In Rocky, which injured boxer was Apollo Creed originally scheduled to fight?

Apollo Creed was originally scheduled to fight the injured boxer Mac Lee Green in Rocky.

Green was the planned number-one contender for a bicentennial fight against Creed, scheduled for January 1, 1976. He injured his left hand during training and could not compete. Other leading contenders were unavailable or said they did not have enough time to prepare, leaving Creed’s team without a suitable opponent.

Rather than cancel the heavily promoted event, Creed devised a publicity-driven alternative: he would offer a local club fighter a chance at the world heavyweight championship. After reviewing Philadelphia-area boxers, he selected Rocky Balboa, whose nickname, “The Italian Stallion,” fit Creed’s idea of a distinctive bicentennial spectacle.

The substitution drives the film’s central premise. Rocky is not initially presented as a likely champion; he is a small-time fighter and debt collector who is suddenly given the opportunity of a lifetime. The question is sometimes confused with later opponents in the series. Clubber Lang is Rocky’s rival in Rocky III, while Spider Rico is an early opponent Rocky defeats in the opening bout of Rocky. Mac Lee Green is specifically the unavailable fighter whose injury led to Creed choosing Rocky.