CROWD [CHANTING]: Rocky! Rocky!
[BILL CONTI'S "GONNA FLY NOW" PLAYING]
[CROWD BOOING]
[♪]
[BELL RINGS]
MAN: Yet another quick knockout for Mason Dixon,
almost perfunctory.
The fans let him know how they feel about it.
MAN 2: Hide the women and children.
This could get ugly.
This crowd does nothing to hide its anger
over this latest debacle.
The fans are mad as hell.
They don't wanna take it anymore.
They seem to be blaming Dixon, a good fighter,
for the decline, not only of the heavyweight-division guys,
but of the entire sport.
MAN 3: They're actually pelting
the undefeated heavyweight champion of the world with ice.
Maybe this angry, visceral reaction
will pressure Dixon to fight someone
who can fight back for a change
if there's somebody out there.
All of boxing is hoping for a warrior
who thrills us with his passion.
[FRANK STALLONE & VALENTINE'S "TAKE YOU BACK" PLAYING]
♪ Do, do, do, do
♪ Take you back
♪ Yeah, yeah, yeah, yeah
♪ Take you back
♪ Do, do, do, do
♪ Take you back
♪ Well, I been told by ♪ Take you back
♪ Do, do, do, do ♪ Some people and they all
♪ Say to take you back ♪ Do, do, do, do
♪ To take you back Like before ♪
♪ I don't call this A reason ♪
♪ I just call it Believin' in myself ♪
♪ Take you back Do, do, do, do ♪
♪ Take you back
♪ Well
♪ Take you back Do, do, do, do ♪
♪ If I just push it back
♪ Do, do, do, do
♪ If I just love ♪ Take you back
♪ Do, do, do, do
♪ Take you back ♪
[ALARM BUZZING]
[BUZZING STOPS]
[♪]
[MAN GROANS]
[GRUNTING]
Time goes by too fast.
Yeah? Not fast enough.
Your kid should've been here.
That's all right, Paulie. No, it ain't all right.
Ah, you know, the kid gets a little busy sometimes.
He don't get that busy.
Well, let's not talk about it here, okay?
You're coming tonight, right?
I'm workin'.
I took the tour the last three years.
I know, but it's the anniversary.
Fine. You got my word.
I appreciate it, thank you.
I owe you, Paulie.
[SIGHS]
Yo, Robert. What's going on?
Where have you been? You're late.
Uh, I....
No. I don't wanna hear this.
Look, your job performance
is nowhere near good enough to be pulling this.
I don't give a damn who your father is.
You understand me? Yeah.
All right. All right. Now get outta here.
Okay. Thank you, sir.
Yo, Robert.
Yo.
Hey, Rocky. Hey.
Hey, how you doing? Hey.
MAN: What's up, champ?
You caught me off guard. I know, I caught you off guard.
I wanted to catch you before you got busy.
Yeah, it gets busy up there.
So how you doin'? Real good.
Yeah? Yeah.
Good. MAN 2: Yo, Rock!
Yeah, how you doin'?
Yeah, real good.
Hey, listen, you wanna go out and get some coffee?
I'm kind of behind. Maybe later?
Yeah. That'd be great.
You know, you ought to come by the restaurant tonight.
I can have somethin' made special for you.
Tonight I can't. I got plans.
A few of the guys, get together, you know?
Did I do something wrong?
What--? What do you mean?
Well, uh-- Well...
I don't know exactly what I mean,
but I just think that, like, when I come here,
you don't feel so comfortable.
And I-- I certainly don't wanna do that.
Well, you-- You throw a big shadow.
A big shadow?
You won't get anything done down here, Robert.
Well, if you're not gonna introduce me, then I will.
Hi, I'm William Tomilson. How you doin'?
Your son has the misfortune of working for me.
It's a good job. TOMILSON: Yeah.
You know, I gotta tell ya,
I've told Robert about 20 times I wanted to meet you,
but I guess you're pretty busy,
which isn't a bad thing. I get a little tied up--
Hey, grab a shot, will you?
We may not get this chance again.
Us old warhorses have got to stick together, don't we?
The old horses, yeah. I'll tell ya.
Whoa!
Good thing it's not your left.
This makes you popular with people.
One, two, three. [CLICKS]
Finally, we get to meet.
Oh, look, I gotta get goin'.
It was nice to meet you face to face.
How you doin'?
All right, you take care of yourself.
Robert, I'll see you later.
[SIGHS] I gotta get going. Um...
I'll change my plans for tonight.
That'd be great.
I'm looking forward to it. Okay.
How you doin'? Okay.
All right.
And do not let those numbers drive you crazy.
Too late.
Use an eraser, get rid of all of 'em.
MAN: Yo, Rock. MAN 2: Hey, Rock.
ROCKY: Hey, how you doin'?
MAN 3: Hey, Rock. WOMAN: Hey.
[♪]
Here you go.
It'll be about 10 tenths.
You guys take care, okay? You got it.
Tell you what, I'll try a few of these later on.
MAN: What kind?
It's good for baking.
How much--? [GIGGLES]
Yo, Paul, what's the cost?
PAUL: 58.40, sir.
All right, take it out of that.
I trust you.
MAN: How's it goin', Rock?
Too generous. Not a problem.
[EXHALES]
[SIREN WAILING IN DISTANCE]
How you guys doin'?
How we doin', Isabel?
Eh, okay, except for the freebie reading the Bible over there.
Aw, he's okay.
You know, just 'cause you fought him,
don't mean you gotta feed him forever.
He doesn't even look like a fighter.
Spider Rico could hit. Mmm.
Listen, uh, how's your stomach?
Uh, it's okay.
You know, if you keep rubbin' that olive oil on your stomach,
then your kid's gonna be born very strong.
Okay, Rocky, whatever you say. No, really.
Yo, how you doin', Spider? God bless you, Rocky.
Thanks.
[FESTIVE LATIN MUSIC PLAYING]
How you guys doin'?
Hey, Rock.
Jose, can you make somethin special
for my kid who's comin' tonight?
JOSE: No problemo.
Good. I appreciate it.
ROCKY: Back and forth, back and forth, give and take.
And then I went in there like an animal,
and I threw him into the corner,
and I unloaded everything I had.
Hook, hook, hook, left, left, left.
But Creed, he kept bustin' me back pretty good,
and the agony began to pile up.
Then I heard the best sound that I ever heard in my life...
[CLANGS]
The bell.
That's right, the bell.
I ain't never been so tired, and I'm sittin' in my corner.
And I'm tryin' to figure out how to survive the last round,
when Mickey leans into my ear and says, "Come on,
"get out there and fight this guy hard, you bum.
You gotta be first. You gotta be first."
I said, "Yo, Mick, if I could..."
GROUP: "I would."
"...I would."
The end.
Salud.
[RICH BOY'S "BOY LOOKA HERE" PLAYING]
♪ We can buy the bar All night ♪
♪ Lookie here
♪ I can show you Where to stand, y'all ♪
♪ Lookie here
♪ Boy, lookie here
[CROWD CHEERING]
[BLOWS THUDDING]
MAN: Another quick knockout for Mason Dixon,
almost perfunctory.
The fans let him know how they feel about it.
MAN 2: They're actually pelting
the undefeated heavyweight champion of the world with ice.
[PHONE RINGING]
Hello, Adrian's. Yeah?
Tell him you can't make it.
Yeah, I'll give him the message.
You know, I just kept hearin' Mickey's voice in my head
over and over again.
I just dug down, and before you know it,
it was toe to toe, and it was--
Excuse me.
Your son said he can't make it.
He said he'll take a rain check, okay?
[♪]
ROCKY: Look at these birds.
Don't these birds look like candy?
Flying candy?
Hey, birdy, you wanna fly me home?
You need somebody to walk you home?
Hm?
No?
It's a cold night.
We need a few laughs in our life.
What do you think? Maybe?
Maybe? Maybe?
Okay. Let's get outta here, okay?
[♪]
That place ain't changed much from last year.
We done?
Hey, how you doin', Mick?
Your sign's fallin' apart, Paulie.
The whole world's fallin' apart.
Look at us.
Don't talk crazy, Paulie.
You know, I think if you live someplace long enough,
you are that place.
I ain't no talkin' building.
Come on, it's getting late, Rocko.
I get a headache from this train.
[TRAIN RUMBLING]
I remember when she was standin' there,
all nervous and shy with this little smile.
And all I wanted her to do was trust me.
She did.
You done?
PAULIE: How long we stayin' here?
ROCKY: Not long.
Well, I'm glad they tore this ice rink down.
Come on.
You heard me.
I'm happy they tore it apart.
[SIGHS]
First time I walked your sister across this ice,
we was over there.
She was nervous, but I weren't so great on the blades either.
