C'mon, you'd think Stallone could toss this poor bastard some bucks:


'Wepner, a New Jersey club fighter, was plucked from obscurity by promoter Don King. He drew notice in 1975 in a punishing 15-round loss to Muhammad Ali.


"Rocky," which won the Oscar for best picture, was the story of a down-and-out club fighter from Philadelphia who got a shot at the heavyweight title. Stallone played Rocky Balboa in the 1976 film.


"Wepner contends, and Stallone does not contest, that the main character, Rocky Balboa, was based on Wepner and the plot of the first movie was inspired on the 1975 fight," the judge wrote.


The lawsuit contended Stallone made several promises to Wepner that he would be financially compensated over the years, but no payments were made.'

http://story.news.yahoo.com/news?tmpl=story&cid=567&ncid=1361&e=3&u=/ap/20040929/ap_on_sp_bo_ne/box_wepner_stallone_suit