Do it!
You got him! You got him!
I only ever met one man I wouldn 't wanna fight.
I can't stop that.
Get out of here, you useless tit.
When I met him, he was already the best cut man in the business.
Can you stop it?
Started training and managing in the '60s, but he never lost his gift.
No.
Let me have a Iook at him.
He's fine. He's fine.
He ain't if you don't stop this bleeding.
I'II give you one more round.
-Seconds out. Let's go. -What do we do? Tell me what to do.
You Iet him hit you.
Sometimes there's just nothing you can do.
Cut's too wide, too close to the bone.
Maybe you got a severed vein...
...or you just can 't get the coagulant deep enough.
-Come on! -Break. Break.
There are all kinds of combinations you come up against...
...down in the different layers of meat...
...and Frankie knew how to work every one.
-That' s it! Come on! -What are you doing?
Knock him out, Willie!
People love violence.
They'll slow down at a car wreck to check for bodies.
Same people claim to love boxing.
They got no idea what it is.
Boxing is about respect.
Getting it for yourself...
...and taking it away from the other guy.
I'II warm up the car.
Mr. Dunn?
I owe you money?
No, sir.
I know your mama?
Don't rightly know, sir.
-Then what is it you want? -I was on the undercard.
I won my fight too. Maggie Fitzgerald.
Well, Maggie Fitzgerald, what's up?
-Did you happen to see it? -Nope.
I did pretty good.
Thought you might be interested in training me.
I don't train girls.
Maybe you should. People see me fight say I'm pretty tough.
Girlie, tough ain't enough.
It's a mistake.
Car should be able to back up, Frankie.
Just push, will you?
-What did Hogan want? -Offered us a title shot.
About time.
I turned him down flat.
Two or three more fights, you'II be ready.
Been two or three more fights for a Iong time now, Frankie.
Look, Willie, you get one shot at the title.
You Iose it, it may not come around again.
Now, two or three more fights and we'II be ready.
Whatever you say, Frankie.
Frankie liked to say that boxing is an unnatural act...
...that everything in boxing is backwards.
Sometimes...
...best way to deliver a punch is step back.
Well, do your best, Lord...
...protect Katy.
Annie too.
Other than that...
...you know what I want, there's no use me repeating myself.
But step back too far, you ain 't fighting at all.
-Bye. -Bye.
Father, that was a great sermon. Made me weep.
What's confusing you this week?
Oh, it's the same old one-God-three-God thing.
Frankie, most people figure out by kindergarten it's about faith.
Is it sort of Iike Snap, Crackle and Pop all rolled up in one big box?
You're standing outside my church comparing God to Rice Krispies?
The only reason you come to Mass is to wind me up.
-It won't happen this morning. -I'm confused.
-No, you aren't. -Yes, I am.
Then here's your answer: There's one God.
Anything else? Because I'm busy.
-What about the Holy Ghost? -He's an expression of God's Iove.
-And Jesus? -Son of God. Don't play stupid.
What is he then? Does that make him a demigod?
There are no demigods, you fucking pagan!
-Did you write your daughter? -Absolutely.
Now you're Iying to a priest.
You know what? Take a day off, don't come to Mass tomorrow.
Some people would say the most important thing a fighter can have is heart.
Frankie would say, "Show me a fighter who 's nothing but heart...
...and I'll show you a man waiting for a beating. "
Think I only ever met one fighter who was all heart.
My name's Dangerous Dillard Fighting FIippo Bam-Bam Barch...
...out of Broward County, T exas!
Danger showed up a couple of years back.
He'd come visiting L.A. with Ervel, his mama 's new boyfriend.
Apparently Ervel got lost and ended up back in Texas.
Danger looked for him for about a week before he introduced himself.
Hey, you know, I gots nothing against niggers.
Well, that's nice to hear.
Yeah, Iots of people where I comes from does...
...but my mama taught me not to cause hurt to no man...
...niggers or not.
You got a nice mama. Anything else I can do for you?
Just one of those questions you ask...
...but Danger wanted to give it his best answer.
Well, sir, I'd Iikes to become the welterweight champion of the world.
And I challenge the Motor City Cobra...
...Thomas " Hit Man" Hearns...
...to fight me for the welterweight championship of the whole world!
Yo, FIip, shut up, man! You ain't even ranked.
You gotta have at Ieast one fight to be ranked.
Hey, I'II fight any man, anytime!
