- "I've never lost, I've never even been knocked down, and that's not gonna change."
- ―Ricky Conlan
"Pretty" Ricky Conlan (born November 30th, 1982) is a former professional boxer who competed until 2015. He competed in the Light Heavyweight division and was the WBA, WBC, The Ring, and Lineal Light-Heavyweight World Champion between 2010 and 2015. He was considered the number one pound for pound boxer on the planet in 2015 before he was forced to vacate his titles and retire due to gun possession charges. He is the main antagonist in Creed, and the opening antagonist in Creed III.
In 2015 (Creed), Ricky Conlan is considered the number one pound for pound fighter in the entire world, dominating the entire Light Heavyweight division, and accumulating a record of 36-0, with 28 knockouts. By 2015, Conlan was arrested for illegal firearm possession and was being sent to prison, but before his sentence, Conlan was set to have one last super fight against the WBA, WBC, and The Ring world heavyweight champion, Danny "Stuntman" Wheeler. Conlan lost his temper at the weigh-ins and broke Wheeler's jaw with a right hook, causing the fight to be cancelled. Conlan's prison sentence was quickly approaching and with no opponents in sight, Conlan's manager Tommy Holiday set up a fight with Adonis Johnson Creed, the son of the legendary world heavyweight champion Apollo Creed. Adonis surprised Conlan and takes the fight to him, knocking Conlan down for the first time in his career. Conlan weathers the storm and wins the fight by split decision.https://rocky.fandom.com/wiki/Creed
In 2020 (Creed III) Conlan, released from prison and now a holding a variant of the Heavyweight title, had a rematch with Adonis, now the unified and lineal heavyweight champion in South Africa. Conlan gave a great effort despite being an aged fighter taking round one on the cards, but was knocked out in the second round.
Biography[]
Early Life[]
There isn't much information regarding Conlan's early life, but it is mentioned at the press conference for his fight against Adonis that he had a very "rags to riches" story, meaning that Conlan's family was poor and that he didn't have much growing up. Conlan was forced to work and fight for everything that he has, turning his rags into riches. It is also mentioned that Conlan's father worked on the docks, earning minimum wage struggling to provide for the family.https://rocky.fandom.com/wiki/Creed
Conlan eventually got married to an unknown woman and had two sons with her. Conlan turned professional in the mid-2000s, eventually becoming the Light Heavyweight champion of the world in boxing, and eventually the unified, lineal title holder. However he did not become the best pound-for-pound fighter in the world until the retirement of Mason Dixon in 2011, the Lineal, unified, heavyweight champion of the world.
Creed[]
Cancelled Super-Fight against Danny Wheeler[]
In 2015 (Creed), Ricky Conlan was considered the number one pound for pound fighter in the entire world, dominating the entire Light Heavyweight division, and accumulating a record of 36-0, with 28 knockouts, but despite his success he was facing a prison sentence because he ran around totem with a gun, causing gun possession charges to be laid on him. He was scheduled to defend his championships in what was regarded as a Super-Fight against the WBA, WBC, and The Ring Heavyweight Champion Danny "Stuntman" Wheeler. Both Conlan and Wheeler were undefeated at the time and considered the two best pound for pound boxers in the entire world, with Wheeler dominating the Heavyweight division and Conlan dominating the Light Heavyweight division. Boxing fans all over the world had been anticipating a fight between them for years. HBO Sports aired a special to hype the fight, titled 24/7 Conlan V Wheeler. In the preview for the special, Conlan mentioned that this may be his final fight due to his looming prison sentence that could sideline him for up to 7 years. Conlan then mentioned that he planned to go out on top, stating I've never lost, I've never even been knocked down, and that's not gonna change He was oozing confidence, certain that he would defeat Wheeler. At the weigh-ins for the fight, things got heated and Conlan cracked Wheeler with a right hook, breaking his jaw, and causing the fight to be cancelled. Wheeler sued Conlan and the WBC for millions.
Challenging Adonis Johnson Creed[]
Conlan's prison sentence loomed closer and closer and with a hefty lawsuit on his hands due to the punch on Wheeler at the weigh-ins, Conlan found himself in deep waters as he attempted to find one final fight and one final payday. In comes Adonis Johnson Creed, Adonis was simply going by Adonis Johnson as he won 15 fights in Tijuana and 1 huge victory over Light Heavyweight contender Leo "The Lion" Sporino, but it was leaked to the media that Adonis was, in fact, the son of legendary Heavyweight Champion, Apollo Creed, Adonis was the product of an affair that Apollo had in the 1980s. Conlan's manager Tommy Holiday short on opponents for Conlan, presented the idea of Conlan vs. Creed because of the Creed name. Tommy was confident that the Creed name would bring in a huge payday, Conlan was reluctant at first, mentioning that Creed was an overnight success, leeching off the Creed name and that he didn't deserve a shot at the championship. Tommy insisted that it didn't matter and all that mattered was that Conlan would be able to put a roof over his families head when all is set and done.
