Should the Creed franchise continue with Creed 4, there's a perfect real-life boxer it could use to give the film a Drago-like villain. The Rocky franchise spin-off has largely achieved its success on its own merit, thanks in part to the gentle shift of the franchise's established dynamic and its more modern depiction of the boxing world. By drawing parallels with the perpetually-popular Rocky movies, the Creed franchise has established itself as a worthy successor while still making the changes necessary to keep its sports-drama premise fresh.
With the Creed movies seeing Rocky become the franchise's main boxing trainer, the roles are somewhat reversed for the spin-offs. This so far has seen narrative parallels with the original films: Adonis Creed as an underdog fighting for the championship in Creed, and then facing off with Drago's son in one of the biggest cinematic grudge matches in history for Creed 2. There are rumors that Creed 3 will continue this tradition, with Jonathan Majors potentially playing Clubber Lang's son, and so seeing that trend continue on to Creed 4 isn't outside the realm of possibility.
If the Creed franchise does seek to continue mirroring the narrative trend of the Rocky movies, there's a real-life boxer that would prove the perfect fighter to replicate Rocky IV's Drago fight. Chinese boxer Taishan Dong could be the next real fighter to join the Rocky/Creed franchise, and his impressive physical size and power would recapture that of Ivan Drago in Rocky IV. Not only would he physically fit the bill, but Dong would also have a logical narrative place within the (as yet) hypothetical Creed 4.
Standing at 7 ft tall with an 84-inch reach, Taishan Dong is one of the largest figures in boxing. What's more, he's already racked up a record of 6-0, drawing parallels with the undefeated Ivan Drago in Rocky IV. In both size and boxing ability, Dong appears to be tailor-made to help the Creed franchise have its own Drago-like villain. Dong being Chinese could also be used in Creed 4's favor - much like Rocky IV played on the Cold War conflict, Creed 4 could tastefully tackle the East/West divide with Dong as Adonis' opponent.
If the Creed 3 Clubber Lang theory proves true, each Creed film will have made use of elements of a specific Rocky film before it. Dong being cast in Creed 4 would continue that trend, but it would also make Adonis an obvious underdog. As the franchise's new protagonist is already small for a heavyweight, having him face off against a man of Dong's massive proportions would only continue the underdog trend of the Rocky and Creed movies, specifically in line with the clash between Balboa and Drago in Rocky IV.
Though the Creed franchise may not opt to revisit the specific narrative lines of Rocky IV, Taishan Dong would prove a perfect casting for a Drago-like powerhouse. His physical attributes and impressive boxing record belie exactly the sort of fighter that Ivan Drago was in Rocky IV, and securing Dong for a part in Creed 4 would allow for further parallels between the Creed movies and their Rocky predecessors. Taishan Dong is already proving to be a fearsome real-life fighter, and his potential casting in Creed 4 would be a perfect way to revisit the ideas behind Rocky IV.