Hey, you a bad man, huh?
Get in the ring. Go a round with me.
-Shawrelle. -I will.
Leave him alone.
Danger, you go on back to training.
Will do, Mr. Scrap.
Them's some nice tights, Danger.
I'II give you that ass-whupping Iater, OIive Oyl.
Hey, bro, those pants Iook real pretty on you.
Give his mama back her tights.
Shawrelle Berry had a left hook that would move a tank...
...but he had a heart the size of a split pea.
Frankie bought the Hit Pit from Bobby Malone 1 7 years ago.
Bobby wanted to move to Florida, and Frankie wanted some security.
Bobby died while he was packing.
And Frankie found out most gyms lose money.
I thought I told you I didn't want Danger working out here anymore.
He ain't hurting nothing, Frankie.
Well, he's hurting me.
Breaking my heart, watching him punch the air Iike he thinks it's gonna punch back.
And how many times have I gotta tell you that bleach is bleach?
Why can't you buy the cheap stuff? You don't have to buy the expensive stuff.
It smells better, Frankie.
BIeach smells Iike bleach.
-Hey, Scrap. -Hey, Mr. Willie.
Hey, nice fight Iast night.
Nice fight.
-Big Willie. -Hey, Sally.
-Nice fight. -Thanks, man.
People are talking.
What the hell kind of Ianguage is that?
What do you want?
I thought you might Iike to know you got a fighter out there...
...not talking to another manager.
Not talking to another manager?
And not just any manager.
Mickey Mack.
You came in here to tell me that Big Willie is not talking to Mickey Mack.
Not a word. Neither one of them.
I'm trying to read here.
Well, if you think that's more important.
Who's your new girl?
What?
Jesus Christ.
Better hurry up.
She keeps hitting it Iike that, she gonna break her wrists.
You're wasting your time. I told you I don't train girls.
Thought you might change your mind.
Dozens of trainers train girls. You won't have any trouble finding one.
Don't hardly need a dozen, boss. You'II do fine.
Don't call me boss, now. I'm not your boss, and don't you be calling me that.
-Willie, you ready to work? -Anytime.
If I stop calling you boss, will you train me?
No.
Then I might as well keep calling you it.
She came from southwestern Missouri...
...the hills outside the scratch-ass Ozark town of Theodosia...
...set in the cedars and oak trees somewhere between nowhere and goodbye.
She grew up knowing one thing: She was trash.
It's for my dog.
She'd come 1 800 miles, but Theodosia was still just over the hill.
Working the bag, boss.
I'm not your boss. And that bag's working you.
Give her her money back.
You sure?
-How much did she pay? -Six months.
-Jesus Christ. -No, I'II give it back.
No, don't be a smartass now, will you?
Woman thinks I'II throw away six months' worth of dues...
...just to get rid of her, she's out of her mind.
-But just don't encourage her, understand? -Okay.
And what's Danger doing out there? What's he Iooking at?
Looks Iike a bottle of water.
He paid his dues?
Dues? Boy can't afford pants. Want him to pay dues?
Get out of my office.
Fuck me.
Can't think of it as a bag.
I'm not a trainer, but I can show you this if you'd Iike.
Appreciate any help I can get.
What you wanna do is, you wanna think of it as a man, see?
And he's constantly moving.
He's moving towards you, around you, away from you. AII right?
Don't hit him when he's coming towards you because he's just gonna push you back...
...he's gonna smother your punches and take your balance, right?
So you watch him real carefully.
Keep rotating. That keeps your head moving.
And keep one shoulder back so you're always ready to fire a power shot.
Right? Go ahead, now. Good, good. Keep rotating, keep moving. That's it.
Good, good. Keep that chin tucked in.
Come on around. Keep moving, keep moving.
-Good, good, good. -Like that?
Yeah. Give it a few shots.
Tuck that chin in, now. Tuck that chin in.
Yeah, that's good. That's good.
Now, you get this down, we'II put you on the speed bag.
You do have a speed bag.
I'II just borrow it till I can buy my own.
AII right, you go on home now.
-I'II walk out with you? -No, I am home.
-Wanna see? -Yeah.
It's nice.
Would it bother you if I worked a Iittle Ionger?
No, just pull the door closed when you Ieave.
Thank you.
If there's magic in boxing...
...it's the magic of fighting battles beyond endurance...
...beyond cracked ribs, ruptured kidneys and detached retinas.