Ice is stupid.
People standing on ice are more stupid.
And over there...
when she was falling...
and my hand grabbed her...
...and I got her arm through that coat,
I could feel it.
Electric.
You said the same thing last year, Rock.
Did I?
ADRIAN: So you better develop your brain...
Never got a chance though...
You're left-handed... ROCKY: Absolutely.
Come on, Rock. Let's go.
We're done.
There's no place to sit down around here.
Aw, it's all right.
It ain't all right!
It's depressing and freakin' cold!
What's the matter with you, Paulie?
You're livin' backwards, Rocko!
Change the channel from yesterday!
Yesterday wasn't so great!
It was to me!
Not to me!
You treated her good.
You had the good times.
I treated her bad.
I don't have to think about this.
She always loved you, Paulie.
Sorry, Rocko, I can't do this no more.
[MAN SPEAKING INDISTINCTLY OVER TV]
[CROWD CHEERING OVER TV]
MAN: He fakes a shot.
[INDISTINCT CHATTER]
[SIGHS] Can I help you?
No, no, I used to come down to this place a long time ago.
I was just lookin' around. No big deal.
Can I get you a drink?
Uh, maybe just a short beer.
Okay.
MAN: He's right. Three down!
MAN: Go. Go on.
Go. Yeah, go on.
Get him to buy a round.
Get him to buy a round. Go.
Get him to-- He's got it. I ain't spendin' my money.
Listen, um...
...I don't mean to cross the line or anythin', but...
I read about your wife's passin' a few years back.
Yeah, it was, uh, woman cancer.
Yeah, I always heard she was a nice person.
Yeah. The best.
Do I know you?
We met a long time ago.
We did?
When I was a kid, you walked me home.
I did?
Told me to stop smokin' and things.
"Stop smokin' and thi..."?
Are you Little Marie that used to hang out
at that Atomic Hoagie shop?
Yeah, that's right.
Yeah, now I remember. I walked you home,
and when you got there, you turned around and said,
"Screw you, creepo."
I didn't say that.
Yeah, you did.
You sure?
Great insults last a long time.
WOMAN: Yo!
Yo, is that you?
Is that really you?
How you doin'?
I think he wants to drink alone.
Well, then give him his drink, then.
I ain't stoppin' you.
What's that, your man or somethin'?
No, I don't think so.
Anyway, me and my friends, we're right down there.
You think-- You think you could buy us a round?
Come on, you got the money. Just one round.
Hey, uh...
Thank you. What're you--?
What're you doin' pushin' my hand away like that?
What's your name?
Angie. What do you wanna know for?
Don't be playin' a fool for that guy, all right?
A fool? Yeah.
A fool? I'm the fool?
You're the fool, not me!
You got it twisted. You're the fool.
I'm a person, just like you.
You ain't no better than me. You think you're a big shot?
You're ain't nothing. You ain't no better than me.
No better.
Wow.
Glad you dropped in?
I think the neighborhood's changin' a little.
What was that all about?
I don't know. Forget about it, it's okay.
Well, I'm gonna lock up,
so if you wanna take off, I'll tally everything up.
Yeah, thanks. How you doin', Rock?
I'm good, thanks. Good.
You live around here?
About eight blocks from here.
Eight blocks.
Would you need a lift?
All right.
Did you ever get married?
Yeah, sorta.
Sorta? Yeah, well, he took off.
Ah, poof, just like that?
Yeah, just like that.
Well, you sorta have any kids?
Yeah. Yeah, I got one kid.
Yeah? Me too. Me too.
Wonderful boy.
MAN: Hey, tough guy! [GLASS SHATTERS]
What's the matter? You can't buy a round?
Huh? The girl was bein' nice to your dumb ass.
WOMAN: Yeah, what you doin' with that pig?
MAN: Come and disrespect us?
She ain't nothin' but a jealous bitch!
MAN: Come on back. Start disrespectin' us.
Hey, don't listen to 'em.
WOMAN: Both of youse, you ain't no better than me.
MAN: Come over here, you'll get your head kicked in around here.
You punch-drunk, goofy bastard.
WOMAN: You ain't no big shot, look at you.
You ain't even got a car to take that pig home.
[STARTS CAR]
You all right?
Yeah.
MAN: Nice car.
MARIE: What are you doin'?
Don't get out. It's all right.
No, Little Marie. It ain't all right.
ROCKY: Yo.
MAN: What?
I'll tell you what.
Get inside. You get inside. Yeah, you.
WOMAN: Hey, leave him alone!
MAN: Come on, man! All right?
All right, you see that? You see that?
Yeah. Yeah. All right. What do you say?
I'm sorry, I'm sorry. All right.
ROCKY: Get a job!
[♪]
That guy sends his apologies.
O-- Okay.
MASON: Martin.
Yo, Martin!
I see you still got your key.
Yeah, I got a key. You got time to talk?
I got a lot of time since your people let me go.
You know I had nothing to do with that.
Yeah.
Yeah, we moved in about a year ago.
Yeah?
Yeah, I mean, it's only temporary.
Yeah, I could see that.
I'm gonna look for an apartment.
Apartments are nice.
Yeah. It is what it is, you know.
Yeah, it is what it is.
But you know, this place used to be pretty nice.
You know, there's a lot of history around here. Yeah.
Yeah. Like down the street is the Cambria Fight Club.
They used to call that place, like, the Bucket of Blood.
I took some massive beatin's down there.
But it was nice. Good memories.
And I heard these buildings are like, I don't know, like...
100, 150 years old.
I mean, if I was 150 years old, I'd be fallin' apart too.
So...it's okay, buildin'.
Does that light work?
Nah, it's burnt out or somethin'.
Yeah? Yeah.
Hey, listen, thanks for the ride,
and, uh, I'm sorry about those guys and everythin'.
Oh, that's okay.
You know, some of those guys
just got their brains on backwards and stuff.
What's he doin' out so late?
Is that your kid?
Yeah. Wish he wouldn't stay out so late.
ROCKY: Amazin'.
Yeah, what's that?
Oh, last time I seen you, you was a kid,
and now you officially got one of your own.
It's amazin'.
You know, he sort of resembles you.
He's got that, you know, big Irish hair.
Yeah, it's the other one.
Yeah?
His father was from Jamaica.
Jamaica? European.
Was you on a cruise ship or something?
No, not really.
What's his name?
Steps.
Short for Stevenson.
Makes sense.
Is he lookin' like he's mad at me,
or is it maybe the angle I'm standin' at over here?
No, no, no. He's a good kid.
Oh.
You wanna meet him?
You know, it's gettin' kinda late.
I got so many things to do. You know, it's, uh...
Yeah, I understand.
Uh, thanks again for the ride
and, um, everythin' else.
See ya.
You too.
Hey, Steps, come on. Let's go.
Say good night to your friend.
What're you doin' out in the cold with no hat on?
You cold? You get something to eat?
Yeah, I already ate.
Yeah? All right.
You're late, you know.
I can take care of myself.
I've told you--
Yo, Little Marie!
Ain't you gonna introduce me to your kid?
How you doin', Steps?
What's up?
Listen, I got this, uh, place, this restaurant,
nice little eatery, not too far from here.
What's all this junk? A tissue.
Sometimes I feel like a kangaroo,
all the stuff in my pocket, you know.
Here you go. I got a card, there it is.
And, uh, if you ever get a chance,
it'd be great if both of youse come down there
and eat and everything.
It'd be great, free. You know.
Anyway, I'll leave it over there on--
Here.
Leave it on the steps.
Steps.
[CHUCKLES]
See you later.
Come on, let's go.
MARTIN: Now, you've known what's best for you since you were 10.
Since you walked in here alone.
Got everything money can buy...
except what it can't.
It's pride.
Pride is what got your ass outta here.
And losin' is what brung you back.
But people like you, they need to be tested.
They need a challenge.
You know that ain't gonna happen. Ain't nothin' out there.
There's always somebody out there.
Always.
And when that time comes,
and you find somethin' standin' in front of you,
somethin' that ain't runnin', that ain't backin' up,
and it's hittin' on you,
and you're too damn tired to breathe...
you find that situation on you, that's good...
'cause that's baptism under fire.
You get through that,
you find the only kind of respect
that matters in this damn world:
self-respect.
Thanks, Martin. I appreciate that.
Now, what can the champ do for you?
You can give me some of that money you got.
[BOTH LAUGHING]
You know, I like you, Martin.
But not that much.
[BOTH LAUGHING]
Exactly.
How about a picture with the kid, Rock? Is that all right?
Sure.
Here, son, hold up your fist. Makes you look more hazardous.
ROCKY: There you go. Thanks.
Enjoy your meal.
