Mickey Goldmill
Encyclopedia
Michael "Mickey" Goldmill was a fictional boxing trainer created by Sylvester Stallone
and portrayed by Burgess Meredith
in the Rocky film series
. The character's gravelly voice, intense demeanor and popular catch phrases helped make him highly recognizable, as well as, a common source of parody and references in pop culture.
Mickey may be based on Charley Goldman
. Both were bantamweights, had Jewish ancestry, and have similar sounding names. In addition, Charley was the boxing trainer of Rocky Marciano
, whom Rocky Balboa is based on. Goldman trained Marciano in many ways similar to how Goldmill trained Balboa, such as tieing their ankles together with string to teach them to spread their feet at the appropriate width. Goldman was (again like Goldmill) well known for making wise remarks (ex. "A lot of people say Rocky [Marciano] don't look too good in there, but the guy on the ground don't look too good either.").
, which took place in a synagogue. He boxed professionally from 1922 until 1947, but never gained any measure of fame. Goldmill recalled that he once knocked an opponent out of the ring the same day that Luis Firpo
did the same to Jack Dempsey
14 September 1923. Goldmill claimed that the reason his victory didn't garner any media attention was that he didn't have a manager, while Dempsey did. He retired in 1947, with a record of 72 Wins, (70 K.O.'s), 1 Loss.
Some time after his retirement (in 1948), he opened a boxing gym in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania
, Mighty Mick's Boxing, and began to train fighters.
, Mickey continues to manage his gym. One of the regulars in his gym was Rocky Balboa, a local club fighter who had never realized his potential and had instead become a collector for a local loan shark who subsisted on fighting local boxers. Due largely to this Mickey does not treat Balboa with much respect, telling him most of the fights he has are with bums and evicting Rocky from his locker at the gym by having his belongings removed, placed in a bag, and hung on a set of hooks known as "skid row" in the locker room. Although Rocky doesn't understand why Mickey treats him the way he does (because he wants Rocky to fulfill his great potential), Mickey dresses him down in front of the rest of his fighters over the way his career turned out.
When heavyweight champion Apollo Creed
gives Balboa an unlikely shot at the title, Goldmill approaches him about being his manager. Based on their uneasy prior relationship, Balboa was initially resistant, but ultimately agreed to let Goldmill train him. The fight took place 1 January 1976 at the Philadelphia Spectrum
. While Balboa lost the fight to Creed based on scoring by the judges, he managed to last the full fifteen rounds, a first for any of Creed's opponents.
picked up directly after the first film.
Creed challenged Balboa for a rematch in the hospital, although Rocky did not agree or disagree initially, Mickey angrily stated that there would be no rematch and that Rocky won the fight. Eventually, after Creed's efforts at publicly embarrassing Balboa into a fight, Mickey again became Balboa's trainer for the rematch. For the second fight with Creed, Goldmill utilized unique training methods (such as chasing and attempting to catch a chicken) to help Balboa gain speed. He also converted Balboa from a left-handed fighting style to a right-handed style in an effort to both confuse Creed and to protect an eye Balboa had badly injured in the first fight. The rematch took place, after an almost double-KO, Rocky remained standing to become the winner.
, Goldmill trained Balboa to a series of successful title defenses before both men decided it was time for them to retire (Mickey was suffering heart problems by this time, though he kept this hidden from Rocky). Determined and controversial challenger Clubber Lang accused the two of avoiding him. Finally, Balboa agreed to face Lang in a fight which he figured would be his last title defense, partially on the basis of Clubber's open taunts and goading of Rocky in front of press at a public event. Goldmill told Rocky that he would have to go it alone if he decided to fight Lang, later admitting that all of his challengers were hand-picked "good fighters", but not killers". Balboa was eventually able to convince Goldmill to train him anyway, with the promise that this would be their last fight.
The matchup was set for 15 August 1981. Shortly before the fight, Balboa and Lang's entourages got into a scuffle and Goldmill, trying to break it up, was knocked to the ground, suffering a heart attack. Rocky tries to get the fight called off due to Mickey's condition, but Mickey refuses to allow his fighter to stop now and tells him to fight. His condition worsens throughout the fight, which only lasts two rounds before Rocky gets knocked out by Lang, but Mickey refuses to go to the hospital.
Eventually the former champion returns to the dressing room to speak to Mickey. Rocky tells his trainer that the fight ended in a second round knockout but does not tell Mickey that he lost the fight, preferring to have him believe they won. Balboa then tries to convince Mickey that they need to go to the hospital, but Mickey doesn't make it. Instead he tells Rocky, who saw him as a mentor and father figure, "I love you, Rocky" and shortly after takes his last breath, dying of his heart attack in Balboa's arms at the age of 76.
and archival footage was used for Rocky IV
and Rocky Balboa
, the latter of which was filmed after Meredith's death in 1997.) It is also revealed in Rocky V that Mickey left his gym to Rocky's son, Robert. By doing this, it kept the IRS from seizing control of the gym after he goes bankrupt due to his accountant's bad deals and tax evasion history.
