Rocky Balboa’s Mason “The Line” Dixon has an exemplary boxing record when compared to other characters in the Rocky franchise. Played by real-life boxer Antonio Tarver, he was the main antagonist of Rocky Balboa and the final opponent faced by Sylvester Stallone’s character. The movie served as Dixon’s first and only appearance in the franchise, but how good was his boxing record according to his solo appearance?
Mason Dixon was the primary reason for Rocky’s decision to step out of retirement for one last bout. It was established early in the 2006 film that “The Line” was the reigning world heavyweight champion, a position previously held by a handful of Rocky characters, including Rocky himself, Apollo Creed (Carl Weathers), Clubber Lang (Mr. T), and Tommy Gunn (Tommy Morrison). Though Dixon held the highest title in the boxing world, he and his managers weren’t exactly satisfied, especially since that there was an opinion among those in the sports community that the lack of good competition was the real reason for his dominance. As a result, an exhibition match between Dixon and Rocky was arranged. A victory by split decision over Rocky ultimately gave the character the respect he felt he had been denied.
In Rocky Balboa, it’s established that Dixon’s heavyweight boxing record is 33-0, with his win over Rocky included. He never lost a fight in his entire professional boxing career. However, it’s worth noting that his record came very close to being 32-1. A deleted scene in Rocky Balboa confirms that Rocky, whose fight career boasts a number of wins, gets the victory instead which felt like the right direction for the story to take, as it allowed both characters to get what they wanted. Rocky got to have one last match in the ring, and Dixon was treated with greater respect.
Dixon’s 33-0 record is impressive, even by the standards set by other characters in the franchise. It’s better than Rocky’s, who lost 20 fights before fighting Apollo. He’s also one of only two Rocky opponents who are undefeated, with the other being Tommy Gunn. The Rocky V villain was beaten once by Rocky, but not in the ring.
As for how Dixon stacks up against Rocky’s other challengers, it’s likely that even though he can be considered an extremely formidable fighter, there are some characters who are above him in terms of strength and skill. For instance, there’s the matter of the franchise's best fighter, Apollo Creed. However, an older Rocky coming that close to beating Dixon suggests that if the former were in his prime, the latter wouldn’t have come out on top. Though he did face two defeats in his lifetime, he’s arguably one of the best fighters in the Rocky universe. Rocky Balboa’s Dixon was certainly a competent boxer in the ring, but it's hard to argue with the points made by some of the sports commentators in the movie about his record; he never had to fight Apollo, Clubber Lang, or Ivan Drago (Dolph Lundgren).
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