He's a nice guy. ISABEL: Rocky?
Yeah. Listen.
Spider just went downstairs.
I don't know if that's all right, so...
What's he doin' down there?
I don't know. That's your friend.
[FESTIVE LATIN MUSIC PLAYING]
Yo, Spider!
Let me do some dishes. I feel better.
Oh, come on. You're my guest.
Let me do something.
Keep eating. Guests do that.
Don't make me fight you again. Last time you got lucky.
Lucky? Okay.
Jesus wants me to work.
ISABEL: Yo, Rocky.
Yeah?
You've got guests.
Don't get too wet, okay?
Glad Jesus didn't ask you to cook.
You kept the card.
Yeah, I kept the card.
Here, why don't you sit down?
MARIE: Yeah, sure.
[OVER SPEAKERS] ♪ Somebody told me
♪ You had a boyfriend Who looked like a girlfriend ♪
♪ That I had in February Of last year ♪
What can you say? Because you know what?
I walk in there, I say, "Good morning,"
I do this. I do this.
MAN [OVER TV]: Tonight boxing once again.
Two contrasting styles in almost every way.
Hey, can you turn this up? Turn this up, please.
Who was the best of all time?
If two athletes from different eras
could actually compete against one another,
who would come out on top?
Given the same rules, using the same equipment,
who was the greatest?
This week, we feed our facts into the computer.
They will weigh in on who they think will reign supreme
while fielding the comments
of our illustrious panel of sportswriters.
♪ People talk about it All of the time ♪
♪ How many millions that you Make before you hit 29 ♪
Champ!
♪ When it's crunchtime ♪
♪ Then they find Their ass on the line ♪
Yo, champ! Yeah?
Man, come check out this trash they talkin' about you, man.
What you talkin' about?
Come on, man. Come check this out. Hurry up!
MAN: Tonight, the former two-time heavyweight champion
from Philadelphia, Rocky Balboa.
All right, Chuck Johnson, USA Today?
There's no question that Rocky Balboa
fought the much tougher fights during a tougher era in boxing.
When you look at Mason Dixon in his career,
he's basically been spoon-fed his opponents.
No question in my mind.
Not only does Rocky win,
but he wins knockout.
[CROWD CHEERING]
Rocky!
Offspring.
MAN: Bernard Fernandez, what do you think?
Dixon is a victim of his own dominance.
He's never been in real knockdown dragout brawls.
He's never had to dig down to rally back.
Well, if he tries to dig down against Balboa,
he's gonna find that he doesn't have a big enough shovel.
I clearly give it toBalboa.
[ALL CHEERING]
What happened to you? What happened to you?
MAN: Boxing historian, Bert Randolph Sugar.
Dixon has fought cream puffs,
so we really don't know what he's made of.
But both in their primes, you gotta factor in here
Dixon's unbelievable speed,
his slashing offense.
He cuts Balboa to bits.
No doubt. Dixon wins all the way.
MAN: All right. Here's where our subjectivity ends.
Let's see what the computer has to say. Let's have it.
ANNOUNCER: Dixon unloads on Balboa. Rocky has no answer.
Balboa is eating jabs.
MAN: What time is it? CROWD: Mason time!
MAN: What time is it?
CROWD: Mason time!
MAN: What time is it?
CROWD: Mason time!
[♪]
[ALL CHEERING]
ANNOUNCER: Now Dixon is done. He is reeling.
He is almost out on his feet.
Balboa turning up the heat. Bouncing across the ring.
Boy, he's bit off more than he can chew this time. Believe it.
Oh, a murderous right hook! And Dixon is out on his feet.
He is out cold as he crumbles to the canvas.
And it is Balboa who has won...
[ALL CHEERING]
Ladies and gentlemen, Baby Rocky. Baby Rocky.
[SMOKEY ROBINSON & THE MIRACLES' "OOH BABY BABY" PLAYING]
ROCKY: Yeah, I'm glad you liked the food.
If you heat that up, it's pretty good in the morning.
Yeah, thanks, man.
Nice kid. I hope this music ain't givin' you a headache.
I like this old stuff.
No, I like it. It's nice.
Well, good. Good.
Yo, you think, uh, Steps wants a job?
You know, make a few bucks on the weekend?
It's good makin' your own G's.
My kid stashed a few bucks doin' that.
Why're you bein' so nice?
You know, I don't want you to think nothin's off, you know.
My wife, she's gone...
but she ain't. You know what I mean?
Yeah, well, I wasn't thinkin' that. Believe me.
No? No.
Then what was you thinkin'?
That you don't owe us nothin'. What're you doin'?
Oh, be patient.
Now...
I don't owe you nothin',
but why do you gotta...
owe somethin'...to get--?
Yow! Yipes.
Bingo.
[BOTH CHUCKLING]
But why--? Why you gotta owe somethin'
to get somethin', you know?
Really.
You know, I think hangin' out with your kid would be nice.
What you think?
I think that'd be nice.
Good.
That's very nice.
I'm glad you come by.
It was nice, uh...
It was nice watchin' you eat.
Good company.
Yo, Little Marie. Let there be light.
[LAUGHS]
♪ Whisper I still love you
♪ Until that day is here
ROCKY: You like dogs?
STEPS: Dogs?
Dogs. This is like a dog pound.
It's where they keep...
a large variety of dogs.
I used to come here all the time for sightseein'.
But, you know, you learn a lot talkin' to dogs.
Really, you do.
Yeah, man. Sure.
Hey, man, how about this one?
Uh, he don't look too friendly, my friend.
Oh, man, this is the one. Hey, boy, how you doing?
Hey. Hey, what about this one here? Come here, boy.
STEPS: Who, him? ROCKY: Yeah, why not?
Aw, hell, no. That is one ugly dog, man.
I know, but it's kind of a cute ugly, you know?
If you look at it closely,
the color, it kinda looks like old furniture,
like some kind of pirate-chest thing goin' on.
Yeah, sure, man. Hey, so how about a young one?
Yo, Steps, forget him. Come over here, man.
I want you to see something.
Now, you notice what this animal is doin' here?
Lyin' in that position?
He ain't doin' nothin'.
No, he's doin' a lot. He ain't wastin' no energy.
Because he's dead.
[DOGS YELPING]
No, no. He ain't dead.
There's a lot of good mileage left on that animal.
Some good food, the addition of a couple of new friends,
bingo, he's back.
But what do you think's, like, a good name?
I mean, it's your dog. You name him.
Hey, no. It's, like, a community animal. Fifty-fifty.
Look, I don't know much about no dogs.
Well, you know, Steps, it ain't that complicated.
You know, you pet him, you feed him, you know...
nature takes its course.
You know, so-- But...
don't you wanna name an animal?
I think every guy should at one time
try to name an animal somethin'.
I don't know. Fleabag?
It's catchy. You know, it ain't original,
but it's pretty good and, uh...
I think, though, you could come up with,
in your young brain, somethin' better
to throw out than-- Than, like, Fleabag.
Punchy. How's that?
Punchy?
Yeah, Punchy.
I like it, you know. For real?
Yeah, for real. Punchy it is.
I think Punchy's easy to remember,
it's not that hard to spell.
And once it's in your brain, you never forget it.
Punchy. Very good.
[CHUCKLES] All right, man.
Good call.
All right, Punchy. You ready to be bailed out, my friend?
Okay. Hey.
Hey, man, you know I was just joking with you, right?
Yeah, I know. You're a very funny guy.
[CHUCKLES]
[GAETANO DONIZETTI'S "UNA FURTIVA LAGRIMA" PLAYING]
[SPEAKS IN SPANISH]
Um, Rocky?
MAN [OVER TV]: --almost perfunctory.
The fans let him know how they feel.
Excuse me.
MAN 2: Sure. WOMAN: No problem.
[SPEAKS IN SPANISH]
MAN 3: This could get ugly.
Rock.
Yo, Paulie. Hey. They're gonna be
talkin' about that fake Looney Tune fight.
Hey, come on. We're about to serve today's special.
Italian food cooked up by a bunch of Mexicans
ain't so special, Rocko.
Hey, yo.
[SIGHS] Hey, I skipped work for this.
What an ugly dog.
It's a cute dog.
Hey, Rock? Yeah?
I'm gonna take off, all right?
Hey, that stuff back there is pretty cool.
Oh, you like that? Yeah, man.
Thanks. I appreciate it.
I'm gonna catch you later.
Right.
Who's the criminal?
He's a nice kid.
He dresses like a bum.
Oh. Comin' from a human hamper, that's quite a compliment.
Hide the silverware.
He's nice.
Hey, Spider.
Didn't you knock out that bum once?
Will you give it a rest?
[BOLD THEME PLAYING OVER TV]
I'm gonna be late for work for this. Gimme a break, huh?
