James "Clubber" Lang is a fictional character created by Sylvester Stallone for the film Rocky III, which was released in 1982.

The character is very loosely based on a combination of Sonny Liston, Larry Holmes, and George Foreman.

[3][4] James Lang lost both of his parents at an early age, and spent most of his childhood in orphanages and on the streets of Chicago's Southside; he eventually became involved with crime, and served time in juvenile facilities.

During his time in prison, he discovered boxing as a way to let out his frustration and anger, which leads to the events of Rocky III.

Lang decides to begin training himself to challenge Rocky and his methods bring results as he puts together a string of knockouts that soon make him the number one contender.

Rocky expects another easy victory and continues his complacent attitude towards training, which angers and worries his manager and trainer Mickey Goldmill.