There's a certain irony of life at play in this fine addition to the Rocky saga in that Mrs Stallone has actually carked it before proceedings get under way.

As all true connoisseurs of the series know, one of the central motifs is that Rocky will need to fight, much to Adrian's consternation as she fears for his mortality. Then, despite this disapproval, she'll undoubtedly turn up ringside to cheers him on in the end!

Sadly though, this time - when he's much too old and really should know better - it turns out she's not actually around to do her trademark nagging because, ironically, despite all the worries re his health, its actually her who's checked out prematurely.

I belive that Mr Stallone has supplied a deep life lesson for us all in there...