Sylvester Stallone film, Samaritan, and its boxing ties

Sylvester Stallone is forever a part of boxing because of Rocky, but his co-star Javon Walton in the new film Samaritan also packs a punch. 

Saying that a Sylvester Stallone film has ties to boxing isn’t surprising. After all, Stallone created and played Rocky Balboa in eight films over five decades. However, his latest film, Samaritan, has another connection to boxing other than Stallone’s Rocky legacy.

Stallone’s co-star in Samaritan is 16-year-old actor Javon Walton, a.k.a ‘Wanna,’ who’s also an accomplished amateur boxer despite his youth. We know how tough Stallone is, but Walton has been throwing punches since he was four.

Walton won five Georgia state boxing titles, and a slew of other tournament wins. He was discovered by Steve Harvey on social media in 2017 and has turned his attention to acting ever since, according to Walton’s IMDB page.

Samaritan marks Walton’s fifth acting credit, and he’s knocking down film and TV opportunities as he did in the ring. He is also known for his work on HBO’s Euphoria and Amazon’s Utopia.

Samaritan stars Sylvester Stallone and Javon Walton and begins streaming on Amazon Prime Video on Friday, Aug. 26

Stallone is the star of Samaritan, and at 76 years old, he looks like he still has it based on the new Samaritan trailer released this week.

He’s a summary of the film from Samaritan’s most recent press release: “Thirteen-year-old Sam Cleary (Javon’ Wanna’ Walton) suspects that his mysterious and reclusive neighbor Mr. Smith (Sylvester Stallone) is actually a legend hiding in plain sight. Twenty-five years ago, Granite City’s super-powered vigilante, Samaritan, was reported dead after a fiery warehouse battle with his rival, Nemesis.

“Most believe Samaritan perished in the fire, but some in the city, like Sam, have hope that he is still alive. With crime on the rise and the city on the brink of chaos, Sam makes it his mission to coax his neighbor out of hiding to save the city from ruin.”

Stallone, superheroes and a real-life boxing co-star seem like a recipe for success. Samaritan is directed by Julius Avery and begins streaming on Amazon Prime Video on Friday, Aug. 26