Sylvester Stallone has achieved legendary status as Rocky Balboa from the Rocky film series. Over the course of the series, he has fought formidable foes including Dolph Lundgren. But real-life boxer and athlete Mike Tyson was one opponent Stallone flat-out refused to fight. Stallone, aware of Tyson’s abilities, was unwilling to face him even in a make-believe match. Stallone wanted to try something new with the Rocky franchise’s sixth feature, Rocky Balboa. So that the boxing sequences in the film would be more realistic, he chose to use actual professional fighters. Antonio Tarver, a former light heavyweight champion, was cast as Balboa’s final opponent, Mason Dixon. Tyson had lobbied for a part in the film, but Stallone was unwilling to face off with him. For example, Stallone has been quoted as saying, “Mike wanted to fight me in this film but I thought it was a bad idea. I know I’m not that young, but I’m still too young to die.” Although Stallone eventually extended an offer to have Tyson appear in the film, Tyson never accepted. However, Stallone couldn’t have gotten the same amount of realism out of the combat sequences without Tarver, so including him in the film was a smart move. Stallone’s decision to work with actual fighters who know their stuff and have the stamina to back it up has helped him become a household name. It gave the movie a more personal feel and helped the audience connect with the characters. Stallone reflected on working with real fighters, saying, “The beauty of working with a real fighter is that he incorporated these real-life scenarios where he would counter-punch and do things that I could never have come up with.”
