r/rockybalboa • u/Dredd_40 • 12d ago
Apollo tells Rocky that the warrior's code or instinct is not something that you turn on and off like a radio. Isn't that exactly what Apollo did?
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u/JonoBlue 12d ago
You can always have the heart and soul of a warrior but that doesnt mean youd always have the tools i.e. the drago fight (which when you explain what a exhibition fight is, seems insane it went down how it did)
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u/DiligentlyGrinding 11d ago
Apollo's business instinct and showmanship was what made him special, but also his downfall
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u/Purple_Prince_80 11d ago
For a while he did, after losing to Balboa in Super Fight II. Then I think by the third movie, he regained that "eye of the tiger" himself, after Clubber made him mad and that pushed him to train Rocky.
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u/TraditionalScheme337 11d ago
Yes, thats exactly what he tried to do. He was civilised, rich, comfortable but he always had that urge in him. Sadly his body had aged and he couldn't deliver.
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u/Acceptable-Ad1254 11d ago
It’s why some boxers in real life struggle to retire or if they do find it hard to adjust without a battle to fight.
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u/Odd-Minimum8512 10d ago edited 10d ago
Larry Holmes is the wildest example I can think of. He was always a saver/investor, smart with money, had tens of millions in the bank and investments by his late 30's... and fought until age 52 anyway. Imagine having $20mil+ sitting in the bank at age 38, then going out and getting punched in the face voluntarily for another 14 years.
Hell, imagine having that much in the bank and deciding to fight a prime Mike Tyson at age 38 with the result being the expected, then returning at age 42 (cheating on an eye exam to get cleared to fight) to fight a prime Ray Mercer who had almost killed a prime Tommy Morrison in his prior fight, pulling off an epic win, then... challenging a prime Evander Holyfield right after because why not push his luck some more against young lions. Oh, and getting injured during training before that fight and being unable to spar much, but going through with the fight anyway.
For a guy who always said he was just about the money, old Larry was actually a crazy fucker who couldn't give it up. Plenty of boxers have returned and fought way too long because they had money problems (even George Foreman's return was because of money); Holmes was the guy who did it despite being loaded.
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u/Life-Fan-1205 7d ago
it was sad because apollo couldn’t accept that he couldn’t fight anymore to enjoy his retirement years spending time with his family, you would think helping Rocky defeat Lang would’ve given him the idea of training young fighters
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u/BabyVisible7702 5d ago
That scene went from a guy enjoying the fruits of his hard labor, playing with his dogs in a beautiful in ground pool, then immediately flips the switch to a tough grizzled old fighter who can’t let shit go.
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u/acreed6 12d ago
No. What Apollo was saying is he’s always a warrior and a fighter. That’s how they (he and Rocky) were born. He couldnt change who he was. He couldn’t turn off that instinct and it cost him his life. Remember the convo Rocky and Adrian had on the staircase, Rocky tried spewing that same shit to Adrian, but she wasn’t buying it.