Gazzo's backstory

I read that the original script dealt more with Rocky's relationship with Gazzo. Gazzo and Rocky were childhood friends. Gazzo suffered from asthma and was bullied in school and Rocky would come to his defense. Gazzo remained indebted to Rocky for that and that is why he never really punishes Rocky for not following orders. He wouldn't give anyone else that special treatment. That is probably why Gazzo's driver is picking on Rocky because he feels Rocky gets special treatment from Gazzo.