All right. Just for a few seconds.
WOMAN [OVER TV]: In the late '60s,
a simulated fight took place between two legends:
Muhammad Ali and Rocky Marciano.
Marciano long retired,
and Ali, unable to fight legitimately for three years
for having refused induction into the armed forces,
was in need of money
and agreed to the so-called dream match
whose outcome would be decided by a computer.
It's almost 35 years since Rocky Marciano
won the much-disputed computer decision,
and guess what, not much has changed.
MAN: Last week, Rocky Balboa won...
See? That's the cartoon fight I'm tellin' ya about.
Yeah.
A stunning knockout.
And keep in mind this is taking the human factor out of it.
Whoa, that was beautiful. The computer says
Rocky Balboa would be triumphant.
KO, 13, and here's some of the fallout:
You know, what started out as a simple form of entertainment
has now become this rallying cry
for people who think an old-school athlete like Balboa
could actually be better.
So your computer technology has to create what isn't.
That's just not responsible.
Get therapy, will ya?
Skip, how do you think Balboa would have done against Dixon?
Badly. Personally, I think
Balboa was completely overrated.
MAN: You know, he owns a little restaurant in South Philly.
SKIP: What's the specialty? Pounded chicken?
Anyway, I would've paid to see the fight.
Next topic, NASCAR and the controversy that won't go away.
Let's go back to Sunday's race...
Hey, hey, hey. Cheer up.
Free advertisement. Come on. Meathouse calls.
[♪]
ROCKY: Yo, Robert.
What is this? What're you doin' out so late?
Ah, you know, I tried callin', but nothin' was pickin' up.
Somethin' wrong? No, no.
I just wanted to come by and see you in person.
You wanna come inside? No. Uh, you know, I-I--
I just wanna get your opinion on somethin'.
Sure. Opinion on what?
Well, you know, they say you only go around once, right?
Yeah, I've heard that.
Well...I think I wanna, like, do somethin'.
Like what?
Fight.
You know, nothin' big. Small stuff, like locally...
Don't you think you're too... you know, old?
Yeah, but you think you ought to stop tryin' things
'cause you had a few too many birthdays? I do not.
People are gonna think you're crazy.
What's crazy about standin' toe to toe, sayin', "I am"?
That's just ego talking.
What are you trying to prove to other people, Pop?
Prove? Listen, I--
I stopped thinkin' the way other people think a long time ago.
You know, you gotta think like you think.
I do.
Do you? Good.
You gotta-- You gotta face reality, okay?
It's-- It's-- It's a different world now.
Only the clothes is different.
I really don't know what you want from me.
I don't know, I just wanted us to get involved.
You know, like, home team.
[SIGHS]
Look, whatever it is, whatever you're going through...
it'll pass.
Yeah, you're probably right.
Time is-- It's gonna catch up to all of us.
Especially if you're standin' still, you know.
Hey, come on.
[♪]
Look, I'm gonna call you in the morning.
PAULIE: Did you tell this to your kid?
ROCKY: Yeah, I did.
What, he think you're nuts, right?
Yeah.
[CHUCKLES] Oh.
Well, he don't believe in you?
Welcome to my world, buddy.
Rocko...
nobody's givin' you no title shot.
I know that. I don't want one.
So this isn't a mental disturbance?
No.
You're mad because they took down your statue.
No.
[LAUGHS]
Not really, no.
If it's about money,
just hang a sign around your neck sayin',
"Punch Me, $5".
[LAUGHING] You'll make big money.
What?
You haven't peaked yet?
Peaked?
Yeah, peaked.
I don't know. There's still some stuff in the basement.
What basement?
In here.
Tell me about the stuff.
What about it?
Tell me about the stuff inside.
Is it angry?
Angry?
Are you mad because Adrian left you?
She didn't leave, Paulie. She died.
Okay. Okay, okay, okay.
[SNIFFLES]
[♪]
[TEARFULLY] You know, some--
Sometimes it's hard to breathe.
You know, I feel like this...beast inside me...
It's okay, Rocko. Please, it's okay.
Is it...
okay?
I-- You know...
I just never knew it was supposed to be this hard.
It wasn't supposed to be like this, Paulie. You know it.
[SIGHS]
Listen, you wanna come by and help me train?
I got a job here.
I understand.
Remember you said if you stay one place long enough,
you become that place?
Rocko, this is all I got.
I understand, Paulie. I do.
Well, if you get time and maybe come down and see me train,
I'd appreciate it.
Of course, Rocko.
Bye, Paulie.
Goodbye, Rocko.
Take care, Rocko.
MAN: This plenary session
of the Pennsylvania Athletic Commission is convened
in order to consider the application of Rocky Balboa
for the issuance of a discretionary
professional boxing license,
due to his ineligibility
to be licensed as a matter of right.
Mr. Balboa, you're welcome here.
Since you're representing yourself,
we invite you to make an opening statement, if you'd like to.
Nah, I was just curious how I did, that's all.
All right, well,
the Medical Advisory Board has informed us
that the battery of tests to which you've been subjected,
you've passed these tests with flying colors.
And we congratulate you for that.
Thanks. However,
this commission, in good conscience,
cannot recommend you for a license,
and we therefore deny your application.
Didn't I do what you asked?
Yes, you did.
So I should get a license, right?
Not exactly.
So why did you give me all them tests
if you was never passin' me?
We've gotta stand by our decision here,
and we have to deny your request for a license at this time.
[♪]
[SIGHS]
Yo, don't I got some rights?
What rights do you think you're referring to?
Rights, like in that official paper
that they wrote down the street there?
That's the Bill of Rights.
Yeah, don't it say somethin'
about goin' after what makes you happy.
No, that's "the pursuit of happiness."
But what's your point?
My point is I'm pursuin' something,
and nobody looks too happy about it.
But we're just looking out for your interests.
I appreciate that, but maybe you're lookin' out
for your interests a little bit more.
I mean, you shouldn't be askin' people to come down here
and pay the freight on somethin'.
They pay, they still ain't good enough.
I mean, you think that's right? Maybe you're doin' your job,
but why you gotta stop me from doin' mine?
'Cause if you're willin' to go through
all the battlin' you gotta go through
to get where you wanna get, who's got the right to stop ya?
Maybe you some of you guys got somethin' you never finished,
somethin' you really wanna do,
somethin' you never said to somebody. Somethin'!
And you're told no, even after you pay your dues.
Who's got the right to tell you that? Who? Nobody!
It's your right to listen to your gut.
It ain't nobody's right to say no
after you earn the right to be what you wanna be
or do what you wanna do.
[♪]
You know, the older I get,
the more things I gotta leave behind. That's life.
The only thing I'm askin' you guys to leave on the table
is what's right.
Yo! [LAUGHS]
Have you seen the paper today?
Front row. Front row.
MAN: That is so great.
All right, all right. You know what?
Let's go get some food. Food. Food. Food.
Come on. Come on.
MAN: Come on. MAN 2: Hey!
The last two pay-per-views were in the toilet.
Nobody cares. You're not makin' heavyweight championship money.
There's a bunch of nobodies out there, Mase. Bottom line.
I wanna talk to you about an interesting opportunity.
You heard Rocky Balboa applied for a license and got one, yeah?
I heard. Forget about him.
Hear me out. Hear what out?
You want me to fight a guy I can beat
with both hands tied behind my back.
Everybody knows you could beat the guy sittin' down.
But that's not what it's about. It's about makin' money.
We gotta capitalize on that computer fight.
This could do a million buys. That's 15, 20 million to you.
Forget it. What do you wanna do?
No one's beating the door down to watch you.
Look, man, we got guaranteed fights.
We don't have guaranteed fights. You wanna do this now
in front of your friends, we'll do it. We got nothing.
All the pay-per-view fights you come up with got rejected.
You know why? Am I wrong? They're all bums out there.
Nobody cares about them. There's no marquee value.
But...this Balboa thing is interesting.
I don't wanna do it. Because it-- Listen to me.
It's a has-been, never-gonna-be world.
You wanna call it nostalgia whatever you want,
but people can relate to that stuff.
A no-lose for everybody. It's all good.
Good for who? For you. Not for me, for you.
Maybe you don't understand. People don't like you no more.
They don't follow you. They're not supporting you.
Don't you understand that?
Don't look like I'm messin' with your legacy.
Every jock now thinks they got a legacy.
Legacy's what you get instead of gettin' paid. That's a legacy.
Don't talk to me like I'm stupid.
I'm not. I'm not no more.
Mase, Mase. Everybody knows
you could kick this old man's ass. But you don't.
You leave him with a little bit of dignity, so they say,
"Mason Dixon's got compassion. He's a decent guy, a nice guy."
