Rocky: Every Final Fight Ranked Worst To Best

3. Creed Vs. Viktor Drago (Creed II)

Rocky 1976
Warner Bros. Pictures

The legacy fight between the sons of Apollo and Drago, thirty years after the former's death, is one of the most meticulous, bloody and cathartic fights in the franchise. This is a fight that means more than perhaps any other.

And what a showdown it is. Whilst Creed II has its flaws, its emotional stakes are impossible to fault, and the last heavyweight bout brings them beautifully to the surface. In one corner, there's Adonis, eager to prove himself and protect his father's legacy; in the other, a brute raised in hate vows to leave no prisoners.

Quick and ruthless, the Creed/Drago battle is evenly matched and gruesome, ending with Ivan Drago throwing in the towel for his beaten son. It finds Adonis, who literally beats the canvas to hype himself up for more punishment, at his absolute best, unshaken and steady. Apollo would be proud.

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I get to write about what I love, so that's pretty cool. Every great film should seem new every time you see it. Be excellent to each other.