Watch Muhammad Ali and Sylvester Stallone Present at the 1977 Oscars
Ali and Stallone (YouTube)
By Natalie Stone, The Hollywood Reporter
Three-time heavyweight champion of the world Muhammad Ali surprised Sylvester Stallone on stage at the 1977 Oscars, the same year the actor was nominated for his leading role in Rocky.
As Stallone, who played boxing legend Rocky Balboa in the 1976 Oscar-nominated film, introduced himself to audiences, Ali crept behind him on the stage to the chuckle of onlooking attendees.
“You stole my script. I’m the Apollo Creed,” Ali quipped of Stallone’s leading role in the boxing film. “I saw it. I watched the movie. You stole my script. All that was me, I’m the Apollo Creed!”
Related: Oscars to Olympics: 6 Memorable Muhammad Ali Moments on TV
The two then entertained audiences by jokingly boxing across the stage, throwing play punches and swings at one another.
Upon taking the podium to present the best supporting actress Oscar, Stallone said of Ali: “I just gotta say one thing. I may not win anything here tonight in the form of an Oscar, but I really feel it’s an amazing privilege to be standing next to a 100 percent certified legend and it’s something I want to treasure for the rest of my life.”
Stallone took to social media to pay tribute to the late boxer on Saturday with a clip of the duo’s Oscar presentation. He penned of Ali, “Fantastic man who I came to know well.… He was the real Apollo Creed!”
Ali was hospitalized for a respiratory issue on Thursday and died at a hospital in Phoenix on Friday at the age of 74.
Watch the video below.
