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Sly takes it on the chin at UK 'Rocky' premiere

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Sylvester Stallone got more than he bargained for in the shape of the lovely Lisa Snowdon as he arrived at the UK premiere of his film Rocky Balboa. The feisty brunette, a former flame of George Clooney, squared up to the actor as she arrived at the Leicester Square venue for his silver screen comeback.

Other VIP guests in fighting form included Olympic boxing star Amir Khan. "I'm a big Rocky fan just like everyone else is," he said. "I've been watching the movie since I was young. I never thought in my life I would come to a Rocky premiere and meet Sylvester Stallone." Callum Best and Jennifer Ellison also attended the screening, while hundreds of fans chanting "Rocky, Rocky" waited for a glimpse of 60-year-old Sly - who has surprised many by deciding to revive the 30-year-old boxing franchise.

The muscle-bound star put in months of gruelling training for the role, suffering a number of injuries along the way including a damaged neck and broken foot. But the hard work seems to have paid off, as his reception proved on Tuesday night. "The crowd are so great and what is really shocking is that they are so young. I guess Rocky translates to younger generations," said Sly, now on his sixth outing as the legendary boxing champ.

In the movie his character is lured out of retirement to step into the ring one last time after a TV sports show says the young Rocky would have beaten current champion Mason Dixon.

Photo: © Alphapress.com
TV presenter Lisa jokingly lands one on Sly at the UK premiere of Rocky Balboa Photo: © AFPy
Photo: © Alphapress.com
Olympic boxing champ Amir said he'd been watching the Rocky movies since he was young and it was a dream come true to meet their starPhoto: © Getty Images