You get a whole new audience,
we'll double your money on the next fight.
You want a new image, Mase? That's how you get it.
What, to replace the one that you twp made?
Whoa, wait. We made your world green.
You made the rest.
All this is you. You made all this junk happen.
I've had it up to here with this mess, man.
It's time for me to make some changes.
I'm goin' back to Martin's gym.
I don't wanna talk about this crap.
I want Martin back. There's nothin' to talk about.
[TRAIN WHISTLES]
How you doin'? Hey, what a surprise.
I was just drivin' around the neighborhood.
I thought, "Why not... drive by and say hello."
You wanna come inside? No, I gotta--
The dog needs some exercise. You wanna take a little walk?
Uh, yeah, yeah. All right. It's nice outside.
All right.
ROCKY: Nice and brisk.
MARIE: When'd you get a dog?
Ah, we picked up Punchy a couple of days back.
Punchy? Yeah.
You named your dog Punchy?
Well, actually, your kid come up with the name.
Oh, yeah? Yeah.
I think that's disrespectful.
Oh, no, no. It's fine, really.
No, it's easy to remember, and it's all that, you know...
Listen, what do you think about comin' over to the restaurant?
What for?
Well, you know, for, like, uh--
For work. The hostess is gonna be havin' a kid.
You'd do good.
Oh, I don't know.
I'm telling you, you'd do so good.
I appreciate what you're doin' for my kid, but I can't.
Well, you know...
Hey, listen, I think you'd like it a lot.
It's-- It's a nice environment, it's very pleasant--
Yeah, can we drop it?
Uh, what's botherin' ya?
Nothin'. It's all right. Listen, I gotta get back.
Nah, it ain't all right.
Oh, come on. What?
What, I'm the first person people see when they walk in?
Yeah, you just give out menus. You say, "Hello, how are you?"
You sit people down. Look, Little Marie,
if I can do it, anybody can do it.
You could find ten better people,
a hundred better people for this job.
Give it a try, like, two weeks.
I don't wanna try.
Yo, who put this stuff in your head? Nobody.
Well, it just don't get in there by itself.
Thanks for comin' by.
[♪]
Yo, when was the last time you went dancin'?
Has it been a while?
Why you askin' me that?
Well, I'm askin' 'cause you dance around these problems,
you might as well come and dance with me.
Now, I ain't that good, but, you know,
I'm better than the average bear.
Where that came from, I don't know.
[CHUCKLES]
Crazy.
Yeah, a little bit, but the way you're thinkin',
the way you're talkin', it's a little crazy too.
Come on, you deserve better. Really.
Come on over.
I need you to class my place up. Philly needs ya.
And if you say, "Screw you, creepo" again,
I totally understand.
But I'm warnin' you right now, I'm gonna put myself, like,
geographically in the middle of the street here
and stand here, me and Punchy, and wave to the first bus,
say, "Come on over here and mash me!
"Little Marie turned down the job at the restaurant.
She thinks she's better than us."
Oh, yeah?
Well, there hasn't been a bus down here in 20 years.
Yeah?
No.
Whew.
That was a close call.
Listen, seriously.
Come on over. It'd be nice.
All right.
MAN: Paulie!
Sorry, Paulie.
Sorry. Okay?
[♪]
[INDISTINCT CHATTER]
How are you? Get my unusual up there.
Excuse me. Deliveries are in the back.
I'm not a delivery guy.
Well, do you have a reservation?
Do I look like a freakin' Indian?
[LAUGHS]
Hey, Rock? Rocky? Rocky?
I think we've got a little bit of a problem with this guy.
Problem? No, no, he's just a relative.
Oh. Oh, okay.
Yo, Paulie.
What happened to your eye?
I hit it.
Why?
Needed to.
What happened?
I'm celebratin', Rock.
Why?
I retired.
Retired?
[LAUGHS]
Yeah?
So when'd they start givin' retired people
meat instead of watches, Paulie?
I don't need a watch.
I got a watch!
You gave me a watch!
Paulie-- Don't--
I don't need no goddamn watch.
Yo, Paulie--
I got a watch!
I got two watches!
ROCKY: Yo, Paulie!
[CROWD MURMURING]
[♪]
Yo, Paulie.
Rock.
It takes guts climbin' back in that ring,
knowin' you're gonna take a beating.
You're gonna do all right, Rocko.
How do you know that?
The stuff in the basement.
[LAUGHS]
Thanks, Paulie.
[INDISTINCT CHATTER]
You okay?
MAN: Hey, Rock, how are you?
You okay? Yeah.
Yeah, yeah. Good, good. How are you?
Oh, yeah, fine. This is great. Good.
Listen, uh, there's some guys over there wanna talk to you.
Okay. Okay?
You got it.
Thanks for coming by. I appreciate it.
No problem. Our pleasure.
So you wanna hear some stories?
MAN: What kind of stories?
Well, a lot of people like to hear these old fight stories.
MAN: Maybe later. Okay.
I'm Lou DiBella. This is L.C. Luco.
He's Mason Dixon's manager.
Will you sit down and join us? Sure.
L.C.: Please.
You know,
we have the promotional contract for Mason Dixon,
who's a big fan, by the way. Really?
And when he heard you were interested in fightin' again,
he thought, why not try to work somethin' out?
Like a special event.
Like a first-class exhibition fight.
Why me?
He respects the hell out of you, all right?
And let's be honest,
that computer fight got people curious.
This could be very interesting.
Yeah, but I ain't interested
in gettin', like, mangled and embarrassed.
No, that's not gonna happen. Never happen. No.
Truthfully, I was thinkin' more on a, like,
miniscule, small level, you know?
Small fights, not big fights.
Small fights. Things that--
Local. You know what I mean? Not--
L.C.: Not a bad idea.
But don't think of it as big. Think of it like an exhibition.
Think of it as a glorified sparring session.
Oh. Here's something you'll like.
We're gonna donate a portion of the gate to charity.
Well, that's always nice. Oh, yeah.
It's good to give. Yeah.
Where is it, uh, takin' place?
Las Vegas. Las Vegas.
L.C.: Nice and warm.
This cold's gotta be killin' you.
Little stiff.
You move better when you're warmer.
Yeah. And if nothin' else,
you'll have new stories to tell.
I really gotta think about this.
LOU: Absolutely.
Is that okay? L.C.: Understand.
No problem. No problem.
I'm gonna go over there.
You guys can order something.
What do you recommend?
It's all edible.
[LAUGHING]
Okay. Thanks.
We got him.
Imagine if Dixon met this bastard in his prime?
He'd kill him. He'd kill him. You ain't kiddin'.
Man, I'm confused.
[TRAIN WHISTLES]
ROCKY: I didn't think this was gonna come along.
MARIE: But this is what you wanted, right?
I don't know.
You know, I talk and I talk.
And sometimes I think what I'm sayin' is true,
and then, you know, I look at myself,
I'm not even sure what is true anymore,
'cause it's like, I pushed this crazy idea about fightin'.
I mean, what's it all about?
Do I really care
about standin' toe to toe and all that stuff,
or-- Or, like my kid says, is it just, like, ego?
Or am I, like, this old pug
who's just tryin' to replace old pain with new pain?
I don't know. I-- I-- I don't know.
Look, I know I usually don't say a lot.
And I'm always listenin' and lookin' and...
But, you know, who you are,
you know, the part of you that's so full of life.
I mean, we all have that feelin', that fire,
but usually never get a chance to use it,
and then it just goes away.
[♪]
But you can.
You've got this opportunity, so do it. Why not?
I mean, this is who you are, you know?
This is who you'll always be.
And you don't move aside for nobody
until you're ready to move.
And it doesn't matter how this looks to other people.
All that matters is how it looks to you.
Rocky...
Rocky, look at me.
How...it looks...to you.
And if this is somethin' that you wanna do
and if this is somethin' that you gotta do,
then you do it.
Fighters fight.
You're not gonna punch me, are ya?
[BOTH CHUCKLE]
All right, listen. I gotta go before I wear out my welcome.
I'll see you tomorrow.
Thanks.
[DOOR SLAMS]
Fighters fight, right?
[♪]
LOU: It's rare when you get to promote
an event that's bigger than boxing.
This is.
Skill versus will,
with part of the proceeds going to charity.
The brainchild of Mason Dixon,
to honor past heavyweight champions.
Warriors like Rocky Balboa. Let's open it up for questions.
[REPORTERS CLAMORING] MAN: Hey, champ!
WOMAN: A few great fighters
have fought in their 50s, often with disastrous results.
Why risk the danger and embarrassment?
The smart money says you have virtually no chance.
DUKE: A puncher always has a chance.
This fight will be competitive.
