Rocky: Every Final Fight Ranked Worst To Best

Every film in the Rocky franchise has followed a similar, winning formula, in which the titular boxer -- either Rocky himself or his closest protégé, Adonis Creed -- suffers a major loss, then must regain their wits to avenge their own fall.

This formula admittedly makes the movies quite predictable, but aside from the fights themselves, which have all been crafted with great care, revolutionary effects and thrilling music, each final clash represents the journey the characters have gone through, and the pain they're putting on the line to step into the ring.

Basically, there's more to the fights than the choreography, though the choreography itself is still vitally important.

So which of the franchise's final matches is the very best? Which best capture the fighters' journey? Which feature the most compelling results and the most exciting set-ups?

With the release of Creed III, now is the perfect time to remember the bloody highs and miserable lows of the Rocky series' last acts. Here, then, with major spoilers, are all 9 final fights from the Rocky franchise ranked worst to best, starting with the only real dud of the bunch...

You know what Rocky didn't need? A gritty street fight fought between a lower-than-low Balboa (Sly Stallone) and his hot-headed former protégé Tommy Gunn (Tommy Robinson) after the latter's temper gets the better of him.

The fight itself is visceral and unruly, a bare-knuckle onslaught that allows Rocky to use to boxing skills to great effect against Gunn's undisciplined swings. But it's not exciting -- like the rest of Rocky V, it's more odd and miserable than anything, so far removed than what came before to be taken seriously.

Some credit should go to Stallone (who, it should be noted, famously hates this film, which has been wiped from the franchise's canon) for trying something new, but this doesn't work. Why anyone thought it would is a mystery to this day.