Going the distance

A small-time Philadelphia boxer gets a one-in-a-million shot at the heavyweight champion of the world, and all he wants is to still be standing at the final bell. Rocky is one of the greatest underdog stories ever told, and nearly fifty years later, people still run up the steps of the Philadelphia Museum of Art with their arms raised. A Rocky-inspired rug brings that grit and heart into a room: a boxing ring seen from above, a runner of stone museum steps, a pair of red gloves hanging from a hook or a vintage fight poster with your own name on the bill. Every design is printed into soft velvet and goes in the washing machine.

Rocky-inspired designs

Design	The look	Best in
Boxing ring	Canvas, ropes and corner pads from above	Home gyms, man caves
Museum steps	Stone steps climbing toward columns	Hallway runners
Boxing gloves	A pair of red gloves on a hook	Kids' rooms, entryways
Stars and stripes	Red, white and blue trunks colors	Game rooms, July 4th
Philly at dawn	The skyline under a sunrise	Offices, living rooms
Fight poster	A vintage bill with your own name	Gifts, man caves

The film

Rocky was written by Sylvester Stallone, who also starred as Rocky Balboa, a kind-hearted boxer scraping by as a debt collector in Philadelphia. Stallone famously refused to sell the script unless he could play the lead. Made on a tiny budget and directed by John G. Avildsen, the 1976 film follows Rocky's shy romance with Adrian, his training under the gruff old trainer Mickey and his title fight against the flashy champion Apollo Creed. It won the Academy Award for Best Picture and launched a series that continued through five sequels and, from 2015, the Creed films about Apollo's son.

An underdog story behind the camera

The film's story mirrors its creator's. Stallone was a struggling actor with almost no money when, inspired partly by watching journeyman boxer Chuck Wepner last nearly fifteen rounds against Muhammad Ali in 1975, he wrote the script in a matter of days. He turned down large offers that would have given the role to a star, and the gamble paid off with an Oscar for Best Picture.

The music

Bill Conti's soaring theme, with its blasting trumpets, became so popular that it reached number one on the Billboard Hot 100 in 1977. It's still the song people hum while running up any set of stairs. A rug in a home gym is the perfect place to play it on repeat.

Creed

In 2015, director Ryan Coogler revived the story with Creed, starring Michael B. Jordan as the son of Apollo Creed, trained by an older Rocky. The new films brought the story to a new generation, and a fight-poster rug works for fans of either era.

Pairing with furniture

These rugs suit rugged, practical rooms: a heavy bag in the corner, a weight bench, exposed brick or concrete, a leather sofa and a few framed fight posters of your own. A red accent wall makes the gloves pop.

The boxing ring

A boxing ring seen from above, the canvas, three ropes on each side, colored corner pads and a logo of your own in the center, is the most practical Rocky rug of all. In a home gym, it defines the training space and gives a soft, non-slip surface for stretching, jump rope and shadowboxing. On a 5×7 ft rug, it fits most home gyms. Choose Standard, 5 mm crushed velvet on a non-slip faux leather back, about 500 g/m², which stays put. It isn't a padded gym mat, so keep heavy weights on proper flooring. For more sports designs, see our sports rugs.

The museum steps

The training montage that ends with Rocky sprinting up the 72 stone steps of the Philadelphia Museum of Art, arms raised at the top, is one of the most famous scenes in movie history. Today, the steps are a tourist landmark in their own right, and a bronze statue of the boxer stands nearby. A runner designed like stone steps climbing toward a row of columns is a fun, motivating design for a hallway. A custom runner up to 10 ft long fits most halls. Choose Standard, which stays put as people walk by.

Boxing gloves

A pair of red boxing gloves hanging from a hook by their laces is a simple, classic image of grit and determination. A gloves rug is a strong design for a kid's room, a home gym or just inside the door of a boxing fan's home; keep entry rugs indoors, out of the weather.

Stars and stripes

Red, white and blue boxing trunks with stars became one of the most famous costumes in the series. A stars-and-stripes color-block rug is a bold, patriotic design for a game room or a July Fourth party, and it suits any American sports fan.

Philadelphia at dawn

Rocky's early morning runs through the streets of Philadelphia, past the Italian Market and along the river, captured the city's working-class spirit. A Philadelphia skyline at dawn, orange and pink light rising over the towers and the river, is an inspiring design for a home office or a living room, and a proud nod for Philly natives.

