Chuck Wepner, an obscure boxer from New Jersey who once went 15 rounds with Muhammad Ali in a fight served as the inspiration for the creation of what on-screen personality?
"New Jersey, and was an expert in consumer liquors, wines and spirits. A film about Wepner's career was released in 2012, and ESPN aired a documentary titled ""The Real Rocky"" on October 25, 2011. The ESPN film features a clip of Wepner's ninth round knockdown of Muhammad Ali in their 1975 world heavyweight title bout. Wepner occasionally makes ringside appearances at boxing cards in his home state of New Jersey, signing autographs and posing for photos with boxing fans. On October 12, 2012, Wepner appeared ringside with former World Light Heavyweight champion Mike Rossman in Atlantic City, New Jersey at"
"a Tropicana Casino & Resort Atlantic City fight card featuring a WBA NABA Lightweight title bout in the main event. Wepner held the WBA NABA heavyweight title during his boxing career. Chuck Wepner Charles Wepner (born February 26, 1939) is an American former professional boxer who fought as a heavyweight. As a world ranked contender he fell just seconds short of a full fifteen rounds with world heavyweight champion Muhammad Ali in a 1975 title fight. Wepner also scored notable wins over Randy Neumann and former World Heavyweight Champion Ernie Terrell. Wepner's boxing career, his connection to the 1976 film"
"2015 in Suffern, New York. ""Chuck"" received its world premiere at the 2016 Venice Film Festival on September 2, 2016. It was released May 5, 2017, by IFC Films. In 1975, heavyweight boxer Chuck Wepner (Liev Schreiber) challenges the heavyweight champion, Muhammad Ali (Pooch Hall), for the world title. On May 10, 2011, it was announced that Jeff Feuerzeig would direct the boxing drama ""The Bleeder"" based on the script he co-wrote with Jerry Stahl, about a true story of the heavyweight boxer Chuck Wepner. Michael Tollin and Carl Hampe were attached as producers, while Linda Zander's Maxar Pictures was"
"is the tendency to leak ""tomato juice"" (i.e., blood) when battered. ""Tomato cans"" are similar to jobbers in professional wrestling in that they serve to enhance the stature of someone the promotion uses to draw a crowd. Victory over a ""tomato can"" is not a certainty. Journeyman boxers generally regarded as ""tomato cans"" have been known to provide surprising challenges to champions and in several instances, cause shocking upsets against supposedly superior opponents. On March 24, 1975, Muhammad Ali faced Chuck Wepner, a lightly regarded but popular boxer from New Jersey. A former nightclub bouncer, Wepner was nicknamed ""The Bayonne"
"Bleeder"" and was considered a washed-up contender with a mediocre record. Don King selected Wepner as a ""tomato can"" to provide an easy victory for Ali after his famous win over George Foreman. In a surprising turn of events, Wepner scored a disputed knockdown in the ninth round, and survived 19 seconds short of the distance, before losing by TKO in the 15th round. Wepner's bout with Ali provided the inspiration for Sylvester Stallone's movie ""Rocky"". In a fight on February 11, 1990, Mike Tyson lost his championship to James ""Buster"" Douglas in Tokyo. The victory over Tyson, the previously"
"which stars Reese Witherspoon and premiered at the 2014 Toronto International Film Festival to positive reviews. He followed this up with ""My Internship in Canada"" (2015), which premiered at the 2015 Toronto International Film Festival. In 2015, Falardeau directed the film ""Chuck"", which depicts the life of the heavyweight boxer Chuck Wepner, played by Liev Schreiber, and his 1975 fight with the heavyweight champion, Muhammad Ali. The film had its world premiere at the Venice Film Festival on September 2, 2016, and was subsequently released on May 5, 2017, by IFC Films. The film received positive reviews; on review aggregator"
"time. His professional record comprised thirty wins, nine losses, and two draws. He had earned the moniker ""The Bayonne Bleeder"" because he would readily get cut during boxing fights, and because he was from Bayonne, New Jersey. Prior to the Ali fight, Wepner had fought with Sonny Liston in Liston's final boxing match; after the bout Wepner had required 120 stitches. The fight was thought to be an easy win for Ali who did minimal training for it. Asked why he had not trained harder for this fight, Ali had commented: ""Don King induced a Cleveland tycoon named Carl Lombardo"
"the boxers in the film are former or current world heavyweight championship caliber boxers. It was quickly decided that 'Hollywood fighting'—passing the fist (or foot) between the camera and the face to create the illusion of a hit—would not be used in favor of actual boxing. The only limitation placed upon the fighters was for Charles Shufford (who plays George Foreman). He was permitted to hit Smith as hard as he could, so long as he did not actually knock the actor out. Smith had to gain a significant amount of weight to look the part of Muhammad Ali. ""Ali"""
