Continuity mistake: When Apollo is getting ready to fight the Russian boxer, he comes out with white boxing gloves on. Sometime during the announcement of the fighters, the camera shows Rocky and Apollo standing in Apollo's corner. Apollo is jumping up and down while pointing with an ungloved and untaped hand, He is saying "I want you". The next time they show Apollo, he has his gloves on again. (00:26:55)
Rocky IV (1985)
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Directed by: Sylvester Stallone
Starring: Sylvester Stallone, Dolph Lundgren, Burt Young, Carl Weathers, Brigitte Nielsen, Talia Shire
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Duke: All your strength, all your power, all your love. Everything you've got. Right now!
Trivia: The Russian landscape that is the setting for both Rocky and Drago's training was actually shot in Jackson Hole, Wyoming.
Question: To elaborate on the question regarding Drago facing criminal charges for killing Apollo: when he pushes the ref aside you say that in real life the fight would have been stopped, however, he almost lands the fatal blow right afterwards so he didn't give anyone time to stop it, wouldn't he be charged with criminally negligent manslaughter or something similar? I can understand him not facing charges if it had happened during the normal course of the fight, but the fact that he didn't allow the ref to stop the fight leads me to believe that he was negligent and thus responsible for Apollo's death.
Answer: Yes. Not only would Drago have been suspended from boxing indefinitely for pushing the ref aside, but, he also would have been charged with manslaughter considering that Drago landed the blow that killed Apollo immediately after the official stopped the fight. If the blow that killed Apollo had occurred during the fight however, Drago wouldn't have faced any charges.
In reality, Rocky was responsible for Apollo's death because he would not throw the towel when begged to. Furthermore, had this been a real fight, Apollo's entire corner would have flooded the ring since it got so out of hand. So, there wouldn't have been a fatal blow; it would have been total chaos with one corner coming to the defense of their fighter.
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Answer: Unless Drago did something deliberately illegal to increase damage (altering his gloves or wraps like Luis Resto), then no. Risk of severe injury is a standard for contact sports and boxing especially.
Greg Dwyer