Boxing legend Lou Filippo dies

http://www.sfgate.com/cgi-bin/article.cgi?f=/c/a/2009/11/06/BAC31AFGII.DTL

Lou Filippo, a boxing Hall of Famer who became a referee and ring judge, memorably counting out Sylvester Stallone's champion rival Apollo Creed in the film "Rocky II," died Monday at Downey Regional Medical Center after suffering a stroke. He was 83.

Read more: http://www.sfgate.com/cgi-bin/article.cgi?f=/c/a/2009/11/06/BAC31AFGII.DTL#ixzz0W4iXxwPR

Mr. Filippo was a distinguished amateur fighter who fought more than 250 bouts before turning pro. His fighting career ended in 1957 with a no-contest outcome and a technical knockout loss against Hall of Famer Carlos Ortiz, a bout stopped because of Mr. Filippo's cuts - bleeding plagued his 23-9-3 pro career.

Veteran boxing publicist Bill Caplan said Mr. Filippo's reputation as a "loyal, straight-up guy" helped him win Stallone's attention, and the actor used Mr. Filippo in all five of his "Rocky" movies. In "Rocky II," Mr. Filippo told Stallone's bloodied character Rocky Balboa before the epic 15th round, "Hey, Rock, you get in trouble one more time ...," to which Balboa answered, "Don't stop nothing!" When both fighters fell to the canvas on a Balboa punch and Creed slumped in a corner, Mr. Filippo tells the champ, "You're out!"

Mr. Filippo, born Dec. 1, 1925, in Los Angeles, attended Los Angeles' Fremont High School and served in the Navy during World War II.