Sylvester Stallone has spent decades proving people wrong. He created Rocky, became one of Hollywood’s biggest stars, earned Oscar nominations and built a franchise that changed his life forever. However, one childhood wound never healed.

In a recent interview, Stallone spoke about the pain he carried from his upbringing and how some of the success he chased throughout his life didn’t provide the ending he wanted.

Rocky’s greatest gift

Rocky transformed Stallone from a struggling actor into a global superstar.

The film won the Academy Award for Best Picture and launched one of the most successful franchises in film history. This made Stallone a household name and opened the door to another iconic role in Rambo.

However, Rocky’s success always seemed to come with a bit of sadness.

For years, he struggled to gain recognition as an actor outside of the franchise he created.

Even when that recognition finally came thanks to his Golden Globe-winning performance in “Creed,” many still argue that Stallone’s best acting work came decades earlier in “Cop Land.”

Despite all the success that followed, Rocky remained the role that defined him.

The only thing that’s missing

What makes Stallone’s comments so revealing is that none of these achievements gave him what he wanted most.

Rocky made him eminent and earned him Oscar nominations for both Rocky and Creed, placing the underdog boxer at the center of the most crucial work of his career.

But success could not rewrite the past.

Stallone revealed that even winning the Oscars at the height of Rocky’s success didn’t give Rocky the acceptance he had been looking for for years.

“You want the people you love to say no to you, and now you’re here, you’re at the Oscars, and they don’t want to go,” Stallone recalled.

For most, this moment would be the finish line.

No amount of success can force someone to give you what they never wanted to give.

Another rocky story

For many fans, Rocky is the ultimate story of perseverance and triumph against impossible odds.

In many ways, Stallone lived this story himself.

He fought for the role, fought to get the movie made, and built a career that exceeded even his expectations after refusing to give up his starring role in Rocky.

But nearly fifty years later, Stallone still talks about the pain he felt long before Rocky stepped into the ring.

Rocky changed Sylvester Stallone’s life.

Thanks to him, he became eminent all over the world.

But it just couldn’t give him the acceptance he had been chasing all his life.

About the author

Phil Jay is the editor-in-chief of World Boxing News (WBN) and a boxing veteran with over 15 years of experience. Read the full biography.

Usyk’s future has become a major topic of conversation in boxing following his controversial 11th-round stoppage victory over Rico Verhoeven in May. While some observers have called for a rematch with the decorated kickboxing champion, others believe the undefeated Ukrainian should fulfill his duties as the WBC heavyweight champion.

The former two-weight world champion argued that Kabayel deserved another chance.

“If he stays energetic, Kabayel deserves to fight for the title. You can’t just stay energetic and hold the world title hostage,” Malignaggi told Froch on Fighting. “If you want to become a champion, you must either be stripped or accept duty.”

Malignaggi also questioned how long Usyk should continue to compete at the highest level, pointing out the reality of aging even for elite players.

“I think at this age it’s very, very arduous to maintain a championship level all the time if you’re a guy like Usyk,” Malignaggi said. “That’s why I think he’s achieved so much. Maybe retirement is the best option. But if he’s going to retire, then retire.”

The comments come amid growing debate over the 39-year-old’s next move. Usyk has previously indicated he intends to fight only a circumscribed number of fights before retiring, but his latest performance has raised up-to-date questions about how long he can maintain the standards that have made him a two-time undisputed champion.

Kabayel strengthened his title shot chances with an impressive win streak that catapulted him to the must-see position in the WBC. If Usyk decides to remain champion, the undefeated German now appears to be first in line.

According to Malignaggi, this issue leaves little room for debate. The champion either defends against the challenger he is about to face or steps aside so the division can move forward.

Floyd Mayweather will face Greek kickboxing champion Mike Zambidis on Saturday, June 27 at the Telekom Center Athens inside the OAKA Olympic Convoluted, headlining Battle of the Legends, an 18-fight card featuring boxing, kickboxing, Muay Thai, MMA and freestyle wrestling. The platform announced Wednesday that the entire card will be streamed live globally on DAZN on pay-per-view, and the event will be available free to Ultimate subscribers.

The fight was announced in May as a full-contact exhibition, which was confirmed by the promoters at a press conference in Las Vegas. Mayweather, 49, retired from professional boxing in 2017 with a 50-0 record, 15 major world titles in five weight classes ranging from super featherweight to airy middleweight, and a bronze medal at the 1996 Olympics. Since leaving the professional ranks, he has participated in a number of international exhibitions.

According to event organizers, Zambidis, an 18-time world kickboxing champion, set a career record of 180 fights, including 158 victories and 87 knockouts. The Athens native built his reputation at international competitions and K-1 events in Japan before retiring from regular competition.

Main and featured fights

In the co-main event, Portuguese Octavio Pudivitr will face Colombian Roamer Alexis Angulo for the silver WBC International championship.

The card also features the professional boxing debut of Ihor Potieria, the first Ukrainian athlete to compete in the UFC, who will face Antonio Zepeda of Mayweather’s TMT team. The second TMT fighter, undefeated Canadian Joseph Brown, will face Greek champion Leonidas Sopranidis.

Boxing card

The boxing portion of the card features Greek youth champion Alexandros Beltekos against gold medalist Dionysis Stroubis, Michalis Tsamalidis against Charilis Malichoudis and three-time Greek champion Odysseas Tsakouridis against undefeated WBF International champion Gelian Rojkou.

In women’s boxing, four-time Greek champion and three-time European champion Anna Maria Tryfylli will face Serbian professional Sara Marjanovic. At the heavyweight gala, undefeated Greek prospect Konstantinos Plateias will face Michael Essomba from Cameroon.

Kickboxing, MMA, Muay Thai and wrestling

In kickboxing, Christos Avramidis fights with Nikos Tavladakis, and Valentinos Kyriakidis challenges the Iranian champion Omid Nosrati, one of the top fighters of the WAKO organization.

In MMA, Kostas Kolokythas will face the undefeated MVP of the Hellenic MMA Federation, Aris Koutsodimos.

Two WMC world title fights are part of the Muay Thai card. European Games and European Championships medalist Kyriakos Bakirtzis will face Charli Daines, while Thai champion Parunai Janchira will meet two-time IFMA World Champion and two-time World Games gold medalist Laura Fernanda Burgos Lopez in the women’s main event.

The card also features a freestyle wrestling bout between Olympic medalist Dauren Kurugliev and world champion Giorgos Kougioumtsidis.

Broadcast and tickets

The pay-per-view service is available for purchase on the streaming platform and tickets can be purchased on More.com. The Athens Telekom Center is located within the OAKA Olympic Convoluted, which hosted the 2004 Summer Games.