Rocky: Less About Boxing, More About the Ascent?

Okay, so I just re-watched Rocky (for like, the millionth time) and something struck me. We ALL know the story: underdog boxer gets a shot at the champ, etc. But I think the real genius of the film, and what makes it resonate even today, isn't really about boxing. It's about the climb. Think about it. The training montage isn’t just cool music and Rocky punching meat. It's him slowly, agonizingly becoming something more than the bum we see at the start. That’s the hook, right? And honestly, the fight itself? It's almost secondary. Sure, it's epic. But the real victory, in my opinion, is Rocky just lasting the distance. He doesn't win. He doesn't become champ. But he proves something to himself (and to Adrian, lets be real). The scene where he's screaming for Adrian at the end perfectly encapsulates that. He doesn't care about the result, he cares about her. I mean, a lot of sports movies have the hero win at the end. That's the formula. Rocky flips that on its head. He loses, but he still wins. It's kinda genius. Maybe that's why the sequels, while fun, never quite capture the magic of the original? They get caught up in the winning and lose sight of the struggle, that steady upward climb. What do you guys think? Am I totally off base here? Or is Rocky secretly just a super inspiring metaphor for overcoming personal challenges, even when you don't 'win' in the traditional sense? I suspect this will always be better than all the sequels, even if they have cooler boxing.