Author's Notes: This story actually was inspired by the Superman versus Muhammad Ali comic book. As for why I went with Adam West's Batman here, it's because his version of Batman was still the most mainstream depiction of the character at the time this fight would have taken place. Or at least it was according to my personal headcanon of the timeline of the Rocky franchise. That's also why Mickey is still alive. For those who care, this is pre-Clubber Lang, Rocky III Rocky. One could certainly argue that a different Batman (or even a different Rocky) would have resulted in a different outcome to this fight. I welcome those opinions, but, as this is my first ever fanfic entry into both the Batman and Rocky franchises, I'm more curious what you think of the story than of who you think would win the fight. I hope you all like my random little oneshot.

Read and review!

/

"Let us in! Let us in! Let us in!"

Eager spectators chanted outside the sold out Metropolis Arena. Tony Gazzo and Louie the Lilac stood off to opposing sides of the building's front entrance. Each mobster tried yelling overtop of the excited crowd; both offering to take people's bets as they went in. There were a few takers, but as soon as the doors finally opened up the fans rushed to get inside. Smokers lit up cigars while others headed over to the stadium's various concession stands. Everyone wanted to support their favorite combatant and prove through their dated souvenirs that they witnessed history being made first-hand. Overpriced snacks ran low almost immediately. People needed sustenance, and if the Superman/Muhammad Ali fight had been any indication, this was going to be a long night. T-shirts and programs sold out despite the fact that tonight there was only one fight on the entire card. Usually boxing couldn't pull off such a feat, but tonight's bout would be a battle for the ages.

Tonight, Batman would box against Rocky Balboa.

The Ali/Superman fight did more than save Earth from aliens; it also got people talking. What about the world's other great boxers? What about the world's other great heroes? What if they had fought each other, or the previous alien invaders, instead? Who would win? The world wanted to find out. In the spirit of healthy competition, the World Boxing Commission agreed to put on a charitable exhibition bout between another world hero and pro fighter. If all went well the Commission was open to hosting similar fights in the future.

The fans in the stadium loudly speculated about who would win and why, nearly leading to brawls between the more passionate (ie: drunk) loyalists. All things considered, the fighters were very evenly matched. Balboa was selected for the fight because he was the current Heavyweight champion, though some believed that an on-going title reign was not enough to make him a worthy opponent. Batman was chosen in large part due to his popularity, which many also felt was not sufficient justification for matching him up against the current best heavyweight in the world. Unlike most of the world's heroes, Batman did not possess a super powered unnatural advantage going into the fight, which meant Rocky at least had a fighting chance. However, Batman was also one of the only super heroes with previous boxing experience, having fought the Joker during the 1960s inside a boxing ring. Rocky could not train to face Batman the same ways that he ordinarily prepared for fights because Batman was not a prize fighter. Batman fought crime on the streets nearly every night though, sometimes getting injured in the process, which meant it was possible that he could lose to a well-rested Rocky who only had to fight in a structured environment once every few months. Batman's mask gave him limited vision, but Rocky had recently been diagnosed with a bad eye. In acquired footage from street fights, Batman utilized his entire body as well as various gadgets during battles, making what Rocky could hope to learn about his adversary's fighting style very limited. Batman on the other hand could easily study Rocky before the match, and history had shown that a prepared Batman was usually a victorious one. As a result, Las Vegas odds makers had Batman just barely favored to win. That fact only motivated Rocky even more, however. He wanted to prove to the world that title holder or not, he was worthy of this opportunity. History had also shown that an underdog Rocky Balboa was a Rocky Balboa who found a way to rise to victory. One thing everyone seemed to agree on was that the fight was going to be epic.

Metropolis Arena was selected as the fight's venue to ensure impartial officiating. Rocky's title was not on the line due to the exhibition nature of the contest. The crowd was evenly split despite the neutral turf, cheering on both fighters as they entered the ring. Mickey was in Rocky's corner, while Robin was in Batman's. The referee removed Batman's utility belt. His various weapons served no purpose during a proper boxing match and would've only led to a disqualification. Batman was, however, allowed to keep his secret identity concealed behind his trademark cowl. Michael Buffer thanked the live crowd as well as the TV audience for supporting charity. He then introduced millionaire Bruce Wayne, who had generously offered to match the amount raised for charity by tonight's bout. Of course, Wayne was nowhere to be found in the crowd. Rocky's family was present, as were various members of Gotham City's elite. Tony Gazzo and Louie the Lilac cheered on Rocky from the front row. Buffer lastly introduced the fighters, said his trademarked catch phrase, and the battle was finally on!

