Chapter 9

It was 7:00 in the morning. Inside a large building, three individuals looked around at the secluded gym they were in. Mickey's Gym. The building was dark and gloomy safe for a few lights still on. Rocky, Jackie and Paulie wondered aloud as to how they were going to begin. Both of them had their hands in their pockets apparently anxious as to how to resolve the situation they were currently in.

"People are complainin' about this man vs woman boxing thing." Paulie began.

"We got a fight coming up. How and where do we start?" Jackie asked Rocky.

"We're going to need the big guns." Paulie said looking at Rocky.

"If you're thinking about Tony. He's unavailable. He's training somebody right now and can't commit." Rocky stated sadly. "We need somebody with more experience in this. I don't want the same mistake to happen again."

"What do you mean?" Jackie frowned.

Rocky looked at her and hesitated. This was one of Rocky's biggest fears. The possibility that the same thing that happened with Tommy Gunn could happen to Jackie. He might lose her and she might reject him. After a long pause, Rocky finally answered "I got this idea that…maybe I didn't too good with Tommy because I wasn't a good enough trainer. I wasn't there for him. He was led astray and I couldn't do nothing about him."

"He used ya Rock from the beginning! I keep telling you that kid wasn't no good!" Paulie said outloud.

"I came from the same upbringing this punk did. Unlike him I still retain my beliefs and my morality. Those 'crimes' I committed, I only did them because dark forces made me. People who took away my hope and my dignity. It was the only way I could get them back. Tommy Gunn probably had the same thing done to him. His own hope and pride was lost and he did nothing about it. That's...the difference between me and him." Jackie said. "You have to believe me." she added with tears in her eyes.

Rocky gave a warm smile and because of what Jackie said that he finally got an idea.


"No woman in boxing history has ever had much of a place in the boxing world, much less fight a man who is superior to her. How can George Washington Duke pull something like this off?" an ESPN commentator spoke.

"That remains to be said. But still the entire country is going ape over this upcoming match between the disgraced Tommy Gunn and a rookie female fighter Jackie Rambolina." another ESPN commentator replied.

In an airport, a crowd of people looked at the TVs stationed near the terminal. A member of the crowd stood out as he watched what the men were saying on the screen. The gigantic behemoth looked on with eager interest. He looked around though to make sure people didn't recognize him. He pulled his cap down and put his sunglasses on, then he left.

Arriving in Philadelphia was a strange experience for Ivan Drago, immediately he began to feel culture shock within an instant. He looked around as cars honked, strange posters littering the sidewalk, music blaring, and buildings that had an odd decor. Ivan was in a taxi cab for the first time and already he was beginning to feel overwhelmed by what America had. He began to get pensive as to how to deal with what was to come, unaware that the driver was watching him.

"Hey you look familiar. Have I seen you before?" the taxi driver asked him with a hint of excitement as if he actually did know who he was.

Ivan coughed and responded with a crude American accent that sounded too high pitched. "Nah, actually this is my first time here. I'm from LA."

"Oh never mind then sorry buddy."

Ivan nodded absentmindedly and looked back out the window. As he continue to watch the new world he was in, he caught a glimpse of several men fighting in a random alleyway right next to a bank. As the car sped, Ivan could not imagine how he, could do what happened next.


As soon as they left Mickey's Gym, Rocky, Paulie and Jackie were a bit excited as to what they will finally do. The idea was for Jackie to train at a women's boxing gym that Rocky found. He was amazed he didn't think of it sooner. "I didn't know why I didn't thought of it until just now, you know?" he chuckled.

"Well at least we finally got a plan." Jackie said happily.

"Yo Rock get a look at this!" Paulie grumbled and pointed his head forward. Several spectators soon followed Rocky's gaze. Witnesses screamed as to what was happening.

Rocky saw two men making their way out of a bank with bags of money under their armpits and guns in their hands. One of them called out as they came down the stairs "Where's LaVonne?"

"He went out the back just forget him and go!" his partner cried out. Both thieves went off despite people looking.

Rocky could not believe what was happening and his anxiousness turned to anger. Paulie wondered how this was happening as he said "All this in broad daylight?"

Rocky saw how Jackie ran towards the situation. "Hey wait don't!" Rocky went after her.

"Aw geez not again!" Paulie ran as well throwing his cigar away.


An armed assailant with a black ski mask on was brutally beating a security guard with his bare hands. As he took a gun out and prepared to pull the trigger, he felt like his breath left him. He couldn't breathe. A great hand pressed against his throat from behind. The assailant dropped his gun and tried to get the humongous hand off him but couldn't pry it off and the next thing he knew, was total blackness. He was knocked out cold. The security guard laying on the ground, began to pant harder when he saw his rescuer: Ivan Drago.

"There would have to be another party involved." Ivan frowned. "He could not rob a bank by hisself." He told the security guard. Ivan Drago hated thieves, people who would not bother making a life for their own and had to resort to stealing then working hard.

"Two other men. They uh...went out the front." The guard said as he nodded. He couldn't take his eyes off Drago.

Ivan looked ahead and nodded. He began to follow suit. But the guard pressed on.

"Hey I'm badly hurt. I need help."

"Call 911!" Ivan shrugged as he ran leaving a frustrated guard behind.

He went out the front of the bank but found no one and looked around to find out which direction they went.

"All I saw was two men coming out and going towards that direction..." Ivan looked to a witness telling a police officer what happened. He looked to where she was looking as she was explaining what had happened and Ivan immediately ran, despite police vehicles already going that direction as well. He followed them instead keeping his distance. Eventually they stopped and saw the place in which the bank robbers had settled in. A women's gym.

Ivan heard the list of demands coming from one of the bank robbers. "I want a chopper on the roof now or else I start shooting!" He yelled at one of the police officers twenty feet away.

"How many hostages?" the police officer asked through his bullhorn.

"Twenty or thirty women and wouldn't you know it? Rocky Balboa and his pal!" He growled.

"He's there!" Ivan murmurred softly.