The character, however, has the unenviable task of following iconic Rocky villains, and for the final opponent in the original series, Tarver just falls flat.

As 'Creed III' arrives in theaters, trainers at three Philadelphia boxing gyms pick their favorite rivals from the wider 'Rocky' film franchise, including Apollo Creed, Ivan Drago and Spider Rico.

Winner — Rocky III Both villains can carry their own in the boxing ring, but it’s Clubber Lang’s vicious personality that gives him the edge here.