In Rocky III, former champion Apollo Creed trains Rocky Balboa for his rematch with Clubber Lang. Apollo becomes Rocky’s new mentor after Mickey Goldmill dies following Clubber’s attack.
Apollo and Rocky were rivals in the first two films, but their relationship changes after Rocky’s close first fight with Apollo and their later rematch. Apollo recognizes that Rocky needs a different training approach, especially after becoming too comfortable during a series of easy title defenses.
Apollo takes Rocky to Los Angeles and introduces him to faster, more mobile training methods. He also helps Rocky recover the competitive hunger that made him dangerous in the first place. Their partnership becomes one of the most important friendships in the series.
The training culminates in Rocky’s rematch with Clubber Lang. Apollo remains connected to Rocky in later films, although he eventually returns to the ring himself in Rocky IV for an exhibition against Ivan Drago.