Round one was a rather boring feeling out process. In simultaneous attempts to conserve energy in order to maximize damage in later rounds, both fighters severely limited their number of attempted strikes. Batman began to mentally time the speed of Rocky's punches, successfully ducking away from most of them in the knick of time, though some hits were simply unavoidable. His prominent chin and logo-covered chest made excellent targets for Rocky's hands. Batman counted each punch that Rocky threw, including the ones that hit him, hoping that he could use the science of boxing against Balboa. If he could cause Rocky to miss more punches than he'd land, Batman could win the fight on points regardless of who the superior fighter was. As he'd hoped to, Batman ended round one in the lead.

"He's a rat with wings!" Mickey encouraged in Rocky's corner. "Even you're smarter than a guy who dresses like that! He ain't got no depth perception in that mask! Go for the head, kid! You gotta-" A violent cough suddenly interrupted Mickey's pep talk. "Wak, wak, wak!"

"You okay, Mick?" Rocky asked.

"I've got a cold."

In round two, as Mickey had advised, Rocky easily struck Batman on the side of the head due to his limite4d vision. The punches rocked Batman back against the ropes. The follow-up shots to the ribs stung even worse than normal thanks to a previous crime-fighting injury. Despite all his heroics, at the end of the day, Batman was still a human being. When a human being gets hit, it hurts. When a human being gets hit by a trained fighter, it really hurts. Batman covered up, but Rocky stayed on him, punching anywhere he could find a legal opening. Batman instinctively dropped to his knees as Rocky lunged forward. It would count as a knock down, but Batman was in self-defense mode and had to react quickly if he hoped to survive the fight. He grabbed Rocky's arm. Using the forward momentum to his advantage, he flipped Rocky over his shoulder and sent him crashing onto the ring canvas. For this illegal act, Batman was deducted the points advantage he had gained during the first round.

"Holy takedowns, Batman!" Robin exclaimed.

The Caped Crusader glanced up toward Robin; offering only a tired sigh and a warning. "It's going to be a long night, old chum."

POW! ZAP! BAM! Batman came out swinging in the third round. Rocky responded with fiery intensity, upset himself over the last round's misconduct. They traded harder shots to the growing delight of the live crowd. Batman's fists mercilessly pounded Rocky's face, which Batman observed leaned forward in fights far too often for the good of Rocky's career. Rocky was punched. And punched. And punched some more. A vicious combination assaulting all the right weak points at once finally caused Balboa to hit the mat in an acceptable manner. Batman moved to a neutral corner; using the opportunity to catch his breath and examine his hands for injuries. His eyes widened behind his cowl when he looked back up from his gloved fists.

Rocky had returned to his feet.

No matter how hard Batman struck him, Rocky wasn't giving up. This type of steel will wasn't something Batman often encountered. Criminal scumbags were usually either unconscious or ready to sing by now, but Rocky Balboa had no quit in him. A particularly hard shot to the jaw sent Rocky's mouth guard flying across the ring like an in-play hockey puck. The round was ceased so that it could be put back in. As Batman backed to the corner, his eyes once again became horrified.

Rocky's face was bleeding, and the blood stained Batman's blue knuckles.

It was the first time since the 1940s that Batman had become so violent. He didn't care for the darker side of his personality. It was a side that could easily go too far. If it did, he'd be no better a person than the likes of Joe Chill. Stopping evil was Batman's lifelong mission, but Rocky Balboa wasn't an evil man. Hell, according to Batman's vetting the guy had been allowed to leave his local mob affiiiates back in Philadelphia in part because he didn't have the heart to break people's thumbs. But what could Batman do now that things were getting out of hand? This was an athletic contest; not a street fight where he could simply walk away after putting down his opponent. Running away from a fight showed cowardice and would disappoint those who believed in Batman and what he symbolized. Taking a dive was another option, but intentionally losing a contest would dishonor the Wayne family and all of Bruce's years of martial arts training. Out of options, Batman reasoned that he would just have to continue to wear Rocky down. Unfortunately for Batman, much like Superman in the Ali fight, Rocky simply refused to go down for the count, and neither man was planning on throwing in the towel.

The rounds continued. Dueling "Batman!" and "Rocky!" fan chants filled the arena in round four. Rocky's eye was blackened in round five. Batman's nose was broken in six, which his mask would have been able to hide if not for the blood leaking out onto the exposed lower half of his face.