WOMAN 2: Why are you doin' this, Rocky?
ROCKY [OVER TV]: I don't know,
I'd rather do somethin', uh, I love badly than--
PAULIE: Than-- Than to feel bad by not doin' somethin' you love.
MAN 2: The press has labeled you "Balboasaurus."
[ALL LAUGH]
[CHUCKLING] How do you feel about that?
MAN 3: Mason, let's say the following happens:
You win, we'll say you beat an old guy.
You lose, say a thumb in the eye,
you'll be the joke of the decade.
You all know that will never happen.
This is only an exhibition.
Don't go tryin' to make more out of this
than that computer tried.
[REPORTERS CLAMORING]
MAN 4: Isn't this sport in enough trouble
without these circus events?
Next question.
WOMAN 3: On the surface, this looks like
a cheap bit of ring theater between, no offense,
a has-been and a man whose own credible legacy
and popularity is in doubt. What's the upside?
Doubt?
Upside? I mean...
What do you mean, upside?
MASON: I mean, what do I have to do?
You know, I'm 33-0 with 30 knockouts.
I'm doin' you people a favor.
I'm havin' this exhibition for you all.
And you gonna get up here and make a mockery outta me?
I'm the champ.
I mean, I get pissed, this guy get hurt.
See you at the fight.
The guy's a joke. He's gonna get crushed.
Oh, look who's here.
How you doin'? Have you seen my father?
He's in the back. Thanks.
We never served so many meals. It's unbelievable.
ROCKY: You're doing good? MAN: Yeah.
Hope you're enjoyin' everything, all right?
Excuse me.
How you doin'?
Glad you come by.
Can I talk with you?
Sure.
Can we do it outside?
So you're goin' through with this?
Yeah. I start trainin' tomorrow.
Hey, Rock.
I made some connections.
I can make some money on this. Endorsements.
Absolutely. Do that.
Thank you, Rock. Okay. Sure.
So you nervous about the fight?
Yeah. Scared to death.
You don't look scared.
Well, I ain't supposed to.
Then you don't have to do it.
Yeah, well, I think I do.
You-- You know, livin' with you, it hasn't been easy.
People see me, but they think of you.
Now with all this goin' on, it's gonna be worse than ever.
It don't have to be.
No, sure it does!
Why? You got a lot goin' on, kid.
What, my last name?
That's the reason I got a decent job.
That's the reason why people deal with me in the first place.
Now I start to get a little ahead,
I start to get a little something for myself,
and this happens.
Now, I'm askin' you, as a favor,
not to go through with this, okay?
This is only gonna end up bad for you,
and it's gonna end up bad for me.
You think I'm hurtin' you?
Yeah. In a way, you are.
That's the last thing I ever wanted to do.
I know that's not what you wanna do,
but that's just the way that it is.
Don't you care what people think?
Doesn't it bother you that people are makin' you out
to be a joke and that I'm gonna be included in that?
Do you think that's right?
Do you?!
You ain't gonna believe this,
but you used to fit right here.
I'd hold you up and say to your mother,
"This kid's gonna be the best kid in the world.
This kid's gonna be somebody better than anybody ever knew."
And you grew up good and wonderful.
It was great just watchin'. Every day was like a privilege.
Then the time come for you to be your own man
and take on the world, and you did.
But somewhere along the line, you changed.
You stopped bein' you.
You let people stick a finger in your face
and tell you you're no good.
And when things got hard,
you started lookin' for somethin' to blame,
like a big shadow.
Let me tell you somethin' you already know:
The world ain't all sunshine and rainbows.
It's a very mean and nasty place,
and I don't care how tough you are,
it will beat you to your knees
and keep you there permanently if you let it.
You, me or nobody is gonna hit as hard as life.
But it ain't about how hard you hit.
It's about how hard you can get hit
and keep movin' forward.
How much you can take and keep movin' forward.
That's how winnin' is done!
Now, if you know what you're worth,
then go and get what you're worth.
But you gotta be willin' to take the hits,
and not pointin' fingers sayin' you ain't where you wanna be
because of him or her or anybody!
Cowards do that, and that ain't you!
You're better than that!
[♪]
I'm always gonna love you no matter what.
No matter what happens.
You're my son, you're my blood.
You're the best thing in my life.
But until you start believin' in yourself,
you ain't gonna have a life.
Don't forget to visit your mother.
[♪]
Yeah, those are beautiful.
Yeah.
You get off early from work?
No.
I left.
I quit.
Quit why?
I wasn't very...
I don't know, I just...
I didn't f-- I didn't fit in there.
I understand.
So, what are you gonna do?
Right now?
Right now I'd rather be with you.
Is that all right?
Yeah.
It's been a long time since I seen a fight.
DUKE: You know all there is to know about fightin',
so there's no sense us goin' down that same old road again.
To beat this guy, you need speed.
You don't have it.
And your knees can't take the poundin',
so hard runnin' is out.
And you got arthritis in your neck.
And you've got calcium deposits on most of your joints,
so sparrin' is out.
I had that problem.
So, what we'll be callin' on
is good ol'-fashioned blunt-force trauma.
Horsepower. Heavy-duty, cast-iron, piledrivin' punches
that will have to hurt so much, they'll rattle his ancestors.
Every time you hit him with a shot,
it's gotta feel like he tried kissin' the express train.
[NECK CRACKS] Yeah!
Let's start buildin' some hurtin' bombs.
[BILL CONTI'S "GONNA FLY NOW" PLAYING]
[BARKS]
DUKE: Come on, Rocky!
Yeah, you'll get it.
PAULIE: You can do it, Rocko!
[GROANS]
[PANTING]
♪ Tryin' hard now ♪
♪ It's so hard now ♪
♪ Tryin' hard now ♪
Ah! Ooh.
[GRUNTS]
PAULIE: Gettin' stronger!
MAN: Up! Up! Up!
DUKE: Come on!
PAULIE: Rocko!
PAULIE: You can do this!
[GRUNTS]
Oh, yeah! Yeah! Yeah!
Come on, Rocko! Pick it up.
[ALL SHOUTING]
Come on, Pa!
Come on. Come on. Let's hit 'em.
Hit 'em.
♪ Gettin' strong now ♪
PAULIE: You can do it, Rock.
♪ Won't be long now ♪
PAULIE: Gettin' stronger!
♪ Gettin' strong now ♪
[GRUNTING]
ROBERT: Up, up, up! Push! Push! DUKE: Go! Go!
All right!
Yeah!
♪ Gonna fly now ♪
♪ Flyin' high now ♪
♪ Gonna fly
Yeah!
♪ Fly
[CROWD CHEERING]
MAN: Rocky Balboa, 217.
The undisputed heavyweight champion, Mason Dixon, 221.
Thank you very much. I appreciate it, champ.
Thanks a lot.
ALL [CHANTING]: Rocky! Rocky! Rocky! Rocky!
Rocky! Rocky!
Know how much money is in this? A lot of it.
Imagine tryin' to clean this place.
[LAUGHS] No, seriously.
MASON: Balboa!
All right, you guys, uh,
I'll catch up with you all later, okay?
Robert, why don't you hang with me?
How you doin', champ?
I'm good.
Yo, man, there's no reason for neither one of us
to get hurt in this fight.
I'll do my best to carry you,
make sure you save face.
There'd be no embarrassment.
But I promise you,
you try to press me,
you hit me, you hurt me, you hit me low, cheap-shot me,
I'll get you outta there.
You know, uh...
a lot of people come to Vegas to lose. I didn't.
It's already over.
Ain't nothin' over till it's over.
What's that from, the '80s?
That's probably the '70s.
Just remember what I said.
MAN: Hey, champ, over here!
Hey, yo, champ.
Yo, ain't you a little scared?
I don't get scared.
You know, I think you try a little harder
when you're scared.
This is, uh, what has worked for me.
You scared? I ain't scared. Oh, yeah.
You ain't scared of me? Come on, let's see what you got.
[LAUGHING] Come on.
Hey, don't hit me. I'm brittle.
[♪]
[THUNDER RUMBLES]
[KNOCK AT DOOR]
Hey. Hi.
How you doin'?
No, I was just thinkin'. Did you wanna come in?
No. No, no, no. It's okay.
I just, uh-- I just wanted to,
I don't know, come by and wish you good luck for tomorrow.
Thanks. Yeah.
Um, I brought you somethin'.
I hope you don't mind. I took it from the restaurant.
No. Thanks.
Wow. Adrian.
Yeah. Thought she'd keep you safe, you know?
Yeah. Yeah, she always brought me luck.
Yeah.
Yeah. Listen, I wanted to say thanks
for everythin' you've done for me and my kid.
You know, it's-- You've been great and, uh...