Your own fight poster

A vintage boxing poster, bold block letters, a date, a venue and two fighters' names, is one of the most fun custom gifts we make. Put your own name on the bill, or a friend's for a birthday or a retirement, and make it the main event. Our custom rugs can print it in any size up to 5′11″ × 10′.

Training the old-fashioned way

Rocky trains with whatever he can find: punching sides of frozen beef in a meat locker, drinking raw eggs and running through the city before dawn. It's a reminder that you don't need a fancy gym to get started. A boxing-ring or gloves rug in a garage gym is a perfect fit for that do-it-yourself spirit.

Home gyms

For a home gym, a boxing-ring rug defines the space for stretching, bodyweight exercises, jump rope and bag work. It's washable, so a post-workout wipe-down and an occasional machine wash keep it fresh. For very heavy equipment, use proper rubber gym flooring underneath, and put the rug where you stretch and warm up.

Garages and basements

Many home gyms live in a garage or an unfinished basement. A boxing-ring rug over a concrete floor makes the space warmer and more inviting for a morning workout, and since it goes in the washing machine, sweat and dust aren't a problem.

Man caves

A fight poster or boxing-ring rug is a natural centerpiece for a man cave or a basement bar, especially with a heavy bag in the corner and a big screen for fight nights. Our man cave rugs page has more ideas.

Offices

For anyone who needs a daily push, a museum-steps or Philly-at-dawn rug under the desk is a quiet reminder to keep going. Under a rolling chair, choose Standard, which stays put and lets the wheels roll. Our office and studio rugs page has more setups.

Kids' rooms

For young athletes, a gloves or boxing-ring rug is a fun, energetic design. On a hard floor, choose Standard so the rug stays put. For a softer bedroom rug, choose Premium, 7 mm plush velvet on a bamboo and cotton back, about 700 g/m².

Movie nights

For a Rocky and Creed marathon, a fight-poster or ring rug in front of the sofa sets the scene. Our home theater rugs page has more ideas.

Colors

Rocky-inspired designs look best in boxing red, white and navy, gritty concrete gray, stone beige for the steps and sunrise orange and pink for Philadelphia at dawn.

Other films

For more movie favorites, see our Scarface rugs and all our movie and pop culture rugs.

Gifts

A Rocky-inspired rug makes a great gift for a boxer, a gym lover, a Philadelphia native or anyone who loves an underdog story. A custom fight poster with their name is the most fun and personal choice.

Sizes, shipping and returns

Rectangles come in 2×3, 2.6×3.9, 3.3×5, 4×6 and 5×7 ft, and round rugs from 2.6 to 5.9 ft (80 to 180 cm) across. Custom sizes go up to 5′11″ × 10′, including long runners. Every rug is printed to order in 1–3 business days and ships from Turkey; US delivery usually takes 2–5 business days after that. Unused rugs can be returned within 30 days on US orders; custom rugs can't be returned.

Care

Machine wash on a gentle, cold cycle and let it air dry flat. Vacuum on a low setting between washes, and blot spills with cold water right away. The design is printed into the fibers, so the colors stay strong, wash after wash, round after round.

Philadelphia landmarks and the training montage

Rocky's training is filmed all over Philadelphia, and fans still trace his steps. He runs through the Italian Market on 9th Street, where vendors toss him an orange, punches sides of beef in a meat-packing plant, and ends his run on the steps of the Philadelphia Museum of Art, arms raised at the top. In Rocky II, he trains by chasing a chicken, and at home he keeps two pet turtles named Cuff and Link.

A bronze statue of Rocky, made for Rocky III, now stands near the bottom of the museum steps, where visitors line up to take photos with their arms raised. It has become one of the city's most popular landmarks.

Those scenes inspire rugs full of character. A map of Rocky's run, from the row houses of South Philly through the Italian Market to the museum steps, is a great design for a runner's home gym. A turtle bowl with two small turtles is a sweet, funny nod to Cuff and Link for a child's room, and a chicken mid-sprint on a dusty yard is a playful design for a garage gym where training never takes itself too seriously.

For fans who have run the steps themselves, a rug with the date and the city skyline at the top makes a proud keepsake, a reminder that going the distance is the point.

Padrift is an independent studio. Rocky is named to describe what our designs are inspired by; we are not affiliated with, sponsored or endorsed by Amazon MGM Studios, the films' producers or the actors. We don't print likenesses of real people without permission.