20 Things You Somehow Missed In Rocky
19. Joe Frazier And Elements Of His Life Story
Maybe you spotted Joe Frazier's cameo in the original Rocky movie. It's not impossible to miss it. The famed boxer appeared in the crowd of Rocky and Apollo Creed's final bout. Frazier apparently played himself as Apollo singles Frazier out, in the crowd, and says, "Your next, Joe." And yeah, Apollo Creed is a fictional character, but isn't that a fight you'd like to see?
The funny thing is that it's no secret Apollo Creed was based on the legendary athlete Muhammad Ali. Joe Frazier famously squared off with Ali on three occasions. Frazier wound up in the film after producers asked several famous heavyweights to appear in the film's final scenes. Frazier was the only one to show up.
Frazier's appearance in Rocky was fitting as he was a Philadelphia native like the eponymous star. The film also takes several key plot points straight from Frazier's biography. These details include Rocky training with slabs of beef in a meatpacking plant and his famous run up the steps of the Philadelphia Museum of Art. Both moments were real-life inclusions to Joe Frazier's training regimen.