Sylvester Stallone says he feared for his life during Rocky fight scene: ‘I was going to be talking to angels’

Actor recalls being flown to an intensive care unit where he stayed for four days

Sylvester Stallone has said that he almost died while filming the fourth instalment of the Rocky franchise.

The actor opened up about his experience in a video titled “The Making of Rocky vs Drago by Sylvester Stallone” that he shared to his YouTube channel.

Stallone said that he was flown into intensive care after shooting the film’s fight scene during which his character goes up against Captain Ivan Drago (played by Dolph Lundgren).

“The first thing we shot [was] my entrance, [Lundgren’s] entrance, and the introductions and then I got really injured during the fight and I had to be flown into intensive care to California from Canada,” said the actor.

The 75-year-old continued: “Well, [Lundgren] pulverised me. And I didn’t feel it in the moment but later that night my heart started to swell. My blood pressure went up to 260 and I was going to be talking to angels, next thing I know I’m on this emergency, low-altitude flight.

“I’m in intensive care surrounded by nuns and then after that, I had to go back and finish the fight.”

Stallone said he remained in intensive care for four days before he returned to the set to finish filming on the 1985 hit film.

Lundgren’s punch that led to Stallone being admitted to hospital was left in the final cut of the film.

“How could you take that out?” said the Rambo star.

Elsewhere in the video, Stallone admitted that he believes he made a “foolish” mistake in killing off Apollo Creed (played by Carl Weathers) in the same film.

The actor said that “if I had to do it all over again, I never would have killed Apollo” but rather have Creed survive and become Rocky’s new trainer.