What if Apollo never died

That was AWESOME!

Part of me wonders if Sylvester Stallone went too far in having Apollo die in this movie? On one end, it was to show just how big of a challenge (undoubtedly the biggest challenge Rocky Balboa has ever faced as a fighter) he had in store with Drago. But we had already seen Mickey die in a traumatic fashion in the previous movie. So naturally, we had to we another member of Rocky's inner circle die in a boxing arena. This why it's hard for me to watch #3 and #4 entirely, because I can't help but get upset over Mick and Apollo dying so dramatically. I wonder if Stallone could've found another way to have Rocky battle Drago without coming up with another elaborate death to motivate him?