It's the magic of risking everything for a dream that nobody sees but you.
Okay, okay, fellas, watch the footwork.
Hey, that's it. That's it.
Hands up.
Jab, jab, jab.
Hey, FIip.
Hey, FIippy, come here, man.
I think I found somebody you can beat.
I don't fights women.
Why not, bro? It's perfect, bro, because you know why?
Because she-- Like, you, you could fight to him...
...and then you could kiss to him.
Then you fight to him one more time.
That's beautiful, man. That's Iike poetry.
-It's Iike poetry. -You been reading and shit.
-Thanks, bro. -That's a girl, man?
FIip, I think you right. Look at her Iittle bitty titties. They're Iike mosquito bites.
Man, that's barely even a mouthful. Let me see.
Saw your Iast fight, Shawrelle.
Spent so much time face down, I thought the canvas had titties.
Canvas has titties. Hey, Iook at me. I'm Shawrelle.
Just humping the canvas. Humping the floor.
Come on, bro. The floor having titties? That's funny, bro.
Shut up, man. What you Iaughing at?
Man, hold the bag, stupid.
Some titties right there, man.
Yo, when they start making those tights for men, FIippy?
Punk.
AII right, that's enough. That's enough for the day.
-I'II give you a rubdown. -Oh, I can't, Frankie.
Middle one's got a piano Iesson. I told Grace I'd drive her.
-Something wrong with Gracie's car? -She hates that car.
Wants the old one back, but the dealer said he's already got a buyer.
Maybe I should talk to the dealer.
I'd appreciate that.
Okay.
-Thanks. -See you Iater.
The man's a rubdown whore. Today he doesn't want one.
You ever do any work around here?
Not my job I'd worry about, if I was you.
Little girl seems to be coming along.
Yeah. It's almost Iike someone's been helping her.
She might just be a natural. Looks Iike she's got something.
She's got my speed bag, that's what she's got.
I wonder how the hell she got that.
I wonder.
I'm gonna need that speed bag back.
-This bag? -Yes, that bag. That's my bag.
And if you're hitting it, people will think I'm training you.
Is that such a bad thing, boss?
Yes. Yes, it is.
Every time you touch it, you're Iosing me business out here.
-I gotta agree, I am embarrassing myself. -Yeah.
Well, I can't just Iend it to anybody, you know.
I understand.
Yeah.
Look, you seem Iike a nice girl.
-Can I give you some advice? -I'd appreciate that.
You'II find a trainer in this gym or somewhere else...
...that's gonna wanna train a girl.
It's the Iatest freak show out there.
The trouble is, they're gonna be wasting your time...
...because you're too old.
I don't feel that old.
Well, neither do I, but you don't see me fighting 21-year-olds, do you?
Takes about four years to train a fighter.
How old are you?
-Thirty-one until my next birthday. -Oh, well, there you go.
Thirty-one.
You wouldn't start training to be a ballerina at 31, would you?
AIready been working it for three years.
And you can't hit a speed bag? What kind of training is that?
Never had any, boss.
Well, I hate to say it, but it shows.
Somebody's gotta be honest with you.
I hate to be the one to tell you the truth.
Yeah.
Well, sorry for using your bag, Mr. Dunn.
-You're not gonna cry now, are you? -No, sir.
Yeah.
Here.
-Keep the goddamn thing. -No, you need it.
No, take the bag.
I haven't seen it in 20 years anyway.
I've had three since then. Just enjoy it, will you?
-I'II just borrow it till I buy my own. -Yeah.
Just don't Iose it.
Yeah, I know, Hogan...
...your guy's the champ, so we don't split 50s...
...but if I don't see 40 percent--
Look, you call me back when it's 60-40 or don't call me back at all.
-Hey, Willie. -Hey, Frankie.
Something wrong?
I'm sorry to come by your house Iike this. I know you don't Iike people dropping in.
Oh, you're not people, Willie. You're welcome anytime. Come on in.
I wanted to thank you for getting Gracie's car back.
Oh, well, you don't have to thank me.
Paying an extra thousand dollars for your own car ain't exactly a favor.
Gracie cried when she saw it.
Really?
I also needed to talk with you about business.
Oh, yeah, well, I just got off the phone with Hogan. We're all set for September.
Everything but the split.
I gotta Ieave you, Frankie.
What?
Willie, the title's just two fights away.
It ain't that, it's-- It's Iike you said, I got one shot.