Sylvester Stallone
Michael Sylvester Gardenzio Stallone , commonly known as Sylvester Stallone, and nicknamed Sly Stallone, is an American actor, filmmaker, screenwriter, film director and occasional painter. Stallone is known for his machismo and Hollywood action roles. Two of the notable characters he has portrayed...
and portrayed by Burgess Meredith
Burgess Meredith
Oliver Burgess Meredith , known professionally as Burgess Meredith, was an American actor in theatre, film, and television, who also worked as a director...
in the Rocky film series
Rocky (film series)
Rocky is a boxing saga of popular films all written by and starring Sylvester Stallone, who plays the character Rocky Balboa. The films are, by order of release date: Rocky , Rocky II , Rocky III , Rocky IV , Rocky V and Rocky Balboa...
. The character's gravelly voice, intense demeanor and popular catch phrases helped make him highly recognizable, as well as, a common source of parody and references in pop culture.
Mickey may be based on Charley Goldman
Charley Goldman
Charley Goldman was a famed boxing trainer who trained five world champions. Goldman's most famous pupil was the undefeated heavyweight champion of the world, Rocky Marciano....
. Both were bantamweights, had Jewish ancestry, and have similar sounding names. In addition, Charley was the boxing trainer of Rocky Marciano
Rocky Marciano
Rocky Marciano , born Rocco Francis Marchegiano, was an American boxer and the heavyweight champion of the world from September 23, 1952, to April 27, 1956. Marciano is the only champion to hold the heavyweight title and go undefeated throughout his career. Marciano defended his title six times...
, whom Rocky Balboa is based on. Goldman trained Marciano in many ways similar to how Goldmill trained Balboa, such as tieing their ankles together with string to teach them to spread their feet at the appropriate width. Goldman was (again like Goldmill) well known for making wise remarks (ex. "A lot of people say Rocky [Marciano] don't look too good in there, but the guy on the ground don't look too good either.").
Fictional biography
Mickey Goldmill was born on 7 April 1905 to a Jewish family, as evidenced by his funeral in Rocky IIIRocky III
Rocky III is a 1982 American film that is the third installment in the Rocky film series. It is written and directed by and stars Sylvester Stallone as the title character, with Carl Weathers as former boxing rival Apollo Creed, Burgess Meredith as Rocky's trainer Mickey, and Talia Shire as Rocky's...
, which took place in a synagogue. He boxed professionally from 1922 until 1947, but never gained any measure of fame. Goldmill recalled that he once knocked an opponent out of the ring the same day that Luis Firpo
Luis Firpo
Luis Ángel Firpo, , was an Argentine boxer. Born in Junín, Argentina, he was nicknamed "The Wild Bull of The Pampas."...
did the same to Jack Dempsey
Jack Dempsey
William Harrison "Jack" Dempsey was an American boxer who held the world heavyweight title from 1919 to 1926. Dempsey's aggressive style and exceptional punching power made him one of the most popular boxers in history. Many of his fights set financial and attendance records, including the first...
14 September 1923. Goldmill claimed that the reason his victory didn't garner any media attention was that he didn't have a manager, while Dempsey did. He retired in 1947, with a record of 72 Wins, (70 K.O.'s), 1 Loss.
Some time after his retirement (in 1948), he opened a boxing gym in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania
Philadelphia, Pennsylvania
Philadelphia is the largest city in the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania and the county seat of Philadelphia County, with which it is coterminous. The city is located in the Northeastern United States along the Delaware and Schuylkill rivers. It is the fifth-most-populous city in the United States,...
, Mighty Mick's Boxing, and began to train fighters.
Rocky
In RockyRocky
Rocky is a 1976 American sports drama film directed by John G. Avildsen and both written by and starring Sylvester Stallone. It tells the rags to riches American Dream story of Rocky Balboa, an uneducated but kind-hearted debt collector for a loan shark in the city of Philadelphia, Pennsylvania...
, Mickey continues to manage his gym. One of the regulars in his gym was Rocky Balboa, a local club fighter who had never realized his potential and had instead become a collector for a local loan shark who subsisted on fighting local boxers. Due largely to this Mickey does not treat Balboa with much respect, telling him most of the fights he has are with bums and evicting Rocky from his locker at the gym by having his belongings removed, placed in a bag, and hung on a set of hooks known as "skid row" in the locker room. Although Rocky doesn't understand why Mickey treats him the way he does (because he wants Rocky to fulfill his great potential), Mickey dresses him down in front of the rest of his fighters over the way his career turned out.
