In Creed III, which character is the former boxer who becomes Adonis Creed’s rival?

In Creed III, Damian Anderson is the former boxer who becomes Adonis Creed’s rival. Damian was Adonis’s childhood friend before spending years in prison, and he returns determined to claim the boxing career he believes was taken from him.

Adonis initially helps Damian enter professional boxing and gives him access to training and promotion. Their relationship deteriorates when Damian’s resentment grows. He believes Adonis abandoned him after the incident that led to his imprisonment and benefited from opportunities that should have belonged to both of them.

The rivalry is therefore based on personal history as much as sport. Damian defeats Felix Chavez to become champion and eventually faces Adonis in the film’s climactic bout. Jonathan Majors plays Damian, while Michael B. Jordan returns as Adonis and directs the film.

Creed III was released in 2023 and is the first film in the Rocky franchise not to feature Rocky Balboa. Its story focuses entirely on Adonis’s adulthood and the consequences of his earlier choices.