Though Rocky famously ends with the titular boxer losing to Apollo Creed, the result is actually far more favorable for the Italian Stallion than it may seem. Despite Apollo Creed retaining his title, his victory over Balboa still comes as something of a black mark on his record.
As Jergens declares Creed the winner by virtue of a split decision, Rocky and Adrian embrace and profess their love for each other, not caring about the outcome of the fight.
Lang, who has trained with ruthless vigor, recovers and easily knocks out Rocky in the second round, causing Rocky to lose his title. After the match, Rocky visits Mickey, who then dies of a heart attack, devastating Rocky.
Both men, exhausted, trade punches until they knock each other down. As both men struggle to regain their feet, Rocky is able to will himself up at the count of 9 while Apollo collapses from exhaustion, giving Rocky the win by knockout, making him the new heavyweight champion.
Only one of the Rocky/Creed movies tells us how long Rocky or Creed trained for a fight: Rocky 1. The fight in that movie was on New Year's Day, and Rocky signed for the fight a few days after Thanksgiving. So, he trained for about a month.
Read on. (Note: ESPN Classic will be showing "Rocky" at 8 p.m. ET on Sunday.) In Reel Life: Rocky Balboa is a 30-year-old club fighter. In Real Life: Sylvester Stallone was inspired by Chuck Wepner, a 35-year-old club fighter who also happened to be the No.
The tide turns, and Rocky is able to overpower the winded and outfoxed Lang, landing blow after blow and dodging Lang's attempted punches before knocking him out. Rocky is declared the winner and his title as Heavyweight Champion is restored.
Rocky gives a victory speech, acknowledging that the local crowd's disdain of him had turned to mutual respect during the fight. Rocky finally declares, "If I can change and you can change, everybody can change!" The Soviet premier stands up and reluctantly applauds Rocky, and his aides follow suit.
Against all odds, Rocky goes the distance with Creed, and narrowly loses on the scorecards - but though Apollo technically retains his title, his public image is forever tarnished by the incredibly closely-fought contest.
The film received critical acclaim for Stallone's writing, as well as the film's performances, direction, musical score, cinematography and editing; among other accolades, it received ten Academy Award nominations and won three, including Best Picture.
According to Stallone, these were his weights for each of the first four Rocky movies: Rocky I: 178 pounds. Rocky II: 200 pounds. Rocky III: 166 pounds.
Rocky tries to retire again, and the audience sees how Paulie becomes increasingly jealous that Rocky has money and fame now. Instead of asking Rocky for a job like one usually would, he tries to challenge Rocky to a fight and tear him apart verbally while drunk.
His initial salary for "Rocky" was a modest $35,000, but with his contract guaranteeing him 10 points on the back end, he ultimately earned around $2.5 million due to the film's massive success.
Rocky lands the last punch & Dixon wins a split decision. During the end credits, there is an acknowledgment of the iconic status the Rocky series has achieved, through a montage of people following in Rocky's footsteps, charging up the front steps of the Philadelphia Museum of Art.
Immediately preceding the final round, Rocky and Drago meet in the middle of the ring where the two men touch gloves as Drago says to Rocky, "To the end". Rocky finally defeats Drago by KO in the dying seconds of the 15th and final round.
Rocky is beaten down before he hears the voice of Mickey urging him to get up and continue the fight. Rocky gets up and, with Robert, Paulie, and the neighborhood crowd cheering him on, he defeats Tommy.
The blow causes Rocky to also lose his balance and fall at the same time. As both men struggle to regain their feet, Rocky is able to will himself up at the count of 9 while Apollo collapses from exhaustion, giving Rocky the win by knockout and making him the new heavyweight champion.
Despite being the face of the Rocky franchise, Stallone chose not to appear in Creed III due to creative differences with producer Irwin Winkler as well as with Jordan, although he is still a producer on the film. According to Stallone, the film had a much darker tone that he didn't agree with.
In the final round, with both fighters exhausted and trading punches, Balboa seizes an opening, unleashing a series of vicious blows, eventually knocking out Drago and finally avenging the death of Apollo.
By 1975, Rocky at 30 years old has a pretty decent record as a boxer, 43-21, 40 wins by KO, but his defense was terrible, and his moves predictable, basic, and slow. But what he does have going for him is his punching power, which was immense, and that he could take quite a bit of punishment.
Although Rocky Balboa loses to Apollo Creed in the first movie, in terms of the themes of the movie, Rocky is a winner. Rocky's true meaning is about staying on your feet and never giving up. Throughout the film, Rocky refers to slackers, cheats, and bums who refuse to hustle and fight for what they want.
Rocky, American boxing film, released in 1976, that was the highest-grossing movie of that year, earning more than $117 million at the box office. It was nominated for 10 Academy Awards and won three, including best picture, and made its writer and lead actor, Sylvester Stallone, a star.
