Mickey Rourke during training for his return to boxing. Photo: Reproduction/Twitter
In the last film in the Rocky Balboa series, the fictional boxer who gives the feature film its name returns to the ring when he is almost 60 years old to face a much younger opponent and surprises the public by putting on a very tough fight, losing on points in a close decision . But who would have thought that this plot would be rewritten in real life by another actor other than Silvester Stallone, and with an incredibly even more positive outcome? Because the impressive story of overcoming was the responsibility of Oscar-nominated actor Mickey Rourke, who at the age of 62 returned to boxing and, as if that wasn't enough, still achieved a knockout victory.
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Mickey Rourke's opponent in his return to boxing was Elliot Seymour, who was just 7 years old when the actor and boxer entered the ring for the last time, in 1994. The duel took place this Friday (28), at Russian capital Moscow. Despite the age difference and the downtime, Rourke took no notice of Seymour and, after getting the better of him in the first round, knocked out his rival in the second round, after two well-placed blows to the waistline. With the triumph, Mickey maintained his unbeaten record in nine professional fights.
Rourke had already attracted attention at the official weigh-in, held this Thursday (27), due to the physical shape in which he presented himself. Wearing his traditional white cowboy hat, the Hollywood actor weighed 81,3 kg, the same weight as his young opponent. On that occasion, Mickey celebrated the chance to return to the sport. “I'm very happy to get back into the ring. I thank God for this possibility,” he said, in an interview with AFP.
At 62 years old, Mickey Rourke was one of the biggest “sex symbols” in cinema in the 80s, after starring in “9 1/2 Weeks of Love” alongside Kim Basinger. After years away from major film roles, the actor returned to prominence in the 2005 film “Sin City”. His performance in Robert Rodriguez's adaptation of Frank Miller's comics brought Rourke back to notoriety and three years later he was the protagonist from “The Wrestler”, by filmmaker Darren Aronofsky. For the film that tells the story of a fallen fighter who tries to recover his glorious past while seeking reconciliation with his daughter and starting a romance with a stripper, Rourke was nominated for the Oscar for best actor and won the Golden Globe in the “Best Actor – Drama” category.
In professional boxing, Mickey Rourke has a record of seven victories, five by knockout and two by judge's decision, and two draws. In amateur boxing, the actor's record is even better, with 13 victories in 13 fights, seven of which were by knockout.
Watch the video of Mickey Rourke's victory below:
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