"and meager PPV sales couldn't refinance. Murad Muhammad Murad Muhammad is an American boxing promoter, the owner of the company M & M Sports. Murad’s introduction to boxing was through traveling the world with Muhammad Ali. He was only 16 then and for 10 years, he was Ali’s personal security man. He became the first African-American to receive a promoter’s license in the State of New Jersey in the mid 1970s. Muhammad was the first promoter to have a professional boxing show held and televised behind prison walls when HBO televised a fight out of Rahway State Prison between prisoner"
"Muhammad Ali Muhammad Ali (; born Cassius Marcellus Clay Jr.; January 17, 1942 – June 3, 2016) was an American professional boxer, activist, and philanthropist. Nicknamed ""The Greatest"", he is widely regarded as one of the most significant and celebrated sports figures of the 20th century and one of the greatest boxers of all time. He was born and raised in Louisville, Kentucky, and began training as an amateur boxer when he was 12 years old. At age 18, he won a gold medal in the light heavyweight division at the 1960 Summer Olympics in Rome, then turned professional later"
"of over fifty years, Marie Maloney(1892–1984), a native Chicagoan. She never saw him fight professionally, but together they opened Coulon's Gymnasium on the South Side of Chicago around 1923. Marie was the business manager, and helped to match fighters who performed at the gym both as professionals and amateurs. Coulon's professional career was over when they met, but together they saw many of the great boxers train at their gym down thru the years — these included Jack Dempsey, Gene Tunney, Jim Braddock, Joe Louis, Sugar Ray Robinson, and Muhammad Ali."" Ali would often use the gym to keep himself"
"by the Cauliflower Alley Club. Bodak co-authored ""Boxing Basics"", a book published in 1979 that outlines the fundamentals of boxing including psychological preparation, physical conditioning, offensive and defensive strategies, and ring psychology. Bodak played the role of Cesar's cutman in the 1999 film ""Play It to the Bone"" and portrayed himself in two documentaries, ""More Than Famous"" in 2003 and ""The Distance"" in 2006. Chuck Bodak Vasil ""Chuck"" Bodak (June 3, 1916 - February 6, 2009) was an American boxing cutman and trainer who worked with over 50 world champions including Muhammad Ali, Rocky Marciano, Tommy Hearns, Julio Cesar Chavez,"
"Ali (film) Ali is a 2001 American biographical sports drama film written, produced and directed by Michael Mann. The film focuses on ten years in the life of the boxer Muhammad Ali, played by Will Smith, from 1964 to 1974, featuring his capture of the heavyweight title from Sonny Liston, his conversion to Islam, criticism of the Vietnam War, and banishment from boxing, his return to fight Joe Frazier in 1971, and, finally, his reclaiming the title from George Foreman in the Rumble in the Jungle fight of 1974. It also touches on the great social and political upheaval in"
"County and New Jersey's pugilist past, which includes the 1921 Dempsey – Carpentier world heavyweight championship at Boyle's Thirty Acres. The current armory has hosted many bouts, including those with James J. Braddock, Sonny Liston, and Chuck Wepner, aka ""Bayonne Bleeder"". In a 1979 fund raiser for the Jersey City Medical Center then Mayor of Jersey City Thomas F. X. Smith challenged Muhammad Ali to an exhibition bout, and went three rounds before a crowd of 8,000. In 2010, the first fight card in three decades returned to the Armory with the mixed martial arts Urban Conflict Championship. Trials for"
"Murad Muhammad Murad Muhammad is an American boxing promoter, the owner of the company M & M Sports. Murad’s introduction to boxing was through traveling the world with Muhammad Ali. He was only 16 then and for 10 years, he was Ali’s personal security man. He became the first African-American to receive a promoter’s license in the State of New Jersey in the mid 1970s. Muhammad was the first promoter to have a professional boxing show held and televised behind prison walls when HBO televised a fight out of Rahway State Prison between prisoner and ranked fighter, James Scott, against"
"John Olson (forger) John Olson is a forger associated with the FBI's Operation Bullpen investigation. He pled guilty to forging thousands of Muhammad Ali and various other autographs. The FBI gathered information on the ring during a previous sting known as operation FOUL BALL. They launched the investigation that would ultimately culminate with a bust on October 13, 1999. They took down the biggest forgery ring in sports memorabilia history. Chuck Wepner, a former sparring partner of Ali and tough man boxer from Bayonne, New Jersey, would vouch for the autographs and John Olson and others would sign the items."