If I win, I gotta make as much as I can while I can.
I need somebody in the action who can make things happen.
And I gotta make the change before the fight.
Only way this guy say he'd take me is if he took me to the title.
So I get you the title fight, and this guy takes you there?
Only way he'd do it.
I'm sorry, Frankie. I know how Iong you waiting on a title.
I wish it could've been with me.
Mickey Mack's a businessman. He can't teach you nothing.
You already taught me everything I need to know.
There's some things people just don 't want to hear.
And I challenge the Motor City Cobra, Thomas " Hit Man" Hearns...
...to fight me for the welterweight championship of the whole world.
Danger, I'm wearing these mitts for a reason.
Just working on my footwork, Mr. Scrap.
Danger, you throw a punch or get the hell out of this gym.
Danger, while you thinking about that punch, I'II be right back.
I'm thinking how I'm gonna hit it hard for you, Mr. Scrap.
No one had the heart to tell Danger that Hearns retired years ago.
I heard about Willie.
That's cold. That's dead cold.
Of course, it wouldn't be so bad if you weren't so damn old.
Yeah, well, at Ieast I can see through both eyes.
Didn't do you a Iot of good though, did it?
Well, I've got the gym.
Don't need to be training fighters at my age.
Willie tell you why?
It was Mickey. Mickey's got the connections.
Oh, it ain't about connections. It's about you not believing in him.
Well, I found him, I stuck with him for eight years.
How's that for not believing in him?
You could've got him a title fight two years ago. Hell, he knew that.
I'm amazed he stayed around this Iong.
Well, getting there and taking home the belt are two different things.
What was I supposed to do, just put him in over his head?
Not protect him?
Oh, you were protecting him from the championship.
-Yeah. -Well, now it makes sense.
Well, what about you, Scrap? What did your manager do?
You were a hell of a fighter, better than Willie.
He get you a title fight, or did he just bust you out...
...banging your head against other people's fists until you Iost your eye?
I had my shot.
I went out swinging, and no man can say I didn't.
Yeah, well, I remember.
And excuse me if I didn't want my fighter spending the second half of his Iife...
-...cleaning up other people's spit. -Yeah, right.
Right, you're the smart one. You're the one Iearning Greek.
It's Gaelic.
Well, you just protected yourself out of a championship fight.
How do you say that in Gaelic?
Sorry.
Thanks.
The action continues as the champ is battling Big Willie Jones...
...and commanding him with rights and lefts.
Up against the ropes, he's hitting him with the left....
Boxing is an unnatural act.
Because everything in it is backwards.
You wanna move to the left...
... you don 't step left, you push on the right toe.
To move right, you use your left toe.
Instead of running from the pain, like a sane person would do...
... you step into it.
But Big Willie comes back. Oh, my God, he hits the champ with a right hand.
And the champ is down.
Ladies and gentleman, the ref is in for the count.
And Big Willie Jones is the new champion of the world.
It's unbelievable how this has taken place tonight...
...but there you have it, folks, a new champion.
Everything in boxing is backwards.
Want a cheeseburger?
-You bought me a cheeseburger? -Yeah.
I never see you buy anybody a cheeseburger.
Well, I couldn't eat it, and I ordered it. You want it?
Well, I guess the planet can go back to spinning.
-You watch the fight? -Yeah, I watched it.
Willie did good.
That's what you've got to say?
Well, he won, didn't he? He did good.
I see you been working on yourself, Iearning to open up. That's good work.
You watch it?
Yeah, I got HBO.
Now, how can you afford HBO?
How Iong have I been telling you to save your money?
Ever since I fought Louis "Typhoon" Johnson...
...at the Stadium CIub in Tupelo, Mississippi.
-That true? -Yeah.
Manager ran off and Ieft you and me to hitch home.
Don't you remember nothing?
Well, I remember walking halfway and thinking I was gonna be Iynched.
I remember you Ieaving me with my dick in my hand behind that gas station.
Yeah, well, I got a ride. The guy took off before I hardly closed the door.
I had to walk back two miles.
Your conscience got the better of you, that's what.
What the hell's that?
It's her birthday.
You're not breathing right. That's why you're panting.
So it's your birthday, huh?
How old does that make you?
I'm 32, Mr. Dunn.
I'm celebrating that I spent another year scraping dishes and waitressing...
...which is what I been doing since 1 3.
And according to you, I'II be 37 before I can even throw a decent punch...