Tommy flew out to Philadelphia and set up a meeting with Adonis Johnson Creed and his trainer/manager legendary former Two-Time Heavyweight Champion, Rocky Balboa. Tommy pitched the fight to Balboa and Adonis, telling them that Conlan had beaten everyone and that this fight would be a very wise move for him, informing Adonis that he would have to change his name to Creed in order for the fight to happen. Adonis thinks it over and agrees to fight Conlan. The fight was scheduled to take place in Liverpool, England. At the press conference, Conlan labelled Adonis an over-night success, claiming that he was only getting a shot because he found that "name" last night, furthermore he laughed at Adonis building a "legacy" stating "Legacy? what are we at some kind of comedy club? The guy next to him (Rocky Balboa) now that's what we're talking bout legacy, and I'm in that club" Conlan goes on to mention that his father grew up on the docks while Adonis's father was Heavyweight Champion of the world, claiming that Adonis was silver spoon fed. Adonis took offence to this and stood up, quickly escalating the situation as Conlan and Creed almost came to blows, but it was quickly diffused.
Conlan vs. Creed[]
Conlan and Creed fought for the Lineal Light Heavyweight Championship at Goodison Park on April 18th, 2015 in Liverpool, England. At the beginning of the fight, the fighters touched gloves and Conlan made a snide remark, saying "Nice shorts boy, too bad your daddy isn't here to fight in them" in regards to Creed's American themed trunks. Conlan dominated the first round of the fight, using his reach advantage to keep Creed at bay, firing off with jabs. Conlan seemed relaxed in the first round, taunting at Creed, and smiling when Creed was able to land a punch. Conlan continued to utilise his reach, executing perfect combos and eventually knocking Creed down with an uppercut. Creed bounced back to his feet and Conlan went in for the kill, unloading on Creed with body shots and hooks as the round came to an end. Conlan walked back to his corner while talking to Adonis, saying "It's real for you now boy, it's real for you now." In the second round, Conlan continues more of the same and is able to dominate the first half of the round, but Adonis lands a huge right hook that opens up a cut on Conlan's cheek and shocks him, Adonis charges at him and they trade strikes until the end of the round. Conlan seemed to be taking Creed more serious at this point but still taunted Creed by wiping his own blood and claiming that it ain't nothing. In round three, Conlan retook control and dominated Adonis, executing a huge combination at the end of the round that caused Adonis to walk to the wrong corner. In round four, Adonis began to be patient, waiting for Conlan to step to him rather than charging at Conlan, Adonis was able to land some big shots and win the round. In round five, Conlan used his experience and skill to again outwork Creed and land some heavy shots.
The next few rounds would be split between Conlan and Creed, with the both of them landing some huge shots and hurting one another. In round eleven, many were surprised that Creed was able to make it this far, but he was still trading shots with Conlan, Creed attempted a huge hook, but Conlan was able to duck underneath and land a massive hook of his own, dropping Creed to the mat. Conlan immediately ran to the ropes, stepping up onto the middle rope, and celebrating to the crowd, confident and certain that the fight was over, but shockingly Creed was able to get back up and the fight continued, Conlan landed a few more strikes before the round ended. In the twelfth and final round, both men traded shots and for the first time in his entire career, Ricky Conlan was knocked down. Creed trapped him in the corner and landed a huge hook, dropping Conlan with mere seconds left in the round. Conlan was able to pull himself up and beat the count. Conlan was announced the winner via split decision, keeping his perfect record intact. He embraces Creed and tells him that he is "the future of this division" and that he should wear that name with "pride"
Events After Creed[]
Prison Sentence []
Ricky Conlan was forced to retire from professional boxing and vacate his WBA, WBC and The Ring Light-Heavyweight World Championships due to his gun possession charges. Conlan served an unknown amount of time in a federal prison.
Creed III[]
Creed vs Conlan II[]
At some point, Conlan was released from prison. He returned to boxing and moved up to the heavyweight division. Since re-entering boxing, he captured a portion of the heavyweight championship.
