Charles Wepner, aka the Bayonne Bleeder, had a very lackluster career, losing bouts to several notable boxers, such as George Foreman and Sonny Liston.

Learning his boxing skills in the Marines and on the streets and docks of New Jersey, he had a streak of wins in the early 1970's. This included a win over a former WBA Heavyweight Champion Ernie Terrell. This streak caught the eye of a promoter that announced Wepner would sign a $100,000 deal to challenge Mohammad Ali for his title in 1975.

On March 24, 1975, the Ali fight took place near Cleveland, Ohio. Ultimately, he lost the fight by a TKO (Technical Knock Out) in the 15th round. The highlight of the fight was a 9th Round knockdown of Ali. Ali claimed he went down because Wepner stepped on his foot. He retired from boxing in 1978 after 9 more fights (5 wins and 4 losses) Although he denies this inspiration, Sylvester Stallone wrote the Rocky script shortly after seeing the Ali fight. Wepner sued Stallone in an attempt to gain financial reward. There was an undisclosed settlement between the two. Wepner claims to this day to be the 'true' Rocky.

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