Carl Weathers as 'Apollo Creed' was the closest to Muhammad Ali | Opinion

Feb. 5—Carl Weathers never won an Academy Award for acting.

Actors Sylvester Stallone, Talia Shire, Burt Young and Burgess Meredith were all nominated for "Rocky" in 1976. All were shut out.

That included Weathers, who was outstanding in the role he will always be remembered — Apollo Creed.

Carl Weathers, known for his roles in 'Predator' and 'Rocky', has passed away at 76 RIP https://t.co/U183HcwAYa pic.twitter.com/BM3y5hWRpZ

— IMDb (@IMDb) February 2, 2024

Weathers passed away on Feb. 2, as he reportedly died in his sleep at age 76. He didn't look 76. Like his cinematic alter ego Apollo, he always looked like a million bucks. When Weather turned on his cinematic skills as Creed, he brought a vernacular that showed he was just as great and cool outside the ring as he was in it.

If that sounds familiar to a real-life iconic boxer, consider this:

When Stallone created the character of Apollo Creed while writing the script for the original film, he did so in the image of Muhammad Ali. Then Weathers — a former football player turned actor — took it to the next level.

As Creed, he was flamboyant, charismatic and impossible not to notice — similar to Ali in the 1960s and 1970s. The character was even more difficult to hate next to Rocky Balboa in "Rocky" and "Rocky II." It was all because of Weather's acting ability to bring an Ali-esque take to the character. Weathers also made it fun and memorable.

There were the Creed nicknames — most notable "Master of Disaster" and "King of Sting."

There were the quotes:

—"Be a thinker, not a stinker." — ("Rocky")

—"The Italian Stallion vs. Apollo Creed. Sounds like a monster movie." — ("Rocky")

—"I'm gonna drop him like a bad habit." — ("Rocky II")

—"I've retired more men than social security." — ("Rocky II")

—"You had the eye of tiger, man, the edge." — ("Rocky III")

—"You fight great but I'm a great fighter." — ("Rocky III")

—"There is no tomorrow!" — ("Rocky III")

Farewell to the legend. #CarlWeathers pic.twitter.com/EHaKNmXH0h

— World Boxing News (@WorldBoxingNews) February 3, 2024

When Rocky IV hit the big screen in 1985, art — in a way — imitated life.

Like Ali, the character of Creed could not walk away from the ring. We saw it first in "Rocky III," when Creed coached Rocky to a comeback win against Clubber Lang.

"Listen. It's quiet, isn't it?" Creed says to Rocky in their first meeting in "Rocky III." "When you retire, it's too quiet."

In "Rocky IV," Creed steps back in the ring only to die at the hands of Russian villain Ivan Drago. At the time, it was a shocking movie moment for fans. Creed's death was over the top and sensational but mirrored the trajectory of some of the all-time heavyweight greats. The end isn't always pretty.

The easiest real-life comparable was Ali in one of his final bouts against a much younger Larry Holmes in 1980. It was billed as "The Last Hurrah," but immediately it was an out-of-control mismatch. Holmes beat on Ali with little to no opposition. The fight was eventually stopped and Holmes won via technical knockout.

There was criticism following the fight:

"All the people involved in this fight should've been arrested," said Ferdie Pacheco, Ali's former ringer doctor who did not work the fight, one which he opposed. "This fight was an abomination, a crime."

Said Stallone, who attended the Holmes-Ali bout: "That fight was like watching an autopsy on a man who's still alive."

The Holmes fight isn't the way fans want to remember Ali, who incredibly fought one more time, and lost to former champion Trevor Berbick in 1981 before retiring for good.

Weathers had a fine acting career following his roles in the first four Rocky films. Most recently, he co-starred in the popular Star Wars Disney+ series "The Mandalorian."

Carl Weathers, forever a member of the Lucasfilm family, died Thursday. He was 76.https://t.co/GwVdZ37dpq pic.twitter.com/5HUlRawy3j

— Star Wars (@starwars) February 2, 2024

He will undoubtedly always be remembered as Apollo Creed — "lighting-fast, and hard to catch," as he said in "Rocky II."

Years after "Rocky IV," Stallone said in 2021 while promoting his director's cut of "Rocky IV," he regrets killing off the Creed character.

"It was foolish," said Stallone.

In 1985, Apollo Creed left the Rocky universe too soon.

Ali — who died at age 74 in 2016 — suffered for 32 years after being diagnosed with Parkinson's disease. Watching him at public appearances in the latter stages of Ali's life was difficult.

That wasn't the case with Weathers, who starred in a Super Bowl commercial with former NFL tight end Rob Gronkowski leading up to this week's big game.

Shockingly — like a vicious punch — it was announced Weathers was gone Feb. 2. It was as if life had imitated art.