No./10 What we want in Creed 3’s corner
Seconds out, round three… with wheels now turning on another Creed film, we draw up our wishlist for the sequel
ROCKY REFERENCES!
In Creed II, the main face-off came between Adonis Creed (Michael B. Jordan) and Viktor Drago (Florian Munteanu), the son of Papa Creed’s in-the-ring killer, Ivan Drago (Dolph Lundgren). Seeing Drago go toe-to-toe with Rocky — this time both as trainers to the respective opponents — was an immense pleasure. It would be equally thrilling to see some other familiar faces from the Rocky franchise pop up in the latest sequel. In other words: where’s Mr T?
SOCIAL COMMENTARY!
The best films about boxing are about other things, too: especially masculinity, class, and racial tension. Don’t forget that Adonis is the son of the Muhammad Ali-esque Apollo. In Creed 3, it’d be great to see some awareness of the legacy of the boxing film looking askance at the socio-cultural issues of the day.
BOXER CAMEOS!
Back in the original Creed, Adonis comes to the UK to fight Tony Bellew, a real heavyweight fighter from Liverpool, and both films are chock-full of real fixtures from the international boxing world. This lends the series an element of realism and spark, featuring the showboating of genuine athletes and the star power that they bring to the screen. With Tyson Fury, Deontay Wilder, and Anthony Joshua all huge names in heavyweight boxing at the moment, it seems only right that at least one of them should make a cameo.
FEMALE FIGHTERS!
Michael B. Jordan has been outspoken about the introduction of inclusion riders at his production company, and generally in making his sets as diverse as possible. In the case of boxing, there’s always a notable absence: women. With the recent upsurge in popularity of real-life women champions like Claressa Shields and Katie Taylor, why not have Adonis Creed’s ringside pals and gym partners be as gender-split as they are in real life? It could do wonders for the normalisation of female fighters on our screens. CHRISTINA NEWLAND