What happened at the end of Rocky?
It's been sometime since I saw Rocky, but I remember being confused by the ending.
The fight ends by both of them grabbing each other, and the referee pulling them apart. Rocky then goes looking for Adrian (his girlfriend), ignoring everyone who is trying to talk to him.
But who won the match, and what does the ending mean? Why was there no clear winner?
Best Answer
More than anything the end of Rocky illustrates that Rocky has "gone the distance" (all 15 rounds of the fight). That's all he wanted. He didn't care if he lost, (which he did. Apollo is the victor by points in this match) only that he didn't loose by knock-out. He is elated that he "went the distance" and proved to Adrian that he had what it takes to go the distance. He's looking for Adrian because he want to celebrate this victory with her. Nothing else is important. This is why he doesn't care about having a rematch. He was never interested in winning the fight. He was only interested in "not being another bum from the neighborhood".
The need for "going the distance" as the main goal for Rocky as the protagonist is exposed in the lyrics to the theme song (albeit Rocky III) Eye of the Tiger by Survivor
Went the distance, now I'm back on my feet Just a man and his will to survive
and in a monologue he delivers to Adrian:
Ah come on, Adrian, it's true. I was nobody. But that don't matter either, you know? 'Cause I was thinkin', it really don't matter if I lose this fight. It really don't matter if this guy opens my head, either. 'Cause all I wanna do is go the distance. Nobody's ever gone the distance with Creed, and if I can go that distance, you see, and that bell rings and I'm still standin', I'm gonna know for the first time in my life, see, that I weren't just another bum from the neighborhood.
This monologue sets up the meaning of the end of the movie. The movie ends with the most important moment of Rockys life. Rocky is on top, because he's gone the distance and proven that he was not just another bum from the neighborhood.
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What happened to Rocky in the end?
As audiences will never forget, the original Rocky ends with a battered and bruised Balboa going to a draw with Apollo Creed, then yelling for Adrian after the fight. She eventually makes her way to the ring and declares her love for Rocky, he reciprocates, and they embrace. It's iconic.Did Rocky win at the end?
It is the first time an opponent had lasted the full 15 rounds against him and as a result, it ends up with a split decision, Creed wins the fight and holds on to his title. Both combatants, battered beyond belief, agree that there would be no rematch.How did the first Rocky end?
The first film ends with Rocky losing, by judges' decision, his fight against the heavyweight champ Apollo Creed (Carl Weathers)\u2014but winning a more personal victory by \u201cgoing the distance,\u201d making it through an entire fifteen rounds in the ring as no previous challenger had.Who won fight at end of Rocky?
The end of the original Rocky is certain: Although Balboa goes the distance against Apollo Creed, a judges' split decision gives the champion a win over the feisty Philadelphia fighter.rocky 1 end
More answers regarding what happened at the end of Rocky?
Answer 2
There was no clear winner by KO. But also by points there wasn't a clear winner, but the movie still clearly shows that one of the three point judges (don't know how they're called or how they're actually deciding at all) decided in favour of Rocky and two in favour of Apollo, so it was an extremely close call but Apollo won by points.
But in fact it doesn't matter who won the match. Rocky has proved himself and he has shown that he can stand against Apollo. For the whole movie nobody believed in him and Apollo Creed took this whole fight as a mere show-fight, where he could pretend to give an outsider a chance, but he never took Rocky serious, until the actual fight. So the fact who's the actual winner doesn't matter so much and Rocky doesn't even care. All he cares is that he stood his ground and proved to be an equal match for Apollo Creed. Now he just wants his peace with Adrian, which is also why he ignores everybody else. At this moment all those reporters and the actual sports success doesn't count, his love for Adrian does. This is also shown in his final conversation with Apollo at the end of the fight, when both exhaustedly say to each other:
Apollo: Ain't gonna be no rematch!
Rocky: Don't want one.
Apollo (not even listening): Ain't gonna be no rematch!
So Apollo is in the end just happy that this fight, which he expected to be a piece of cake, is finally over and he didn't completely lose to this outsider. But Rocky is as happy as well and doesn't want a rematch fight to "officially" win against Apollo. He has done his best and for himself he has won in a way.
This rather tie ending (when seen from a mere objective sports perspective) gives the movie a much more down-to-earth feel, I think. Rocky doesn't just magically knock Apollo out, but neither does he go down as everybody expected. He just did his best and proved his value against all odds, nothing less and nothing more.
Answer 3
There was a clear winner. In the background, as Adrian is trying to get to him, and they come together, you can hear the ring announcer saying that there was a split decision (the judges not all agreeing on the outcome), and then you see Apollo celebrating his win.
But the fact that it's all background shows that the win or loss has become secondary to all the stuff pointed out by the other answerers.
But there was a winner, and it was shown in the movie.
The judges scored it 8-7 Creed, 8-7 Balboa, and 9-6 for Creed (rounds won).
Rocky Movie Clip (sorry about the ad, start at 1:29 if the link doesn't do so automatically)
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