"counter as his most dangerous strike. McGregor will almost always engage in trash talk and ""psychological warfare"" against his opponents, which has led to comparisons with Muhammad Ali, whom McGregor cites as one of his early inspirations. After Ali died in June 2016, McGregor opined that ""nobody will ever come close to [Ali's] greatness"". When McGregor was twelve years old, he began boxing at Crumlin Boxing Club under two-time Olympian Phil Sutcliffe. It was here where he laid the foundations to his striking ability, training with fighters such as Dean Byrne and Jamie Kavanagh, both of whom went on to"
"Talia Shire's ensuing audition, Chartoff and Winkler, along with Avildsen, insisted that she play the part. Boxer Joe Frazier has a cameo appearance in the film. The character of Apollo Creed was influenced by outspoken boxer Muhammad Ali who fought Frazier three times. During the 49th Academy Awards ceremony in 1977, Ali and Stallone staged a brief comic confrontation to show Ali was not offended by the film. Some of the plot's most memorable moments—Rocky's carcass-punching scenes and Rocky running up the steps of the Philadelphia Museum of Art, as part of his training regimen—are taken from the real-life exploits"
"nine of his next eleven fights, including victories over Charlie Polite and former WBA Heavyweight champion Ernie Terrell. In 1975, it was announced Wepner would challenge Muhammad Ali for the world's Heavyweight title. According to the ""Cleveland Plain Dealer"" (February 9, 1975, Page 4-C), Carl Lombardo put up $1.3 million for the Wepner-Ali heavyweight title bout. According to a ""Time"" article, ""In Stitches"", Ali was guaranteed $1.5 million and Wepner signed for $100,000. This was considerably more than Wepner had ever earned and he therefore did not need any coaxing. Wepner spent eight weeks near the Catskill Mountains under the"
"Ali: An American Hero Ali: An American Hero is an American television film which aired on August 31, 2000 on FOX. It chronicles portions of the career of heavyweight boxer Muhammad Ali, who is portrayed by David Ramsey. Cassius Clay (David Ramsey), winner of the gold medal for boxing in the light heavyweight division at the 1960 Summer Olympics, rises in the professional ranks and defeats heavyweight boxing champion Sonny Liston in a stunning upset to capture the title in 1964. Controversy surrounds his decision to join the Nation of Islam, his name change from Cassius Clay to Muhammad Ali,"
"stance gained sympathy, he spoke at colleges across the nation, criticizing the Vietnam War and advocating African American pride and racial justice. While banned from sanctioned bouts, Ali settled a $1 million lawsuit against radio producer Murray Woroner by accepting $10,000 to appear in a privately staged fantasy fight against retired champion Rocky Marciano. In 1969 the boxers were filmed sparring for about 75 one-minute rounds; they acted out several different endings. A computer program purportedly determined the winner, based on data about the fighters. Edited versions of the bout were shown in movie theaters in 1970. In the U.S."
"meals and two small ones a day, roughly equaling 3000 calories a day. Also, while on the show he revealed that he was six foot three. Ray Fisher (actor) Ray Fisher (born September 8, 1987) is an American actor, who played on stage in the comedy ""The Good, the Bad, and the Confused"", as Muhammad Ali in Will Power's play ""Fetch Clay, Make Man"". He is most known for his portrayal of Victor Stone / Cyborg in the DC Extended Universe appearing first in a cameo in """" (2016) and then in a lead role in ""Justice League"" (2017). Fisher"
"Nationals. In 2003, he became the all-India youth boxing champion. The turning point, however, came in the 2003 Afro-Asian Games. Despite being a junior boxer, Vijender took part in the selection trials and was picked for the meet where he fought valiantly to win a silver medal. His boxing style, hooks and uppercut are compared by the media with the style of actor Sylvester Stallone as the character Rocky Balboa in the ""Rocky"" film series. Vijender cites him as one of his primary influences, along with boxers Mike Tyson and Muhammad Ali, and boxing promoter Don King. Vijender competed at"
"Nicknamed ""The Bayonne Bleeder"", he began posting many wins and some losses. He had formerly boxed while a member of the United States Marine Corps, and had worked as a bouncer before turning pro. He was the New Jersey State Heavyweight Boxing Champion, but after losing fights to George Foreman (by knockout in three) and Sonny Liston (by knockout in ten) many boxing fans thought that his days as a contender were numbered. After the fight with Liston, Wepner needed 72 stitches in his face. However, after losing to Joe Bugner by a knockout in three in England, Wepner won"
"Gardner's son was just a toddler at the time. Chris Gardner reportedly thought Smith—an actor best known for his performances in action movies—was miscast to play him. However, he said his daughter Jacintha ""set him straight"" by saying, ""If Smith can play Muhammad Ali, he can play you!"" Gardner makes a cameo appearance in the film, walking past Will and Jaden in the final scene. Gardner and Will acknowledge each other; Will then looks back at Gardner walking away as his son proceeds to tell him knock knock jokes. In the hope Gardner's story would inspire the down-trodden citizens of"