In round seven, the unthinkable happened: Batman was finally taken off of his feet from a wild flurry of punches. The live audience went ballistic, including Batman's supporters. Mortal men didn't often get the upper hand against Batman. Hell, super humans didn't often get the upper hand against Batman. Rocky threw his arms up in a victorious pose as he retreated to a neutral corner. He soaked in some "Rocky!" chants. His doe eyes, which were still stinging from a fallen mixture of blood and sweat, looked out into the crowd for his sources of inspiration: his wife, Adrian, and his son, Robert, who was seated on his mother's lap. Even through the large crowd Rocky managed to locate their smiling faces.

"Yo Adrian!" Rocky cried out. "I-"

Not so fast.

Batman was back on his feet.

"...Huh. This must be how Apollo felt" Rocky muttered; recalling one of the many times he had stared disbelieving opponents in the face after taking their best shots.

Batman's fists cocked in a traditional fighter's pose, encouraging Rocky to come at him again. This was now a matter of pride. Batman strived to be the best at everything. That was, of course, impossible, but that never stopped him from trying. He was determined to be better than the best at this too, despite only having a day's official experience compared to the heavyweight champion's years in the ring. No one would've realistically blamed him for staying down, or even for losing fairly, except for Batman himself. If he didn't keep fighting, if he listened to his limitations, he would hate himself for it and always wonder 'What if?'. It was another thing he and Rocky had in common.

Rocky gave his family a small, sad wave with his gloved fist. "It's gonna be a long night" he mouthed apologetically.

The fighters threw stiff haymakers in the middle of round eight. They clocked each other at the same time before both fell away from one another, each fighter crashing to the mat. It was the second knock down for both. They struggled to answer the referee's ten count, but successfully made it back to their respective feet at a close count of nine. Rocky went back on offense in the next round; assaulting Batman's body. Batman was forced to sacrifice his skull, the hardest part of the human body, in order to save himself and injure Rocky's dominant left hand in the process. This gave him a better chance going forward. Batman pounced on the wounded Rocky in the tenth round as ambidextrous fists pummeled Rocky's upper body. The champion was only able to cover up with his hurt left fist. Rocky's head was rocked to the side by a devastating blow. This allowed him to catch sight of little Robert Balboa at ringside.

He was crying. Adrian did her best to comfort the boy, but he knew he was watching his old man take a rather rough beating. It was an image that, as a father, Rocky hoped he would never have to see again. Robert's tears inspired Rocky to fight back even more valiantly. He successfully slipped a bat-jab as he moved away from the ring ropes. He fractured Batman's jaw with an aggressive hook, knocking Batman back into a corner. Rocky moved in for the kill, but the bell saved Batman from Rocky's continuous blows.

Recaling his Super Fight II training, Rocky did the best he could with his right hand in round eleven. Batman responded with martial arts blows designed to attack a human's pressure points. This earned Batman a few more points off, but Rocky lost his own points lead by headbutting the super hero in a moment of street fighting mentality. Batman responded with a jiu jitsu kick to Rocky's side. His second attempt was countered by Rocky into a drop toe hold. By the end of the round, Batman and Rocky were slugging it out, hitting anywhere they could, the rules be damned! Various officials and cornermen had to pull them apart after the bell in order to get them to retreat to their respective corners, their eyes swelling, and their faces crimson masks.

"Batman, I've never seen you like this." a concerned Robin observed. "You're losing a lot of blood. Why don't you let me throw in the towel?"

"I'm fine, Robin" Batman assured a bit woozily. "I have to finish that no-good neanderthal once and for all."

"Listen to you! That language!" Robin objected. He splashed cold water into his friend's face; hoping to restore Batman's sanity in the process. "Batman, you're letting your anger cloud your better judgment. You don't need to hurt Balboa any more."

In the opposing corner, Rocky could barely even remain seated on his stool. Mickey hurled water into his fighter's battered face. The cornermen cleaned off the blood as best they could. Mickey waved a white towel in front of Rocky's damaged eyes. He was too out of it to hear Mickey's barked instructions, but out of instinct, Rocky still knew how to respond.

"You ain't stoppin' nothin'! I ain't lettin' the kid see me go down like that..." Rocky insisted.

Mickey sighed. Champion or no, charity fight or no, nothing was worth this kind of punishment. "It's your funeral. One more round!" he encouraged.

Michael Buffer excitedly confirmed the start of the final round, causing the fans to cheer wildly, but perhaps no one was happier to hear that it was almost over than the combatants themselves.