When heavyweight champion Apollo Creed
Apollo Creed
Apollo Creed is a fictional character from the Rocky films, initially portrayed as the Undisputed Heavyweight Champion of the World. He was played by Carl Weathers. Many believe his character was modeled after Heavyweight Champion Muhammad Ali while Rocky Balboa was based on relatively unknown...
gives Balboa an unlikely shot at the title, Goldmill approaches him about being his manager. Based on their uneasy prior relationship, Balboa was initially resistant, but ultimately agreed to let Goldmill train him. The fight took place 1 January 1976 at the Philadelphia Spectrum
Wachovia Spectrum
The Spectrum, formerly known as the CoreStates Spectrum , First Union Spectrum , and Wachovia Spectrum was an indoor arena in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania...
. While Balboa lost the fight to Creed based on scoring by the judges, he managed to last the full fifteen rounds, a first for any of Creed's opponents.
Rocky II
Rocky IIRocky II
Rocky II is a 1979 American film that is the sequel to Rocky, a motion picture in which an unknown boxer had been given a chance to go the distance with the World Heavyweight Champion. Sylvester Stallone, Carl Weathers, Tony Burton, Burgess Meredith, Burt Young and Talia Shire reprised their...
picked up directly after the first film.
Creed challenged Balboa for a rematch in the hospital, although Rocky did not agree or disagree initially, Mickey angrily stated that there would be no rematch and that Rocky won the fight. Eventually, after Creed's efforts at publicly embarrassing Balboa into a fight, Mickey again became Balboa's trainer for the rematch. For the second fight with Creed, Goldmill utilized unique training methods (such as chasing and attempting to catch a chicken) to help Balboa gain speed. He also converted Balboa from a left-handed fighting style to a right-handed style in an effort to both confuse Creed and to protect an eye Balboa had badly injured in the first fight. The rematch took place, after an almost double-KO, Rocky remained standing to become the winner.
Rocky III
In Rocky IIIRocky III
Rocky III is a 1982 American film that is the third installment in the Rocky film series. It is written and directed by and stars Sylvester Stallone as the title character, with Carl Weathers as former boxing rival Apollo Creed, Burgess Meredith as Rocky's trainer Mickey, and Talia Shire as Rocky's...
, Goldmill trained Balboa to a series of successful title defenses before both men decided it was time for them to retire (Mickey was suffering heart problems by this time, though he kept this hidden from Rocky). Determined and controversial challenger Clubber Lang accused the two of avoiding him. Finally, Balboa agreed to face Lang in a fight which he figured would be his last title defense, partially on the basis of Clubber's open taunts and goading of Rocky in front of press at a public event. Goldmill told Rocky that he would have to go it alone if he decided to fight Lang, later admitting that all of his challengers were hand-picked "good fighters", but not killers". Balboa was eventually able to convince Goldmill to train him anyway, with the promise that this would be their last fight.
The matchup was set for 15 August 1981. Shortly before the fight, Balboa and Lang's entourages got into a scuffle and Goldmill, trying to break it up, was knocked to the ground, suffering a heart attack. Rocky tries to get the fight called off due to Mickey's condition, but Mickey refuses to allow his fighter to stop now and tells him to fight. His condition worsens throughout the fight, which only lasts two rounds before Rocky gets knocked out by Lang, but Mickey refuses to go to the hospital.
Eventually the former champion returns to the dressing room to speak to Mickey. Rocky tells his trainer that the fight ended in a second round knockout but does not tell Mickey that he lost the fight, preferring to have him believe they won. Balboa then tries to convince Mickey that they need to go to the hospital, but Mickey doesn't make it. Instead he tells Rocky, who saw him as a mentor and father figure, "I love you, Rocky" and shortly after takes his last breath, dying of his heart attack in Balboa's arms at the age of 76.
Rocky IV, Rocky V, and Rocky Balboa
After his death, Rocky recalled his former trainer in flashbacks during the events of the last three films. (Burgess Meredith reprised the role in Rocky VRocky V
Rocky V is an American film released as the fifth film in the Rocky series in 1990. It stars Sylvester Stallone, Talia Shire, Stallone's real life son Sage, and real life boxer Tommy Morrison as boxer Tommy Gunn, a talented yet raw boxer...
and archival footage was used for Rocky IV
Rocky IV
Rocky IV is a 1985 American film written by, directed by, and starring Sylvester Stallone. It is the fourth and most financially successful entry in the Rocky franchise...
and Rocky Balboa
Rocky Balboa (film)
Rocky Balboa is the sixth and final film in the Rocky franchise, directed by and starring Sylvester Stallone. The film, which was also written by Stallone who plays underdog boxer Rocky Balboa, is the sixth film in the Rocky series that began with the Academy Award-winning Rocky thirty years...
, the latter of which was filmed after Meredith's death in 1997.) It is also revealed in Rocky V that Mickey left his gym to Rocky's son, Robert. By doing this, it kept the IRS from seizing control of the gym after he goes bankrupt due to his accountant's bad deals and tax evasion history.