Sylvester Stallone feared death when Rocky IV scene went wrong

Sylvester Stallone nearly died during the making of 'Rocky IV'.

The 75-year-old actor recalled how doctors feared that he would be "talking to angels" after he was badly injured by Dolph Lundgren - who played Rocky's nemesis Ivan Drago in the 1985 film – when a fight scene went badly wrong.

Sly, who portrays Rocky Balboa in the sports drama series, had nuns praying for him in intensive care after Dolph "pulverised" his heart with a punch.

Speaking ahead of the release of a new recut version of the film, Stallone said: "In the first round, where he knocked me down, that is for real.

"He pulverised me and I did not feel it at that moment but later that night my heart started to swell. He had bruised the perio cardio sac, which is when the heart hits the chest – like in a car accident when your chest hits the steering wheel."

Stallone continued: "My blood pressure went up to 260. They thought I was going to be talking to angels."

Sly previously admitted that he was "furious" not to receive a cut from the 'Rocky' movies, despite the fact that he created the franchise and wrote the screenplay for the first six films.

The 'Rambo' actor said: "I have zero ownership of 'Rocky'. Every word, every syllable, every grammatical error was all my fault.

"It was shocking that it never came to be, but I was told, 'Hey, you got paid, so what are you complaining about?' I was furious."

However, Stallone was pleased that his iconic character gave him a "voice".

Sly said: "It's the only voice that I can say what I want without being ridiculed, or being silly, or being precious or sentimental, because he is that way."