In 2020 (Creed III), Conlan had a rematch with Adonis, now unified heavyweight champion. Conlan comes in fast and confident, landing multiple blows to Adonis. In round 1, Conlan put together many good combinations, body blows finishing with strong right hand. But he reused it many times, banging away with his right hand, and though he was defending well and an unfazed by Adonis' sharp jabs to his face managed to be slipped in, Adonis is able to study Conlan’s weak points and successfully comes up with a plan. The round closes with Conlan taunting Creed by saying he was the same as before and the next round was it for him.
In round 2, he begins strong again after Adonis finally lands a two punch combo, but soon he avoids Conlan’s punches, landing heavy blows to Conlan’s face and ribs and knocking him down. Conlan did not beat the count, and leading to Adonis ultimately winning the rematch, and becoming the new undisputed heavyweight champion, the first in over two decades.
Personality and Traits[]
- "I didn't plan on spending me prime years in a prison cell, I hate letting me family down."
- ―Ricky Conlan
[|Conlan (2015)]] Ricky Conlan has a bit of arrogance about himself, claiming that he will be victorious in the majority of his fights. It isn't a surprise that Conlan is overly-confident because he is recognised as the number one pound for pound fighter in the world, along with a perfect record and a string of championships. Conlan has every right to be confident in his abilities. An example of his arrogance is how easily he shrugged off the challenge of Danny Wheeler, stating comfortably that he hadn't ever been knocked down and that was not about to change, also in his fight against Creed, Conlan taunted Creed by smiling and showboating as Creed attempted to hit him.
Conlan also has a serious temper, being easily set off and willing to throw down at any time. An example of this was when Conlan cracked Wheeler at the weigh-ins or even how close he came to trading strikes with Creed at the press conference, Conlan also mentioned that he had been taking anger management classes. Finally, Conlan has shown compassion and respect to other fighters, mainly Adonis Creed. Conlan shared a heart to heart with Creed at the end of their fight, sharing his respect for the young fighter.
Boxing Style[]
Conlan fights in the orthodox stance and uses his reach to jab away at his opponents, awaiting the right time to counter a strike and throw a combination of hooks and uppercuts. Conlan has a lot of power behind his punches, generating 28 KOS in his career by executing perfect combos. Conlan likes to trap his opponents against the ropes and unload with body shots, followed up with lefts and rights. He also utilises the clinch to his advantage, popping his opponent with uppercuts when they separate from the clinch. Conlan is a very high IQ fighter.
Professional Boxing Record[]
List of Ricky's fight during the series.
|
No. |
Result | Record | Opponent | Type | Rd., Time | Date | Location | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 38 | Loss | 37-1-0 | Adonis Creed | TKO | 2 (12) | 2020 | Cape Town, South Africa | For WBC Heavyweight title; Lost WBA and IBF Heavweight titles |
| 37 | Win | 37-0-0 | Adonis Creed | SD | 12 (12), 3:00 | 10/25/2015 | Goodison Park, Liverpool, England | Retained Lineal Light Heavyweight titles |
Boxing Attires[]
Accomplishments[]
- WBA, WBC, IBF, WBO The Ring, and Lineal Light-Heavyweight World Champion (2010-2015) (defeated unknown, vacated)
- WBA and IBF unified Heavyweight champion (until 2020) (defeated unknown, lost to Adonis Creed)
Quotes[]
- I've never lost, I've never even been knocked down, and that's not gonna change" - Ricky Conlan
- "I didn't plan on spending me prime years in a prison cell, I hate letting me family down" - Ricky Conlan
- "Legacy? what are we at some kind of comedy club? The guy next to him (Rocky Balboa) now that's what we're talking bout legacy, and cut from that cloth." - Ricky Conlan in reference to Adonis Creed's Legacy
- "Nice shorts boy, too bad your daddy isn't here to fight in them" - Ricky Conlan to Adonis Creed
- “Same Creed, ain’t nothin’ changed. — Ricky Conlan to Adonis Creed
Trivia[]
- 'Pretty' Ricky Conlan is played by real-life Liverpool boxer 'Tony Bellew'.
- Conlan is the first British major character in Rocky/Creed franchise.
- In the film, 'Pretty' Ricky Conlan is the WBC Light Heavyweight Champion. In the film, he puts his title on the line against Adonis Creed. In real life the actor/boxer who plays him, 'Tony Bellew', fought for the WBC Light Heavyweight title losing to Adonis Stevenson by TKO in the 6th round, but he would move up in weight class and go on to win the WBC Cruiserweight title at Goodison Park (which hosts the climactic film fight between Donnie and Conlan) in May 2016 by KO in the 3rd round. It marked the first outdoor boxing match in Liverpool since 1949.