Actor Sylvester Stallone was officially inducted into the International Boxing Hall of Fame in Canastota, New York, on Sunday, June 12, 2011 for his work portraying the underdog boxer Rocky Balboa in the Rocky films. Alongside Stallone, legendary heavyweight boxer ‘Iron’ Mike Tyson was also inducted. “I’ve never pretended to be a boxer. I don’t possess those skills,” said Stallone. “What I do think I have is an understanding of what goes on outside the ring. Outside the ring is sometimes maybe an even bigger struggle than what goes on inside the ring, and I was able to capture that.”

“More than that, you also realize that our life is a constant battle,” Stallone said. “Sometimes I write things that may seem a little sentimental, but I truly believe it’s not how hard you can hit — it’s how hard you can get hit and keep moving forward because that’s really what makes the difference in your life.”

Watch Stallone’s acceptance speech:

Stallone wrote five other movies based on the Rocky Balboa character and in 2006 was awarded the Boxing Writers Association of America award for ‘Lifetime Cinematic Achievement in Boxing.’ ”They are the guys that go in there and take the blows and show that if you really put it out there on the line, you are a champion” Stallone said. “You may not be the champion of the world, but you’ll be the champion of your life.”

In closing, Stallone added: “Yo Adrian, I did it!”, repeating one of the most famous lines from the films.

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