‘Creed’ marked the comeback of our favourite Rocky and filling the shoes in for a perfect Anti hero was a certain European Cruiseweight champion Tony Bellew who played the role of Ricky Conlan who fights against Apollo Creed’s son who earned the match against the champion as a strike of fate. But it was the former who actually earned the part by a chance of fate and a certain Ross Barkley!
Tony Bellew was the villain in the movie that picked up a golden globe for Stallone, and boy does he do a brilliant job! But Bellew’s involvement in the franchise came was made possible thanks to Barkley’s connections in Hollywood. Talking to the press Bellew revealed how on a day when Everton were thrashed at the hands of Chelsea that he received the call and thought that it was some cheeky guy having a fun at his expense.
“A guy called up and I just thought he was having me on. You can imagine the phone call. Everton have just been beaten 6-3 and a guy calls me up and tells me he wants me to be in a Rocky movie. My basic words were ‘Come on mate, pull the other one! I’ve just seen my team get battered 6-3, Diego Costa score how many goals, I’m not in the mood leave me alone” said the debutant.
Further adding to his amusing story, Bellew revealed how the guy on the phone kept on insisting and persuading but he could not be moved until the caller revealed that he got his contact via Ross Barkely. “So I called Ross up and said ‘Ross, a few of the lads are winding me up and you’re going to lose more than the wheel trims on your car! So he said ‘It’s not a wind up. I know people over in LA who are friends of my family and they just want to talk to you” said the man and that is how the American dream began for Tony!