ThresholdDweller — 9 years ago(November 20, 2016 09:53 PM)

I just watched a 2013 documentary about the Arturo Gatti-Micky Ward fights and caught a couple of things from one of their matchups that showed up in Rocky Balboa. Maybe this has been mentioned before, but if so, I haven't seen it:

1. Gatti broke his right hand on Ward's hip, like Dixon did on Rocky's hip.
2. Gatti fought through it, eventually starting to use the right hand again - like Dixon.
3. At the end of the fight, Jim Lampley said, "One of the most overused words in the sport is 'incredible.' I hate to say it. But this is incredible." (Word for word what he said in Rocky Balboa)
   Even the final round of the Gatti-Ward fight was similar to the final round in RB, with the two fighters standing in the center of the ring trading quick punches until the final bell. Since that Gatti-Ward fight took place in 2003, it's easy to see how that had a big influence on at least the fight sequence in Rocky Balboa.