWD CHANTING) Creed! Creed! Creed! Creed! Creed! Creed! Creed! Creed! Creed! Go on. Talk to them. Go on. (CHANTING QUICKENS) Creed! Creed! Creed! (CHEERING) This crowd is up on its feet. No-one wants to leave the arena. Everyone in here knows they've seen something special. A fight they'll never forget. Ricky Conlan wins the fight. Adonis Creed wins the night. (GROANS) This is it? Yeah. I just wanna see if I can get up these steps. When's the first time you came here? I was 12. I think it's my favourite place. When you get to the top... you think you can fly. Almost there. You got this. Come on, young man. Just let me catch my breath. Come on, no breaks. We rest at the top. Just a minute. No, this is what you asked for, right? Let's go. One step at a time. (PANTING) Yeah. Come on. One step at a time. Who told you that? Some old guy. No, I meant that for you, not for me. (BOTH CHUCKLE) I think they added a few more steps. I don't know. Almost there. I'm gonna take these last two. One more step. (STRAINS) How you feeling? Ah, good. Really good. You all right there, old man? Yeah. Nice view. You know, if you look hard enough, you can see your whole life from up here. How does it look? Not bad at all. And you? Not bad at all.