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November 27, 1975 - Undisputed heavyweight champion Apollo Creed, then undefeated in his professional career, signed to fight unknown Philadelphian Rocky Balboa as a replacement opponent for his heavily promoted Bicentennial Fight.  Balboa was given only five weeks to train for the event.

December 8, 1975 -  Photographer Fred Gallo, who was closely following Balboa's training schedule, took a now iconic photograph of Balboa raising his arms in victory at the Philadelphia Museum of Art. 

The famous image became the basis for a LIFE Magazine cover story and later inspired the bronze Balboa statue commissioned by the city of Philadelphia. 

 January, 1 1976 -
    "A Million-To-One Shot" Super Fight I  

Only expected to last 3 rounds with the undefeated Apollo Creed, Rocky Balboa - outmatched in both skill and conditioning - went the entire 15 rounds with champion Apollo Creed.  Creed won indecisively by a controversial split decision.  No fighter before Balboa had lasted more than 12 rounds with Creed and no fighter before had knocked him off his feet.

Less than an hour after the fight, Creed loudly demanded a rematch.

 November 20, 1978
    "The Fight Of The Century" Super Fight II

After a year - and after two very impressive 3-round title defenses against Buddy Shaw and Mack Lee Green, Apollo Creed secured a return fight with Balboa. Both Creed and Balboa trained long and vigorously for the Thanksgiving Day fight, which was the most watched sporting event that year.

 

 

 

 

 

Though Creed won the majority of the rounds, Balboa won by knockout, rising and beating Creed in a double-knockdown at the end of the 15th round, becoming the undisputed world heavyweight champion.  Balboa spent months recovering before training for his first title defense. 

Creed had three more professional fights, all early round knockout victories, before finally retiring in 1980. Creed went on record saying that he "learned to live with the loss but would never be used to losing."

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