He was a plumber, he went 15 rounds against Ali, and he inspired Rocky without even knowing it

Chuck Wepner, an unheralded plumber from Bayonne, New Jersey, stepped into the ring against Muhammad Ali in 1975. Against all odds, he held his own for nearly 15 full rounds, even knocking Ali down at one point. He didn’t go down until 15 seconds before the end. Sylvester Stallone, who witnessed the fight, drew direct inspiration from this story to write Rocky in a single night.