You know, tomorrow,
you're gonna prove
that the last thing to age on somebody is their heart.
I'll try.
You go show 'em.
Thank you.
MAN: The heavyweight championship
has been one of sports' most coveted titles for 120 years.
Two-time heavyweight champion Rocky Balboa,
the Philadelphia slugger,
renowned for his cast-iron jaw,
ferocious body attack and will of steel,
all of which have carried the much smaller fighter
to numerous victories over the years
against physically superior opponents.
And Mason Dixon, the current heavyweight titleholder,
with all the speed, determination and confidence
any fighter could want.
But many still question
whether he has the heart of a true champion,
never having been pushed to go the distance.
Tonight, we find out.
We're at the Mandalay Bay Events Center
in Las Vegas, Nevada,
for the much-anticipated showdown
between Mason "The Line" Dixon
and Rocky "The Italian Stallion" Balboa.
Hello, again. I'm Jim Lampley
with Larry Merchant and Max Kellerman
live from the Mandalay Bay Hotel in Las Vegas,
where we anticipate one of the most outrageous
and compelling events in boxing history.
The current unappreciated heavyweight champion,
Mason "The Line" Dixon,
putting his reputation on the line
against legendary ex-ex-ex-champion,
Rocky Balboa.
Even though most see this
as more of a glorified sparring session,
the energy in the room is electric.
Larry, why is this billed as an exhibition?
Wild guess: So they wouldn't have to call it an execution.
Ooh-hoo.
Zechariah 4:6 says,
"It is not by strength, not by might,
"but by his spirit, we have already claimed the victory
in our Lord, Jesus Christ."
Good luck, Rocky.
Thanks, Spider. Appreciate it.
[CROWD BUZZING IN DISTANCE]
LAMPLEY: Nobody's expecting much,
I think, from the way-past-his-prime
former champ, Rocky Balboa.
Rock, I gotta talk to ya.
Look.
Look, I know you got a lot of stuff
you gotta get out of your system.
Huh?
Tonight you do it. Right? Get rid of the damn beast,
let it be done, once and for all.
Please, I love you.
CROWD [CHANTING]: Rocky! Rocky! Rocky!
Rocky! Rocky! Rocky! Rocky!
Rocky! Rocky! Rocky!
There go the lights.
The buzz is building toward a roaring crescendo.
[FRANK SINATRA'S "HIGH HOPES" PLAYING]
Where'd that come from?
I told you.
I love Sinatra.
He's very good, Sinatra.
MAN: Let's go.
Very good.
♪ Think he'll move That rubber tree plant? ♪
[CROWD CHEERING]
MERCHANT: And here comes Rocky Balboa,
a veteran of the wars,
here for one more last hurrah.
LAMPLEY: Or the Last Supper, perhaps, with him as the main course.
What's that music? You can't be serious.
MERCHANT: "High Hopes"? Talk about wishful thinking.
Well, maybe no hopes is more realistic.
Anyway, the crowd likes it.
KELLERMAN: Look at the Italian Stallion!
Cool and relaxed.
LAMPLEY: Rocky's an off-the-board underdog,
and they don't care at all.
KELLERMAN: This is about his pride and dignity,
and his punch, guys.
The last thing to go is a guy's punch.
Rocky always has that puncher's chance.
["HIGH HOPES" ENDS]
[CROWD CHEERING]
LAMPLEY: Rocky Balboa is still, as you can hear,
the people's champion.
KELLERMAN: Prediction, guys: For at least two rounds
Dixon's gonna have his hands full.
MERCHANT: Two whole rounds?
We have a cockeyed optimist in the house.
How you doin'?
LAMPLEY: The crowd wants to see
something real, or at least--
Jim, Rocky Balboa just asked me how I'm doing.
Now, I grew up watching this guy.
I never thought I'd be calling one of his fights.
This is unbelievable. I'm a fan, I can't help it.
LAMPLEY: Now here comes Mason Dixon.
[THREE 6 MAFIA'S "IT'S A FIGHT" PLAYING]
♪ Yeah! We ain't playin' wit ya ♪
♪ Step yo ass up
♪ What you wanna do?
♪ Get your ass knocked out
♪ What you wanna do?
♪ Get ready
♪ What you wanna do?
♪ Three 6 Mafia, Mafia
♪ Let's go! ♪
♪ Hit 'em with the left ♪
♪ Hit 'em with the right ♪
♪ We gon' Hit 'em with the left ♪
♪ Hit 'em with the right ♪
♪ It's a fight It's a fight ♪
♪ Head bustin' Head bustin' ♪
♪ It's a fight It's a fight ♪
♪ Head bustin' Head bustin' ♪
♪ Hit 'em with the left ♪
♪ Hit 'em with the right ♪
♪ Hit 'em with the left ♪
♪ Hit 'em with the right It's a fight ♪
LAMPLEY: Mason Dixon establishing his presence in the ring.
And suddenly now a conversation breaking out at ringside.
Mike Tyson calling out Mason "The Line" Dixon.
I did take the challenge.
You can't call no shots here. I'm the champ.
You not doin' nothin'. This is charity. This is charity work.
Look, you got that--
You got that midget with you right there.
♪ We won't be playin' when It comes to handlin' business ♪
♪ Hit you with a one
[BELL RINGS]
BUFFER: Ladies and gentlemen,
welcome to the Mandalay Bay resort and casino of Las Vegas.
And a special main event of the evening,
10 rounds of heavyweight excitement,
sanctioned by the Nevada State Athletic Commission.
And when the bell rings,
the referee in charge of the action, Joe Cortez.
And now, for the thousands in attendance
and the millions watching around the world,
ladies and gentlemen...
let's get ready to rumble!
Introducing first,
fighting out of the blue corner,
wearing black with gold, official weight: 217 pounds.
His professional record:
57 victories, including 54 knockouts
with 23 defeats and one draw.
He is the fighting pride of Philadelphia,
the two-time heavyweight champion of the world,
"The Italian Stallion"
Rocky...
Balboa!
[ALL CHEERING]
Hope he gets his head busted.
Shut up.
BUFFER: Across the ring, fighting out of the red corner,
wearing white with blue, official weight: 221 pounds.
He has a perfect professional record,
consisting of 33 bouts,
33 victories, including 30 knockouts.
Originally from Tampa, Florida,
but now fighting out of Las Vegas, Nevada,
the reigning undisputed, undefeated
heavyweight champion of the world,
Mason "The Line"
Dixon!
[CROWD BOOING]
CORTEZ: All right, gentlemen.
All right, Mason, Rocky.
We went over the rules in the dressing room.
I expect a good, clean fight.
Watch the kidney punches, rabbit punches.
Those low blows, be careful with those, all right?
Give me good sportsmanlike conduct.
Remember, gentlemen, I'm fair, but I'm firm.
Touch 'em up!
Enjoy the ride.
LAMPLEY: The champ is not in the best shape
we've seen him in.
Maybe he plans to phone this in and go home early.
That wouldn't be a surprise. Glad you could make it.
KELLERMAN: One thing about Rocky we know for sure:
This guy's showing up in shape.
The old man's crazy.
He's gotta be crazy, he's in here.
Okay. Just take it easy.
This is an exhibition.
All right? Do it to him.
You got three rounds to set a pace.
Every time you hit him, you make a dent. Got it.
KELLERMAN: The moments before a Rocky Balboa fight?
I can't believe it's here!
[BELL RINGS]
KELLERMAN: Round one begins.
If old George Forman shocked the world with one punch,
why can't old Rocky Balboa?
LAMPLEY: And as much excitement as there is in the arena,
there's a sense of foreboding as well.
And now, Mason "The Line" Dixon goes to work with his jab
as though he's fighting against the number one challenger
in the heavyweight division.
KELLERMAN: See, this is to be expected early on.
You knew the champ was gonna control the distance
with his jab, his height, his range.
LAMPLEY: Balboa looking to get in a shot,
misses wildly. Did you like that?
MERCHANT: It looks like a speed bag
against a punching bag.
LAMPLEY: Rocky's understandably frustrated.
He came out of retirement to get into a fight.
KELLERMAN: Guys named Rocky don't like to be toyed with.
One punch could still turn it around.
MERCHANT: Apparently he forgot his arthritis meds this morning.
LAMPLEY: Rocky misses!
There's a meat-seeking missile
on the point of the chin by the champ.
More pinpoint jabs by Dixon. CROWD: Rocky! Rocky! Rocky!
And there's a hard right hand,
and a left, and a right by Balboa!
He drives Dixon into the ropes with a series of shots.
And the crowd goes berserk.
Dixon punishing Balboa
for the temerity of landing those shots.
It's toe to toe in the corner.
Balboa and Dixon letting it all go.
