Guide Mentor

Character Role Analysis

Mickey

Mickey's form of mentorship is tough love. Boxing isn't a sport with a lot of hugging. (Okay, it is, when the men grapple each other in the ring until the ref separates them. But that's a very aggressive form of hug.) But overall, it's a sport where men and women punch the snot out of one another.

Mickey punches Rocky's snot out emotionally, beating down his spirit because he is disappointed in him. Like any good fighter, Rocky realizes he can't lie down and take it, and when he lashes out, the two are able to form a partnership, and Mickey trains Rocky to go the distance with Apollo.