Batman and Rocky wobbled out to center ring; each man's legs feeling rubbery. They could barely lift their arms to deliver punches, but the ones that managed to land certainly felt like they hurt their aching bodies worse than ever. Ringside judges had things scored about evenly. Every blow in these precious last few minutes still mattered. Rocky attacked Batman's sides as best he could, but eventually all Batman had to do was sidestep a shot to the face in order to cause Rocky to drop to his knees in the middle of the ring, panting for breath. The champion, a resiliant man himself, had literally punched himself out into physical exhaustion trying to take out a man who, despite his mortality, prided himself on being indestructable. Batman reared his fist back, ready to deliver a final death blow to his already seemingly finished opponent. It was then, out of the corner of his eye, that Batman saw it.

A small boy in the crowd. Older than Robert Balboa, but definitely no older than ten. He had a black, home-made cardboard bat mask covering his face in a show of support for Gotham's favorite son. Then, he took it off, and tossed it to the ground disdainfully. Tears welled up in the child's disappointed green eyes. It reminded Batman - Bruce - of himself as a younger man. In the alley, when his parents were shot dead. Good people, gone instantaneously, and a young boy growing up vengeful at the world around him because of it. Except that Bruce had no one to look up to and model his adult life after. No one to show him that, perhaps, there was a better way to live. This boy did have such a hero to pattern himself after. All of Gotham City did. For that matter, so did all of Rocky's supporters.

Until now. If Batman did what he wanted to do in this moment, he knew that his much greater purpose would be undone in a single, unnecessary punch. Literally beating down a good man in front of his family? That wasn't the bat-way. Bruce forced his competitiveness and momentary anger down into his well-toned stomach. Rocky's eyes stared up at the masked hero, daring him to deliver the knockout blow, because that was the only way Rocky Balboa's heart was going to quit this battle, even if his body already had.

Batman lowered his fist, quietly turned, and exited the ring, earning himself an automatic disqualification.

Not sinking to a criminal's level was Batman's victory; he didn't need to win this fight on top of it. Batman's decision earned him jeers and a future dry cleaning bill fron being pelted with concession foods and drinks, but the man behind the mask could care less. That little boy in the crowd was happy with him again; having picked up and dusted off his Batman mask. Robin was seemingly relieved that Batman was back to normal. And, somewhere, Bruce knew that his parents were proud of his self-control too. There was no dishonor in being the first to walk away from an otherwise never-ending war.

Though victorious, Rocky didn't look like much of a winner laid out in the center of the ring. Rocky did more than win on a technicality though. He achieved his own personal victory, and it was one he had earned without question. He went twelve rounds with arguably the world's greatest super hero. He had even taken Batman off of his feet, which was better than a lot of very capable villains had ever managed to do. Rocky had proven his point: he deserved to be in this fight.

"You'll knock 'em out next time, kid!" Mickey said with a pat on the back for a job well done.

"Next time?" Rocky questioned. "Are you crazy?"

/

Despite the event's success, there would be no rematch, and no similar fights in the future. The WBC ultimately ruled that the Batman/Balboa fight had been too bloody and was too dangerous to continue, especially for charity. The Commission still needed boxers to be able to box, and the world still needed heroes to be able to stop danger. Logically they couldn't do either job if they were beating the hell out of each other.

Rocky and Batman met one last time, but not in the ring. Rather, it was in the parking lot, after the doctors had finished examining both men backstage. The eyes of the entire Balboa clan widened in unison at the sight of the famous Batmobile roaring to a perfectly-timed stop in front of them. Overwhelmed and impressed, all Rocky could think to say was "...Nice car."

"Thank you" Batman replied politely. "Mister Balboa I'd like to apologize for my actions in the ring tonight. When tempers flare...well, sometimes emotion can get the best of even the strongest of men. I see now that I should leave such savage sports to the professionals like you."

"Ah, that's okay. Gettin' punched out it kinda like comes with the job, y'know? Some of my best friends and I we'll take turns punchin' each other out back in Philly."

"Well, just to show that there are no hard feelings, would you like a ride home?" Batman reached over; opening the bat-covered passenger door. Rocky turned to Adrian for an answer.

"Isn't Philadelphia a bit...out of your way?"

"On the contrary. According to my bat police scanner, Clock King is on his way to Philadephia as we speak to pilfer the twenty-four hour clock from the Ben Franklin museum."

Rocky shrugged, knowing little about Batman's crime-fighting life, and certainly not caring to get involved with it. As far as he was concerned, twenty-four-seven guys like Batman and police were the real heroes of the world. "Well, as long as we aren't puttin' ya out." He hopped into the passenger side, while Adrian and Robert sat in the back beside Robin. As the Dynamic Duo and the Balboas sped down the street at incredible speed, Rocky excitedly pumped his fist into the air through the car's opened sun roof.

It was way cooler than anything Superman did for Ali.

The End