Apollo Creed had recently retired from professional boxing when he was lured out of retirement to fight Ivan Drago. It was a fight he never should have accepted.
After spending months sidelined cooking stew and partying with Jesse Venture and Arnold Schwarzenegger, Creed was barely in fighting shape when he took up the challenge. But it was his love of the United States, flashy spectacles, James Brown, and oversized hats that lured him out of retirement.
The fight would take place in 1985 at the MGM Grand in Las Vegas, and it was heavily hyped. The media was on fire. This showdown shared so many similarities with the ensuing Cold War. Which side would win?
Well, in the first battle a cocky and flamboyant Apollo Creed was crushed to death by a barrage of punches thrown by the Soviet in the second round.
It wasn’t Creed’s best bout. He seemed sluggish and over-confident. And outside of a slight offensive in the second round, Apollo was obliterated. His lackluster performance was also capped off by his death.
It was a crushing end to a spectacular career. Unfortunately, the always-talkative Creed was left speechless.
The media paid little attention to the death, and instead put all of their focus on Rocky Balboa. Balboa was planning to fight Drago in Moscow later that year, a bout he would eventually win.
A small charity was set up for Creed’s wife after Apollo’s death. Creed had spent most of his previous winnings on his lavish introduction at the MGM Grand.
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