When Dolph Lundgren’s character, Ivan Drago, quoted the famous line “I must break you” in the fourth installment of the Rocky franchise, he wasn’t kidding. 

To prove that the fighting scenes were the real deal, Sylvester Stallone has made it clear over the years that he took a real beating from Lundgren while filming that bruising battle in the ring. 

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Stallone just recently took to Instagram once again to present the pounding he endured to the body from the jacked Drago. In the caption, Sly reflects on one particular punch that got through, and the physical effect it had on him. “A lucky shot. It almost broke my heart, literally. It’s about how much you can take,” said Stallone.

Fortunately, The Italian Stallion was able to weather the onslaught from his much larger opponent and remain standing at the final bell, but images like this leave no doubt that these two warriors were not acting once the punches started flying.