"known as ""The Bayonne Bleeder"", stunned Ali with a knockdown in the ninth round; Ali would later say he tripped on Wepner's foot. It was a bout that would inspire Sylvester Stallone to create the acclaimed film, ""Rocky"". Ali then agreed to a third match with Joe Frazier in Manila. The bout, known as the ""Thrilla in Manila"", was held on October 1, 1975, in temperatures approaching . In the first rounds, Ali was aggressive, moving and exchanging blows with Frazier. However, Ali soon appeared to tire and adopted the ""rope-a-dope"" strategy, frequently resorting to clinches. During this part of"
"all involved in the fight (citing the Larry Holmes vs. Gerry Cooney battle in 1982 and the playing of the race card in that instance as a precedent), and he vows to either find or ""create"" a white contender in no time at all. After failing to find a white boxer currently in the sport suitable by any means, he discovers that Roper actually lost to a white boxer, Terry Conklin (Peter Berg), back in his amateur days. The Sultan and his unethical crew (which contains actors Cheech Marin, Jon Lovitz, Salli Richardson and Corbin Bernsen) find Conklin in Cleveland,"
"along with Michael Jordan and Babe Ruth. On the set of ""Freedom Road"" Ali met Canadian singer-songwriter Michel (also known as Robert Williams, a co-founder of The Kindness Offensive), and subsequently helped create Michel's album entitled ""The First Flight of the Gizzelda Dragon"" and an unaired television special featuring them both. Ali was the subject of the British television program ""This Is Your Life"" in 1978 when he was surprised by Eamonn Andrews. Ali was featured in ""Superman vs. Muhammad Ali"", a 1978 DC Comics comic book pitting the champ against the superhero. In 1979, Ali guest-starred as himself in"
"vaudeville days, Buster Keaton developed his deadpan expression. Keaton realized that audiences responded better to his stony expression than when he smiled, and he carried this style into his silent film career. The 1980 film ""Airplane!"" was performed almost entirely in deadpan. Many popular American sitcoms use deadpan expressions to deliver dry humor, including ""Curb Your Enthusiasm"", ""Arrested Development"", and ""My Name Is Earl"". More recent examples are Andre Braugher as Captain Raymond Holt from the TV show ""Brooklyn Nine-Nine"", Jennette McCurdy as Sam Puckett in ""iCarly"", and Louis C.K. in ""Louie"". Another example is the comedy of Steven Wright."
"war, but he still respected him greatly as a fighter and as a man. Cassius Clay vs. Tunney Hunsaker Olympic Light heavyweight boxing champion Cassius Clay (later Muhammad Ali) fought Tunney Hunsaker in a six-round match on October 29, 1960. Clay won the bout through a unanimous decision on points. This was Ali's first fight as a professional. Hunsaker was a part time boxer who was for many years a respected police officer in Fayetteville, West Virginia. He also helped to train young fighters and he and Ali were friends for many years afterwards. In a 1980 Sports Illustrated article,"
"It began performances at the Winter Garden Theater on Broadway on February 11, 2014, and officially opened on March 13, 2014. The 2016 film ""Chuck"" depicts Chuck Wepner, his 1975 title fight with the heavyweight champion, Muhammad Ali, and the fight's influence on the screenplay for ""Rocky"". ""Rocky"" is featured in the 2017 documentary ""John G. Avildsen: King of the Underdogs"" about Academy Award-winning ""Rocky"" director John G. Avildsen, directed and produced by Derek Wayne Johnson. Sylvester Stallone hand-picked Derek Wayne Johnson to direct and produce a documentary on the making of the original ""Rocky"", currently entitled ""40 Years of"
"to underwrite the show for $1.3‐million. Video Techniques put in $200,000 and that just about took care of the nut. Video Techniques had snatched the champion out of Top Rank's clutches but now had a mismatch in a cornfield; a million‐dollar turkey in a 5 and 10 cent store."" Ali and Wepner did some television interviews together to promote the fight.They were on 'The Mike Douglas Show' when Ali leaned towards Wepner during a break and said: Upon Wepner's refusal to grant him the favor he sought, Ali started shouting as soon as the show's host reappeared on the set:"
"low-budget action movies could go. Pyun met with the three Shah brothers and pitched them his ideas for the film and its possibilities. He left the screenplay with the Shah's and they called the next day to say they wanted to make the film. However, there was one condition: they wanted the lead changed from a 13-year-old girl to a 30-year-old male, so as to utilize their recent discovery, French kickboxer Olivier Gruner. At a long meeting at Imperial, both sides went back and forth until Imperial agreed that, other than the sex change, they would let Pyun make the"