James "Clubber" Lang is a fictional character created by

Sylvester Stallone Sylvester Gardenzio "Sly" Stallone (; born July 6, 1946) is an American actor and filmmaker. In a Sylvester Stallone filmography, film career spanning more than fifty years, Stallone has received List of awards and nominations received by Syl ...

for the film ''

Rocky III ''Rocky III'' is a 1982 American sports drama film written and directed by, and starring Sylvester Stallone. The film is the sequel to ''Rocky II'' (1979) and the third installment in the ''Rocky'' franchise. It also stars Talia Shire, Burt You ...

'', which was released in 1982. He was portrayed by American actor and real-life wrestler

Mr. T Laurence T (born Laurence Tureaud; May 21, 1952), known professionally as Mr. T, is an American actor and retired Professional wrestling, professional wrestler. He is known for his roles as B. A. Baracus in the 1980s television series ''The A ...

and serves as the main

antagonist An antagonist is a character in a story who is presented as the main enemy or rival of the protagonist and is often depicted as a villain.Chicago, Illinois Chicago is the List of municipalities in Illinois, most populous city in the U.S. state of Illinois and in the Midwestern United States. With a population of 2,746,388, as of the 2020 United States census, 2020 census, it is the List of Unite ...

, and is a one-time world heavyweight champion, having taken the title from

Rocky Balboa Robert "Rocky" Balboa (also known by his ring name the Italian Stallion) is a fictional character and the titular protagonist of the ''Rocky'' franchise. The character was created by Sylvester Stallone, who has also portrayed him in eight of ...

only to lose it back to Balboa in his next fight. The character is very loosely based on a combination of

Sonny Liston Charles L. "Sonny" Liston ( – December 30, 1970), nicknamed "the Big Bear", was an American professional boxer who competed from 1953 to 1970. A dominant contender of his era, he became the undisputed world heavyweight champion in 1962 after k ...

Larry Holmes Larry Holmes (born November 3, 1949) is an American former professional boxer who competed from 1973 to 2002 and was world heavyweight champion from 1978 until 1985. He is often considered to be one of the greatest heavyweight boxers of all time. ...

, and

George Foreman George Edward Foreman (January 10, 1949 – March 21, 2025) was an American professional boxer, businessman, minister, and author. In boxing, he competed between 1967 and 1997, and was nicknamed "Big George". He was a two-time world heavyweig ...

. Jan Philipp Reemtsma. ''More than a champion: the style of Muhammad Ali'' (Random House, 1998) .

Fictional character biography

James Lang lost both of his parents at an early age, and spent most of his childhood in orphanages and on the streets of Chicago's Southside; he eventually became involved with crime, and served time in juvenile facilities.Edward Gross. ''Rocky: The Ultimate Guide'' (Dk Pub, 2007) Later, as an adult, Clubber was sent to prison for five years for felony

aggravated assault In the terminology of law, an assault is the act of causing physical harm or unwanted physical contact to another person, or, in some legal definitions, the threat or attempt to do so. It is both a crime and a tort and, therefore, may result ...

. During his time in prison, he discovered boxing as a way to let out his frustration and anger, which leads to the events of ''Rocky III''. This is also evident in the game '' Rocky Legends'', where Clubber's storyline begins with him fighting in the Chicago Prison in a ring actually inside the prison itself.

Rocky III

During ''Rocky IIIs intro, Rocky is shown easily defeating numerous contenders in a montage, during which Lang is shown annoyed at Rocky apparently coasting through his title defenses. Lang decides to begin training himself to challenge Rocky and his methods bring results as he puts together a string of knockouts that soon make him the number one contender. Lang attends a charity exhibition match between Rocky and the professional wrestler, Thunderlips, but gets up and leaves in disgust shortly before the match ends. He appears at a public event to goad a now complacent Rocky who is announcing his retirement. Lang finally infuriates Rocky by propositioning his wife Adrian in front of Rocky's numerous fans and the television media, and Rocky agrees to fight him. Rocky expects another easy victory and continues his complacent attitude towards training, which angers and worries his manager and trainer

Mickey Goldmill Mickey Goldmill is a fictional character created by Sylvester Stallone and portrayed by Burgess Meredith in the ''Rocky'' film series. Meredith was nominated for the Academy Award for Best Supporting Actor for his performance in the first fil ...

. Meanwhile, Lang makes no such assumptions and relentlessly trains with fiercely disciplined intensity for the bout. On the night of the fight, Lang taunts the champion in the hallway as they are walking to the ring and provokes a scuffle between the two camps, shoving Mickey so hard that the latter suffers a heart attack which further distracts Rocky from the fight (and later proves fatal). He also angers former champion

Apollo Creed Apollo Creed is a fictional character from the ''Rocky'' franchise, portrayed by Carl Weathers. He appears in the first four '' Rocky'' films, serving as the main antagonist in '' Rocky'' and '' Rocky II'', and later becoming one of the pr ...

by refusing to shake his hand before the fight and mocking him as a "has-been". Creed tells Balboa, "Give everybody a present and drop this chump." Lang overwhelms Rocky and knocks him out in two rounds, winning the title easily. Lang's first defense of his newly won title is a rematch against Rocky. Before the fight, Lang is interviewed and mocks Balboa as no challenge. When he is informed Creed is training Balboa and will be in his corner, Lang mocks Creed and says it does not matter. Balboa has learned a newer boxing style based on speed and finesse from Creed. Shortly before the fight, Lang mocks Creed again and even shoves him, nearly starting a brawl. The champion has trouble with Rocky's new technique and soon tires after becoming enraged and throwing a large number of wild hooks, attempting to knock Rocky out quickly. Although several punches are damaging, Balboa taunts Lang by saying "knock me out, champ" and claiming the resulting punches were "nothing", further enraging Lang who continues to swing wildly. Rocky exploits his opponent's exhaustion and knocks him out in the third round. Lang's career results following the second fight with Balboa are unknown; outside of a replay of the final round in the beginning of ''

Rocky IV ''Rocky IV'' is a 1985 American sports drama film starring, written and directed by Sylvester Stallone. The film is the sequel to '' Rocky III'' (1982) and the fourth installment in the ''Rocky'' franchise. It also stars Talia Shire, Burt You ...

'', he was not seen in any of the Rocky or Creed films that followed. In one version of the script of ''

'', Lang became a born-again Christian and was now addressed by his given name of James. Lang was also slated to be one of the commentators of the Balboa vs. Mason "The Line" Dixon fight..

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Lang, Clubber Black characters in films African-American characters in films Fictional characters from Chicago Fictional American criminals Fictional professional boxers Orphan characters in film Rocky (franchise) characters Film characters introduced in 1982 Mr. T Action film villains Male film villains Cultural depictions of Mr. T Fictional characters from the 20th century