This was my 2nd favorite because Rocky meets his toughest opponent ever, the USSR’s Soviet boxer Ivan Drago. U.S.A. vs Russia. I liked the Cold War themes and conflicts since it was based on the real life heat between The United States and USSR at the time and told a story. Unlike Clubber Lang and Apollo Creed, this guy is different. At ‘6.5” and 260 lbs, his athleticism is remarkable by using state of the art equipment and regular doses of anabolic steroids, something that his wife Ludmilla and his manager deny. Motivated by patriotism and desire to prove himself, 43 year old Apollo Creed decides to come out of retirement and challenge the towering Russian to an exhibition bout. During the bout, Apollo landed some punches which didn’t seem to affect Drago but Drago retaliated with devastating effects which badly injure Apollo. Despite Rocky and Duke attempting to stop the match, Apollo tells them don’t stop the match no matter what. This leads to Drago beating Creed to death, which eventually leads to his death in the ring and Drago showing no remorse over it. Rocky decides to challenge Drago himself to avenge his friend but in order to do so, he has to relinquish the title and fight Drago in his home country. Rocky, Duke, and Paulie go to the Soviet Union despite Adrian’s disapproval of the fight due to the physique of Ivan Drago and believing her husband cannot win. In order to train for his fight against the much larger Russian, Rocky does roadwork in deep snow over mountainous terrains and workouts utilizing antique farm equipment. Eventually Adrian arrives to give her full support to Rocky, increasing his confidence even more. Before the match begins, Rocky enters to a hostile crowd of boos and hatred and Ivan Drago is greeted like a hero. The two of them spend several rounds trading blows with Rocky exceeding expectations due to his intense training beforehand. By the 12th round, the Soviet crowd starts chanting and cheering for Rocky, much to Drago and his team’s dismay. At the end of the last round, Rocky unleashes a series of vicious blows and in the process knocks out Drago and avenges Apollo’s death. After the punishment he took, Rocky addresses the Soviet crowd and says how he came in as hated but that hate turned into mutual respect. He ends his speech with if I can change and you can change, everybody can change which turns into applause from the Soviet premier and his aides.