Street-level legends · Street level
Rocky Balboa vs Spike Spiegel
A bounty hunter who flows like water against a fighter who never learned how to fall down.
Tale of the tape
| Rocky | Universe | Cowboy Bebop |
|---|---|---|
| Street level | Tier | Street level |
| Refuses to stay down, no matter what | Strength | Jeet Kune Do and a fast gun |
| Slow feet and a habit of taking punishment | Weakness | A reckless streak and a past he will not escape |
| 1–1 | Record on Versus | 0–2 |
The Arena
Spike Spiegel was chasing a bounty through a wormhole that went badly wrong, and he came out of it in a Philadelphia back alley in 1985, out of fuel, out of money and out of cigarettes. He wandered into the first open door he found. It was a boxing gym, and a broad-shouldered man was hitting a heavy bag in the dark.
Rocky Balboa stopped punching and looked at the skinny stranger in the blue suit. “We’re closed,” he said, not unkindly. “You okay? You look like you been through somethin’.” Spike shrugged. “Long trip.” Rocky offered him a bottle of water, and then, because he could not help himself, asked if Spike ever boxed.
Spike smiled lazily. “Not exactly boxing.” He took off his jacket. Rocky grinned. He loved a challenge.
Round One
Rocky came forward with his gloves up, the way he always does, and threw a big looping hook. Spike was not there. He swayed out of reach like water flowing around a rock, then slipped inside and landed three quick strikes to Rocky’s face before dancing away again. Jeet Kune Do. Rocky blinked. He had never been hit by a man he could not see.
He kept coming. Spike kept hitting him: kicks to the thigh, elbows to the jaw, a spinning back fist that cut his eyebrow. Rocky bled freely, and every few seconds he reached for Spike and found nothing but air.
Spike was enjoying himself. Then he noticed something unsettling. The big man was getting hit constantly, and he was not slowing down at all.
The Turn
Rocky had been punched by Apollo Creed, Clubber Lang and Ivan Drago. He knew how to take a hit, and more importantly, he knew how to read the man throwing it. Spike always kicked off the same back foot. Spike always slid left after a combination. Spike always smiled right before he attacked.
Spike smiled, and threw a roundhouse kick. Rocky stepped into it, took it on his ribs, and wrapped one huge arm around Spike’s leg. Spike’s eyes widened. Rocky hit him once in the body with a hook that lifted him off his remaining foot.
Spike staggered back, gasping. He had been shot, stabbed and thrown out of a cathedral window. He had never been hit that hard by a fist.
The Finish
Spike came back in, faster and sharper than ever, landing strike after strike. Rocky took them all and walked forward, and every time Spike came close, Rocky went to the body. Hook to the ribs. Hook to the liver. Spike’s legs began to slow, and a fighter who flows like water needs his legs more than anything.
Finally Spike tried one last spinning kick, and Rocky ducked under it and hit him with a left hook that dropped him to the gym floor. Spike lay on his back, looking at the ceiling fan, laughing weakly. “Okay,” he said. “Okay. You win, big guy.”
Rocky sat down next to him, his face a swollen mess, and grinned. “You’re fast, kid. Fastest guy I ever fought. You just gotta learn to take one.” Spike pulled a crumpled cigarette from his shirt pocket. “I usually don’t stick around long enough to get hit.” Rocky laughed and offered him a raw egg. Spike declined.
The verdict
Rocky Balboa wins
Spike is faster and more skilled and lands far more strikes, but Rocky’s durability is legendary, he reads Spike’s habits, and his body shots take away the legs Spike needs to stay out of reach.
- DurabilityRocky absorbs dozens of clean strikes and keeps coming.
- Body workHis hooks to the ribs slow Spike down.
- Reading patternsRocky learns Spike’s tells and catches a kick.
How the rematch could go differently: With a gun, which is how Spike usually solves his problems, this would be over in one second.
Who do you think wins?
Who would win in a fight between Rocky Balboa and Spike Spiegel?
Rocky Balboa wins. Spike is faster and more skilled and lands far more strikes, but Rocky’s durability is legendary, he reads Spike’s habits, and his body shots take away the legs Spike needs to stay out of reach.