It was a knock-out, royal welcome fit for a reigning champion when Vegas turned out in full force for superstar Sylvester Stallone's VIP party last night to celebrate the 6th and final 'Rocky Balboa' movie, which is released nationwide today. For the first time, in an exclusive Luxe Life interview the 60-year-old actor admitted that he didn't resort to trick photography for the brutal fight scenes against Antonio Tarver and that his neck "still hurts 5-months later from the beating I took."

Real-life referee Joe Cortez, (below left, with John Mommet) who ref'd the movies on-screen battle told me: "Make no mistake, it was a real fight. Sly took some real beatings. I had to stop them going at it several times. I was cursing at them when I pulled them apart I was so worried for them. Stallone didn't need makeup for those facial black and blue marks around the eyes; that was the real thing. To be very honest they had a spirit and a passion for the fight that's lacking in a lot of the new boxers today. This was good old-time boxing at its best."


Stallone told me: "I just feel really exhilarated; not for me, but for the fans who really had a love affair with Rocky and were disenchanted the way it went out in 1990. Tonight is such a vindication that the character goes out with dignity and success that for people who are in the same dilemma he is in, wondering about life towards the end and what retirement is all about. It's a message for everybody in America: never quit, never give up, you can always win and make final dreams come true if you go after them. Everyone has a certain standard for what a victory is. Your victory can be totally different from my victory and you may want more or less than me but I really believe people should not be afraid to stick their head over the crowd knowing they will be criticized. People might want to humiliate them. If you are willing to accept the pain to follow your dreams it's worth every moment of it."


"That's the kind of message I was trying to send out. Really the older I get the more I realize my heart is ageing much slower than my body and my mind. I kept saying I can't be that different from other people. We've got so much left inside of us and because of embarrassment or self-consciousness, whatever, shouldn't deny ourselves of getting all that stuff out of our basement that we know is still in there."

"I really put my heart my soul, my physical best. This was really a fight andno punches were pulled. Even Joe, the ref said to me, 'You can't do this. What the heck are you doing?' He was screaming curse words at us to stop fighting like real fighters. I told him "this is what it is," the realism is important because you can't fake it anymore. The audience is too sophisticated. I couldn't resort to trick shots, and that's why I hired a pro fighter, Antonio to capitalize on my mistakes and not just let me slide. It sure hurt, but I tell you it's real. You can't under estimate what these boxers who are here tonight with us go through. Even though they're retired their wear and tear and sustained body ache never goes away. It'll be with me until the last as well.


"Now I go onto 'Rambo 4.' Filming starts at the start of the New Year over in Asia. I wanted to give closure on the character like the 1st movie. I don't want to repeat all the explosions that made up the in-between movies. There'll be action in it but where does a man go when he gets older. Does he want to die alone? Or does he want to go and achieve so he feels he belongs. Maybe certain similarities with Rocky Balboa! In this age I'm becoming romantic and I want happy endings. I don't think Rambo will wind up capturing Osama Bin Laden and end world terrorism, but I promise you he will come close!"

Boxing legends, famous fight faces, championship promoters and even Miss America joined Sly to battle hundreds of adoring fans at the new Planet Hollywood resort's Center circular Bar. In addition, TV cameramen and frenzied photographers from as far away as Japan and Britain lined a 100-yard red-carpet walkway.

Planet Hollywood CEO, Robert Earl who has spent $1 billion converting the old Aladdin Hotel into a sleek new sizzling sophisticated upscale resort told me: "Nobody gave a movie party in Vegas before with 50 sports stars turning out in support of Stallone. I wanted to do something completely different to a regular Hollywood premiere"


He also organized the party to showcase for the first time 20 of the new 2007 Miss America pageant contestants who will, for the 2nd consecutive year, battle it out in Vegas for the crown! This year's currently reigning Miss America, 23-year-old Jennifer Berry from Oklahoma (above with yours truly) also attended. The girls all told me there was no way that any of them would find themselves in hot water as the current Miss USA crown holder who yesterday was given a 2nd chance by pageant owner Donald Trump to "clean up her NYC wild-child late night partying." They told me while in the pageant and during the reign their curfew is 9:30PM each night and each small group has a chaperone. "Each one of us is really respectful of the tradition of Miss America and none of us would ever do anything to tarnish its reputation," said Jennifer.

One surprise guest was former 'Baywatch' star David Hasslehoff who will make his Vegas song and dance musical debut on January 31 in the hysterical Mel Brooks' Broadway show 'The Producers' at the Paris Resort-Casino. Old pal David told me: "I'm moving to Vegas full-time on January 3, and today I went house hunting. I'm looking for a home here. Rehearsals are really going well in New York and the first week of January we'll move into the theater at the Paris to really start the countdown." Then he laughed: "I've been a fight fan for a long time so this Rocky saga reminds me of me. However many times you get knocked down, never give up, keep on coming back." Even comedy star Carrot Top was on the red-carpet flexing his rippling weight-lifting muscles!

I can't tell you how many times I got hugged by the ring champions who attended. It was incredible to be on the receiving end of mighty-strong handshakes and bear hugs from such winners as Ken Norton, Gerry Cooney, Ray 'Boom Boom" Mancini, Emile Griffith, Tim Witherspoon, Tommy Hearns, UBF, WBC, WBA World Champion Iran "The Blade" Barkley and fight promoter Lou DiBella, who plays himself in Sly's film. "This is serious firepower," said Robert Earl, as we both wondered why an invited Mike Tyson, who also appears in the movie hadn't shown up.

Much of the closing 30-minutes of the new Rocky flick were shot at Mandalay Bay here earlier this summer, and the concluding chapter of the saga that began 3-decades ago to establish Stallone as a superstar is the greatest underdog story for the last-ever round. I loved the 102-minute movie and was stunned by Stallone's shape for a 60-year-old. Rocky Balboa, the former heavyweight champion steps out of retirement to take on the ultimate challenge one final time. The VIP guests loved the movie. They raved about it and marveled at the amazing physical punishment Stallone himself took in the ring.

When thousands of frenzied fans at Planet Hollywood roared his Rocky name Stallone kept one arm cuddled around the waist of his wife, Jennifer and punched the other into the air. "I'm glad this has now ended. It has been a staggering run and I never ever guessed when I was at the lowest part of my life and literally penniless that we could see a night like tonight."

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