Young fan gives Sylvester Stallone a passionate delivery of the iconic 'Rocky' speech and nails it

How often does one get the chance to walk up to a legendary celebrity and reenact some of their memorable dialogues in front of them? Well, one little kid saw the opportunity and took it with confidence. According to TODAY, actor Sylvester Stallone this week posted an Instagram video featuring a 9-year-old named Ro Knight pulling off an impressive impression of Stallone's famous on-screen character, Rocky Balboa.

Sporting a jacket similar to Stallone's character in the earlier "Rocky" films, the kid confidently walks up to the veteran superstar. "Let me tell you something that you already know," the little kid starts reciting the iconic speech from "Rocky IV." In the original film, Stallone's Rocky gives an iconic inspirational speech to his on-screen son Robert Balboa Jr. who was played by actor Milo Ventimiglia. The aged boxing legend in the story has a falling out with his son who accused his father of unintentionally hurting him. What follows is a bunch of crucial lines in the film which every Rocky Balboa fan knows by heart.

Knight joined a crowd of Rocky enthusiasts who gathered at the Philadelphia Museum of Art to celebrate the inaugural "Rocky Day" on December 3, 2023. “The world ain’t all sunshine and rainbows,” Knight enthusiastically delivers his lines as Stallone joins him as well. “You, me or nobody is going to hit as hard as life,” Knight recites. “But it ain’t about how hard you hit. It’s about how hard you can get hit and keep moving forward. If you know what you are worth, then go out and get what you are worth. But you got to be willing to take the hits and not point fingers and say you ain't where you want to be because of him or her or anybody."

The audience on Instagram applauded the kid and thanked Stallone for sharing the stellar video. @helpsyougetgains wrote, "Still inspiring the youth!! My workouts started after seeing 'Rocky.' My post-workout was drinking eggs." @alenyunuskacr added, "Legends can be imitated, legends can be idols, legends can be born, you know, but being Sylvester Stallone will never happen again. Sylvester Stallone will not be born again, enjoy it."

"Cowards do that and that ain't you. You are better than that," Knight concludes with vigor as Stallone pulls him in for a warm hug. Stallone aptly captioned his Instagram video: "This kid is a real-life Rocky! @ro_knows_wrestling We are at the Philadelphia Museum and Statue, where they have declared December 3 Official Rocky Day. Thanks, Philly, what an honor!" The video was also reshared by u/IanAgate on Reddit where the community showered a lot of praise on the little performer.

u/MishFrood wrote: "Little Dude! Very impressive. The boy has got some bollocks on him! I’ll put my money on that boy making life good for himself." u/donnie3000 wrote, "Damn I was working that day in the museum as security and I tried my best to see him but couldn't, I'm glad people enjoyed his company." u/shocking_negligence recalled, "My dad gave me the gist of this speech when I failed out of college at what felt like my lowest. Rocky is one of the best American stories ever." u/mxcnslr2021 added, "I would try to do something similar in my head but once I'm standing in front of him I would turn into Troy from 'Community' when he first meets Levar Burton."