‘If you’re not getting hurt, then you ain’t trying hard enough’

Creed 2 star Michael B Jordan talks fighting, fame and films with Gemma Dunn

When Sylvester “Sly” Stallone revealed his plans to retire Rocky Balboa last week, film fans despaired.

The veteran actor, who has played the celebrated boxer since 1976, dropped the bombshell via Instagram, where he told his eight million followers: “It’s been my ultimate privilege to have been able to create and play this meaningful character.”

“Though it breaks my heart, sadly all things must pass... and end,” added the 72-yearold, alongside a video of the speech he gave to his Creed II co-stars.

Suggesting his appearance in the blockbuster reboot will be his last, Stallone has insisted his lead, Michael B Jordan, will now “carry the mantle”.

And it seems the 31-year-old star is suitably flattered.

“It’s an honour, honestly,” answers Jordan, who put in a knockout performance as boxer Adonis Creed in the original Rocky spin-off and returns to the title role in Creed II.

“I know what that character and that franchise means to him – and for him to see that same potential inside of me, I think it’s a big deal,” he explains.

“I didn’t expect him to say that and he did, so it caught me off guard,” he admits on the eve of the sequel’s release.

“But it feels special; it’s something I take seriously. He knows that I’m gonna do him justice.”

If the Californian’s previous efforts are anything to go by, there’s no doubt he will.

Hot on the heels of Creed’s success in 2016, Creed II, this time directed by Steven Caple Jr, sees Jordan take on the next chapter of the Adonis Creed story, which follows the young boxer’s life inside and outside of the ring as he deals with newfound fame, family, his father’s legacy, and his continuing quest to become a champion.

But to defend his acquired world title, Creed must fight a worthy opponent.

Hence the introduction of Viktor Drago: a young, undefeated heavyweight contender, played by real-life sports enthusiast Florian “Big

Nasty” Munteanu.

He’s the son of Ivan Drago (played by Dolph Lundgren), the Russian boxer who killed Adonis’ father Apollo in the ring three decades earlier. Deciding he has a score to settle, Adonis prepares, with the help of trainer, Rocky, for a showdown.

“I think Adonis has felt like an underdog ever since he became champion,” says Jordan of his character.

“I don’t think he ever felt like a champ. He never felt like he was the sure-win, which is an interesting thing to play,” he says.

“He’s always felt like he has something to prove.

“And out of nowhere, this blast from the past arrives which forces Adonis to go down a dark road, to really reflect on and figure out why he fights,” adds Jordan, who earlier this year received critical acclaim for his standout portrayal of villain Erik Killmonger in Marvel’s Black Panther.

“This film shows that sometimes you have to go through darkness and the fire to realise what’s important.”

But to get back in the ring, full stop, was going to take some serious training, especially if Jordan was to square up opposite newbie Munteanu – a 6ft 4in Romanian-born, Germanraised boxer by trade.

“For the first [film], there’s no way I could imagine what I was going to be doing – the second time around, it was

worse,” he confesses, with a laugh.

“I have to believe when I was stepping into the ring, I am a fighter,” he shares. “I would work out to exhaustion day in and day out. Sometimes twice a day, going home with swollen knuckles and all.

“A boxer has a certain look and has to make a certain weight,” he says.

“To get in shape for this one, we definitely amped up the cardio along with the boxing, which itself is an amazing workout, two times a day, every day for six weeks.”

But fitness aside, the high-action fight scenes still resulted in a number of hospital visits – on both sides. Not that it left Jordan deterred.

“It’s a badge of honour, honestly,” he says.

“We’re making an action film and if you’re not getting hurt, then you ain’t trying hard enough.

“So I feel like it just means that we were putting it all on the line for the perfect shot. For the perfect scene.”

The fact he served as an executive producer on Creed II also left him feeling “more conscious” of his involvement, he says.

“I’ve always been producing or always trying to add to the story or character of the film in some type of way. I’m a team player, so I just want, as a whole, for the movie to do well.”

As for the fame, Jordan, who is in hot demand in Hollywood, is taking it in his stride.

“I’m the same guy, I’m not changing,” he says.

“I have to believe when I was stepping intothering,iama fighter”

● Creed II is out in cinemas now.