[BELL RINGS]
Balboa landing potent combinations
to the head of the champion. A wake-up call for Dixon.
You all right? Yeah, I'm all right.
The man's got bricks in his gloves.
Where's the angry stuff in the basement?
It's still there.
He came to battle, okay?
He tried to knock me out. Listen to me.
If there's any bone he can break,
he's gonna do it. His bones break too.
Give the man respect. What about my respect?
LAMPLEY: CompuBox numbers tell the grisly story here.
Balboa landed nine of 13 punches in that round.
Dixon landed an incredible 59 out of 69.
Boy, you listen to me.
KELLERMAN: Rocky's been here
a million times before,
coming out to start another round
after he took a beating in the previous one.
Remember what I said, okay?
I warned him. I warned him.
[BELL RINGS] CROWD: Rocky!
LAMPLEY: Well, he's tired.
His legs are going fast, or already gone.
KELLERMAN: And what's truly extraordinary
is that Rocky can still take it.
MERCHANT: The boxing commission,
which, remember, was criticized for licensing him,
would be massacred if something happened to Rocky.
[GRUNTS]
LAMPLEY: And a monstrous straight left hand!
Down goes Rocky.
And that could conceivably be the end of the fight.
That could be the exhibition right there. But no. Balboa up.
Referee Joe Cortez asks if he wants to continue,
and Rocky says yes.
KELLERMAN: Even Rocky Balboa could be too brave for his own good.
LAMPLEY: Dixon comes right back to try to finish it.
Balboa almost went down.
MERCHANT: Rocky actually shoves Dixon back.
LAMPLEY: As Dixon lands these brutal shots.
Cover up! Cover up!
Open shots at close range.
Right and left hands, and down goes Balboa!
Perhaps for the last time in his fighting career.
MERCHANT: That should do it. Three! Four!
Five! Six!
Get up! Get up! Seven!
Eight!
Nine!
How do you feel, man? You okay?
LAMPLEY: Now Rocky is furious with himself.
He convinces Cortez he wants to keep fighting.
KELLERMAN: Dixon's pointing at the ref to end it.
Rocky waving his arms and saying he's fine.
He wants to go on. Let it go! Let it go!
LAMPLEY: And Balboa comes back. With a left and a right,
and bulls Dixon into the ropes for the second round in a row.
And back comes Dixon with brutal left-hand shots.
Dixon hurt his hand there. Go after him!
KELLERMAN: This is Rocky's best chance right here.
The champ obviously just hurt his hand on Rocky's hip.
LAMPLEY: And Balboa immediately going to work to the body.
Huge right hook.
Balboa ripping away at Dixon's body.
These are big punches.
CROWD [CHANTING]: Rocky! Rocky! Rocky!
Yes!
[ALL CHEERING]
LAMPLEY: Rocky Balboa
has knocked the reigning heavyweight champion down!
You hurt him, Rocky! Mason "The Line" Dixon
has never taken this kind of punishment
in his entire professional career.
KELLERMAN: Maybe he's clearing his head, guys,
but the body shots really caved in his ribs.
LAMPLEY: Balboa is thinking knockout himself.
KELLERMAN: Another counterhook by Balboa, Followed by two more!
LAMPLEY: Dixon fires back his own hooks. Now Rocky's stunned.
It's an all-out war along the ropes
as round two comes to a close
amid a giant tumult in the ring.
[BELL RINGING]
KELLERMAN: Incredible!
All right!
Welcome to Rockyland.
[♪]
How's the hand? My hand's broken.
We lose, it's your ass! Your ass!
It'll numb up on you through your rounds.
KELLERMAN: Once that hand numbs up,
Dixon gonna be able to throw it hard.
Until then, here's Rocky's chance.
Take it to him. No reverse!
Take the pain, champ.
Stay on him! Everybody thought this was a joke, including me.
Now nobody's laughing. Stay on him, you go get him!
[BELL RINGS] Go out strong!
[♪]
Keep him off you.
That's it! That's it!
[BELL RINGING]
Yeah!
DUKE: You won that round. Break him down.
Bomb him! Bomb him!
[ROCKY YELLS]
Yeah!
Just keep throwing them bombs.
[GROANS]
Come on!
[♪]
You can do this!
[DISTORTED] Rocko! Rocko!
WOMAN: Come on, Rocky!
Yeah, come on, go!
[♪]
[GROANS]
MICKEY: Go through him!
Run over him!
[BELL RINGS]
Unload on him!
Dig down, Mason!
[BELL RINGS]
KELLERMAN: They're leavin' nothin' on the table, guys.
MERCHANT: The fans are still standing.
They may not be able to sit down for a week.
You're doin' great!
Better than I thought. I feel good.
MAN: You sure? You sure he's okay?
I've had worse.
LAMPLEY: Toe to toe, one round to go.
Who would've believed this was possible?
Can you see out of that eye?
Wait, let me talk to him. Look at me.
Don't take any more chances out there than you have to.
There's nothin' more to prove, Pop.
There's nothin' more to prove.
I gotta go out the way I gotta go out.
PAULIE: You can do it, Rocko! You can do it,
One more round, we go home.
Okay, then do it. Then do it.
MERCHANT: There's an old saying that every great champion
has one great fight left in him,
and Rocky is proving it so far.
[BELL RINGS]
CORTEZ: Come on. Let's go. Touch 'em up.
Rocko! The last round of your life!
Come on, guys.
The last round!
Come on. Touch 'em up.
Let's go, touch 'em up.
You are one crazy old man.
You'll get there.
CORTEZ: Let's go. [BELL RINGS]
LAMPLEY: Tenth round of a scheduled 10.
Who would ever have dreamed
that Rocky Balboa would still be in this,
quote, "exhibition" against the heavyweight champion?
You can do it! Come on!
KELLERMAN: This fight is as though Dixon got
on-the-job training in courage.
Cover up! Cover up!
They're both in a pain-free zone!
These guys are fighting in another dimension right now.
LAMPLEY: Beyond belief.
Balboa just walking straight into Dixon's punches.
Target practice for Dixon.
KELLERMAN: They're exchangin' right hooks! Balboa's drilled!
Here comes Dixon!
He's exhausted from just punching the man.
L.C.: Knock this bum out, Mase!
[CROWD GROANS]
[♪]
ROCKY: What is it you said to the kid?
It ain't about how hard you hit.
It's about how hard you can get hit
and keep movin' forward.
How much you can take...
...and keep moving forward.
CROWD: Rocky! Rocky!
ROCKY: Get up.
Let's go! Get up!
Rocky! Rocky! Rocky!
Get up.
[♪]
Rocky! Rocky!
[CROWD ROARING]
LAMPLEY: Another monster body shot.
Rocky's ancestors must have felt that one.
Come on, Rocky! Start movin' those hands!
Less than two minutes to go.
The crowd is astonished that Balboa got up.
Come on! Come on!
Turn it up! All the way through!
And retaliates with fury!
Chop him down!
Come on, Rocky! Come on!
Take him out now!
LAMPLEY: They're trading shots again.
KELLERMAN: Balboa is trying to hit anything and anywhere.
Win it! Win it!
CROWD: Rocky! Rocky!
Yes! [BELL RINGING]
[♪]
You're a great champion.
Thanks very much. You got heart.
Thanks for the opportunity. Good man.
That was unbelievable.
That was the greatest thing I've ever seen.
You did it. That's the kind of pride you talkin' about.
ROCKY: Hey, Paulie. [LAUGHING]
That beast is gone now.
The beast is out.
One of the most overused words in sports, guys,
is "incredible."
I hate to say it.
This is incredible.
Let's go!
BUFFER: Ladies and gentlemen, before we go to the scorecards,
a round of applause for these two heavyweight warriors.
[CROWD CHEERING]
We have a split decision.
Adelaide Byrd scores it
95-94 Dixon.
Chuck Giampa has it 95-94
Balboa.
CROWD: Rocky! Rocky!
Rocky! Rocky! Rocky!
And Bill Graham scores it
95-94
for the winner by split decision
and still undefeated,
the heavyweight champion of the world,
Mason "The Line"
Dixon!
[♪]
CROWD: Rocky! Rocky! Rocky! Rocky!
[♪]
[SIGHS]
You know, I couldn't have done nothin' without you.
Yo, Adrian, we did it.
We did it.
[♪]
[BILL CONTI'S "GONNA FLY NOW" PLAYING]
♪ Tryin' hard now ♪
♪ It's so hard now ♪
♪ Tryin' hard now ♪
♪ Gettin' strong now ♪
♪ Won't be long now ♪
♪ Gettin' strong now ♪
♪ Gonna fly now
♪ Flyin' high now ♪
♪ Gonna fly
♪ Fly
[♪]