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Tony "Duke" Evers' (Tony Burton) screen-matched, bloodied "Balboa" shirt from Sylvester Stallone's Rocky IV. Having previously trained Rocky Balboa's (Sylvester Stallone) foe-turned-mentor Apollo Creed (Carl Weathers), Duke became Rocky's trainer for his Moscow match against Soviet boxing champion Captain Ivan Drago (Dolph Lundgren). Distinctive patterning in the blood spatter on this shirt screen-matches to shots of the blood-stained Duke when the crowd began to cheer for Rocky in the 12th round of the climactic match.
Tony "Duke" Evers was one of only four characters to appear in all of the first six films of the Rocky franchise, with Burton portraying the character from the original 1976 film all the way through Rocky Balboa in 2006. Burton's real-world career as an acclaimed heavyweight boxer, in addition to being a two-time all-state football player in Michigan, earned him induction into the Greater Flint Afro-American Hall of Fame.
Upon its release, Rocky IV became the then-highest-grossing Rocky film of all time and the third-highest-grossing US film of 1985. The film is most often remembered for its prominent Cold War themes, which most agree were certainly socially relevant but some have criticized as propagandistic. In 2021, Stallone released an alternate cut of the film titled Rocky IV: Rocky vs. Drago - The Ultimate Director's Cut.
This lot consists of a white silken shirt with a blue Adidas logo on the front and the name "Balboa" in blue letters on the back. It has been distressed with red stains from stage blood down the front. In addition to the intentional production staining, this lot shows evidence of staining and other wear consistent with on-set use, handling, and age.
Estimate: $1,500 - 3,000
View all lots from ROCKY IV (1985)
This item comes with a Propstore Certificate of Authenticity.