...which after working this speed bag for a month and getting nowhere...
...I now realize may be God's simple truth.
Other truth is, my brother's in prison...
...my sister cheats on welfare by pretending one of her kids is still alive...
...my daddy's dead, and my mama weighs 31 2 pounds.
If I was thinking straight, I'd go back home...
...find a used trailer, buy a deep fryer and some Oreos.
The problem is, this is the only thing I ever felt good doing.
If I'm too old for this, then I got nothing.
That enough truth to suit you?
This your speed bag?
Put yours behind the counter. Wish I could say I wore it out.
Okay, just hold it. Hold it.
I'II show you a few things, and then we'II get you a trainer.
No, sorry.
-You're in a position to negotiate? -Yes, sir.
Because I know if you train me right, I'm gonna be a champ.
I seen you Iooking at me.
-Yeah, out of pity. -Don't you say that.
Don't you say that if it ain't true.
I want a trainer.
I don't want charity, and I don't want favors.
If you're not interested, then I got more celebrating to do.
Stop, stop, stop.
Goddamn it, stop. What the hell are you doing?
Okay.
If I'm gonna take you on--
-You won't never regret it. -Look, just Iisten to me.
-If I take you on-- -I promise I'II work so hard.
God, this is a mistake already.
I'm Iistening, boss.
If I take you on, you don't say anything, you don't question me.
You don't ask why, you don't say anything except maybe, "Yes, Frankie."
And I'm gonna try to forget the fact that you're a girl.
That's all I ask.
And don't come crying to me if you get hurt.
-AIrighty. -We got a deal.
No, not quite.
I'm gonna teach you how to fight...
...then we'II get you a manager, and I'm off down the road.
-I hate to argue with you, but-- -Don't argue, that's the way we're doing it.
I teach you all you need to know, and you go off and make a million dollars.
I don't care. You get your teeth knocked out, I don't care.
I don't wanna hear about it. That's just the way it's gonna be.
It's the only way I'II do it.
AII right.
Now, one of the things I've noticed around the gym is you never move your feet.
You stand there just flat-footed. You've gotta move your feet.
That's one of the best things I can teach you.
So here's what you do.
You get yourself-- Bend your knees a Iittle bit.
Get in an athletic position. Look Iike you're gonna hit something.
-Move them how, boss? -Just-- Go-- Hit the bag.
-Stop. -What'd I do wrong?
Okay, you did two things wrong.
One is you asked a question, and two is you asked another question.
Now, what I want you to do, it's not about hitting it hard...
...it's how good you hit it. So watch me.
You can count with me if you want.
It's just count. On a one-count, I hit right through the bag.
-Can you show me that again? -I just--
Just say "one," please.
-One. -Okay.
-One. Okay. -One.
Yeah, just say "one." That's good. That's good.
Then I move over to my right foot. You'II see my weight is shifting to my right foot.
Then I hit it with my back of my hand, sort of Iike I'm chipping ice with an ice pick.
Then I come over, and I shift to my Ieft foot, and I hit it with my right hand.
And ice pick maneuver again.
And I come over on my right foot and hit it right.
Don't watch anything but my feet.
Just do it Iike that. Just keep practicing.
You show them how to stand, keep their legs under their shoulders.
To make a fighter, you gotta strip them down to bare wood.
Rest when you're dead.
Come here.
You can 't just tell them to forget everything you know...
... you gotta make them forget it in their bones.
Make them so tired they only listen to you.
Only hear your voice, only do what you say, and nothing else.
Move your feet.
Move your feet around. Let' s see you go.
Show them how to keep their balance and take it away from the other guy.
Not so Iow. Look at me. Right hook and just turn right.
How to generate momentum off your right toe.
And how to flex your knees when you fire a jab.
How to fight backing up, so that the other guy doesn 't wanna come after you.
Then you gotta show them all over again.
Over and over and over...
... till they think they were born that way.
Shift.
Shift away.
Okay. That' s enough for today.
Good work. Good girl.
You think I ready for a fight, boss?
Hey. Hey, come here.
You're not breathing.
Hate to disagree with you.
Every time you get under pressure, you're holding your breath.
-Now, stop doing that. -Okay.
But other than that, I'm doing pretty good, right?
-I mean, for a girl. -I don't train girls.
Think I might be ready for a fight, boss?
Well, we'II get a manager, and we'II find out, won't we?
I'd Iike to, but you been keeping me too busy.