Chuck Wepner - an athlete in the past who has not achieved much success in the world of professional boxing, is still an American celebrity. He was remembered by society for his stamina and perseverance in battle. Many know him as Rocky, the Bayonet the Bloodletter, as well as the boxer who knocked down Mohammed Ali.
Athlete Biography
This year, February 26, former American boxer Chuck Wepner turned 77 years old. The athlete was born in the USA, in New York, grew up in an incomplete family, he did not have a father. Four years he served in the Marine Corps, worked as a seller of alcoholic beverages and a night guard.
The debut fight in the professional ring in the heavy weight category Chuck Vepner spent June 4, 1964. His height is 1 m 98 cm, the main blows were inflicted with his left hand. The boxer always endured fighting to the end, even despite injuries and bleeding. Therefore, the Americans gave him the nickname Bayonet the Bloodletter.
First failures
The career of a heavyweight boxer has evolved over 14 years. In 1969, Chuck Wepner met John Foreman in the ring and lost by knockout in the 3rd round.
A year later, the American again failed. In a fight with Sonny Liston, Chuck used an unconventional style for tall boxers - a browler. As a result of the fight, Vepner had a broken nose and jaw, but he lasted until the 10th round! The athlete was in the hospital, where he had 72 stitches. The American fighter did not break down and did not end his boxing career, he continued to perform in the ring.
Just two months after the injury, Chuck Vepner had another bout. He fought with Joe Bagner and was knocked out in the 3rd round.
In the summer of 1973, the athlete played a full battle with Ernie Terrell and won on points.
Mohammed Ali - Chuck Wepner: Famous Fight
In 1975, the 36-year-old athlete held one of the best fights in his life. The heavyweight fought with the world boxing champion, known throughout the world - Mohammed Ali.
The fight between Ali and Chuck Vepner did not take place exactly as everyone expected and predicted. It was an amazing sight. No one thought that the 36-year-old boxer would leave the ring on his own feet. Bayonne the Bloodletter not only survived the entire battle, but was able to send Ali to flash knockdown in the 9th round, which became a worldwide sensation.
Vepner was preparing for an important battle for more than six months. For seven months, the American trained at a camp in the Catskill Mountains. After all, he really wanted to give a good rebuff to the champion. In one interview, he promised to survive a fight with a famous boxer and kept his word.
Real rocky
For the battle with Ali, the Bayonet the Bloodletter earned only 100 thousand dollars, and the world champion - 1.5 million. For some time, Vepner became popular, but not for long. Chuck was never able to achieve much success in professional boxing. In the fall of 1978, his final battle took place. In the last battle, he lost on points and decided to end his boxing career on this.
The battle of Muhammad Ali and Chuck Wepner was watched all over America. Sylvester Stallone saw this battle on TV. The actor was so impressed by Chuck Wepner, whose biography was perfect for the film, that he wrote the script for the film "Rocky".
Stallone invited the boxer to the main role, but the athlete did not pass the casting. In 2003, Vepner filed a lawsuit against the actor for using his biography and received considerable compensation.
Personal life
Chuck Wepner was married twice. His first wife was a New York police sergeant Francis. She had an incurable disease, leukemia. The beloved female boxer died after a major bone marrow transplant.
The second wife of Chuck Wepner was Linda, whom he met during the filming of The Gig in Brooklyn. At that time, a former athlete often went to eat at a restaurant where a woman worked as a bartender. The couple had a warm relationship. Now Linda and Chuck live in Bayonne (New Jersey), they often gather their friends and relatives at the festive table.
An interesting fact from the life of a boxer
In 1985, Chuck Wepner was jailed. All his life there were many drug addicts among him, he was addicted to alcohol, playing cards.
Once, the police caught a boxer delivering cocaine. Since he was threatened with 10 years in prison, law enforcement agencies proposed to reduce the term by becoming their informant. But Chuck was used to being responsible for his actions and "holding the fight." He was sent to a maximum security prison, where he spent a full 2 years. Then, for another year and a half, he lived under the program of enhanced surveillance.
The filmography of the boxer
After a boxing career, Chuck Wepner tried himself as an actor. The first film with his participation, released in 1985, was called The Gig. The second picture, where the boxer starred, appeared in 1999. It was the action movie Wrestlemania XV.
In 2012, Chuck Wepner again was lucky to meet with Muhammad Ali, not only in the ring, but on the set of Ali 70 from Las Vegas.
Currently, the Bayonet Bloodletter is retired. His house is in Bayonne opposite the place where he once set foot on a professional ring.