Creed's Heavyweight Problem Ignores What Made Every Rocky Fight Great
The casting of Jonathan Majors as the antagonist in Creed III has plenty of potential, but also raises a potential issue with the upcoming film that contrasts with the best parts of the original Rocky. Both Michael B. Jordan's Adonis Creed and Majors' antagonist have similar frames, and would be more likely to appear as light heavyweights or an even lighter weight class in professional boxing. This means that Creed 3 will lack the physical underdog narrative which has defined so many great Rocky fights, and could take the series in a different direction from past installments.
The long-awaited third installment in the Creed series, a next-generation sequel to the classic Rocky franchise, is set to be released later this year, with Jordan making his directorial debut in addition to playing the title role. The first Creed movie saw Rocky serving as trainer to Adonis, who competed at light heavyweight, including the climactic fight against «Pretty» Ricky Conlan. However, in Creed II Adonis moves to the heavyweight division, winning the world title in the film's opening sequence. This is not unrealistic, as many boxers have moved up from light heavyweight or cruiserweight to have success in the heavyweight division, from legends like Evander Holyfield and Gene Tunney to modern heavyweight champ Oleksandr Usyk.
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Jordan's smaller frame competing against heavyweight boxers should create a natural underdog dynamic. The Rocky franchise always focused on fights where its hero was an underdog. Balboa faced a gap in experience and fame in Rocky I and II, a physical difference in III and IV, and an age gap in Rocky Balboa. The lack of a credible rival against whom Rocky
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