By Mark Vester
The punches being thrown in Rocky 6 were as hard as Sylvester Stallone and Antonio Tarver were able to throw. In a recent interview with the NY Post, Tarver revealed that he hit Stallone so hard on the head, that he actually broke his knuckle and needed to wear a soft cast.
"Sly wanted realism, and I think we came as close to it as anyone has in fight scenes. Some of those punches were really punches. I threw some heat, he threw some heat. With Sly, I think his alter ego really believes he can truly be a champion boxer. I cracked my knuckle on his head. I had a soft cast for a little bit, which set us back, but we got it done," Tarver said.
Tarver noted that while Stallone has good ability to box in the movie, he lacks a lot of boxing ability to compete on ths big stage. In a street fight, he feels that Stallone can hang with the best of them.
"He's got that brawling pit-bull style down to a T, but you need more than one dimension. You need boxing ability, counter-punching ability. I think in natural boxing ability, he lacks a lot. But if it's going to be a street fight, he's got as good a chance as anyone."
The Rocky movies touched a lot people throughout the years, including Tarver and those around him.
"Of course. I remember doing one-armed push-ups, eating raw eggs. He really touched a lot of people's lives through those movies."
