Joel Selwood might be the AFL’s “leader of bleeders” but in terms of sport’s blood-spattered warriors, storied boxer Chuck Wepner sets the gold standard.

It emerged during Tuesday night’s AFL Tribunal hearing the Geelong skipper was a clear No.1 for being sent off the ground under the blood rule.

North Melbourne’s Brent Harvey bumped Selwood during the second quarter of last week’s semi-final at the MCG and the pair accidentally clashed heads, forcing Selwood from the field to have four stitches inserted in a cut above his right eye.

The off-the-ball incident looked certain to cost Harvey his spot in the preliminary final against Sydney until the Kangaroos’ games record holder caught a huge break at the tribunal.

Harvey’s player advocate Will Houghton submitted in evidence a medical report from the Cats which included a comment from club doctor Chris Bradshaw.

Four times this season Selwood had suffered facial lacerations and Bradshaw said there was a “possibility” the clash of heads with Harvey might have opened up existing scar tissue.

“I’d say I’m more likely yes. I have been told that yes I am because I haven’t healed properly,” Selwood told the tribunal.

Legal counsel Jeff Gleeson labelled Selwood the “league leader of bleeders”.

Harvey’s one-match ban for rough conduct was thrown out after the tribunal’s three-man jury found Harvey had not made forceful contact with Selwood, freeing him to play in Friday night’s preliminary final against the Swans at ANZ Stadium.

In essence, the admission that the rugged Selwood bleeds easily – and regularly – worked in Harvey’s favour.

But the man who has left the AFL field under the blood rule twice as often as any other player in the past three years has nothing on Wepner – the inspiration for the famed Rocky movies.

When Wepner fought former world champion Sonny Liston in Jersey City on June 29 1970, Wepner suffered a broken nose, a cracked left cheekbone and needed 72 stitches.

New Jersey’s Bayonne Times famously nicknamed him “the Bayonne Bleeder”.

Wepner had 338 stitches and suffered 11 broken noses in his 15 years in the prize ring, according to an ESPN report.

A former marine and one of sport’s great underdogs, Wepner considers himself “the real Rocky”.

Wepner used to train by running up “those” steps. He was also a former leg-breaker, like Rocky.

Sylvester Stallone settled out of court in 2006 with Wepner after “the bleeder” sued the actor for cashing in on his life story.

This time around, the winner was Harvey.