"I've only ever met one man I wouldn't want to fight." "When I met him he was already the best cut man in the business." "Started training and managing in the 60's, never lost his gift." "Can you stop it?" "No." "Lemme have a look at him." "He's fine, he's fine." "You know if you don't stop this bleeding I give you one more round." "Seconds up, lets go." "What do we do?" "Tell me what to do." "Let him hit you." "Sometimes there's just nothing you can do cuts too high, too close to the bone," "maybe you got a severed vein, or you just can't get the cuagulant deep enough." "The're all kinds of combinations you come up against down in the different layers of meat and Frankie knew how to work every one." "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'll warm up the car." "Mr. Dunn?" "I owe you money?" "No sir." "I know your momma?" "Don't rightly know sir." "What is it you want?" "I was on the inner card, 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 seen 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." "Bout time." "I turned him down flat. 2 or 3 more fights and you'll be ready." "Been 2, 3 more fights for a long time now Frankie." "Look Willie, you get one shot at the title, you lose, it may not come around again" "2 or 3 more fights and you'll 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 Katie..." "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 home." "Father that was a great sermon." "Every week." "What's confusing you this week?" "Oh same ol' one God three God thing." "Frankie, most people figure out by kindergarten it's about faith." "Is it sorta like snap, crackle and pop all rolled up in one big box?" "You're standing outside my church comparing God to rice crispies?" "The only reason you come to mass every day is to wind me up, it's not gonna happen this morning." "Well I'm confused." "No you aren't ." "Yes I am." "Then here's your answer, there's one god, anything else cause I'm busy?" "What about the Holy ghost?" "He's an expression of god's love." "and Jesus?" "Son of god, don't play stupid." "But who is he then, does that make him demi god?" "There are no demigods you fucking pagan." "Did you write your daughter?" "Absolutely." "Now you're lying to a priest." "You know what, take a day off, don't come to mass tomorrow." "Some people 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 is Dangerous Dillard fighting filpo bam bam ... out of Broward county Texas." "Danger showed up a couple years back, it comes to everything to LA with Irvil, his mamma's new boyfriend, apparently Irvil got lost, and ended up back in Texas." "Danger looked for him, bout a week before he introduced himself." "Hey, you know, I gots nothing against niggers." "Well that's nice to hear." "Yeah, yeah lots of people where I comes from does, but My momma taught me not to cause hurt to no man, niggers or not." "You got a nice momma, anything there is I can do for ya?" "Just one of those questions you ask." "But Danger wanted to give it his best answer." "Well sir I'd likes to become the welter weight champion of the world, and I challenge the motor city cobra," "Thomas Evan Hearns to fight me for the welter weight championship of the whole world." "Yo Flip shut up man, you ain't even ranked." "You gotta have at least one fight to be ranked." "Hey I'll fight any man any time." "Hey you a bad man huh?" "hey come on get in the ring, go a round with me." "Shawrelle, leave him alone." "Danger, you go on back to training." "Will do Mr. Scrap." "Oww" "Those some nice tights, danger." "I Give you that ass whoopping later olive oil." "Hey bro, Those pants look real pretty on you bro." "Give his momma back her tights." "Shawrelle , 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 17yrs ago." "Bobby wanted to move to Florida and Frankie wanted some security." "Bobby died while he was packing." "Frankie found out." "Most gyms lose money." "Thought I told you I didn't want Danger working out here anymore." "Oh he ain't hurting nothing Frankie." "But he's hurting me, making my heart watching him punch the air like it's gonna punch back." "How many times do I got to tell you that bleach is bleach." "Why can't you just buy the cheap stuff, you always have to buy the expensive stuff." "It smells better Frankie." "Bleach smells like bleach." "Hey Scruff." "Hey Mr. Willie." "Big Willie," "Nice fight." "Thanks man." "We'll talk?" "(studying language outloud) what the hell kind of language is that?" "What do you want?" "I just thought you might like to know you got a fighter out there not talking to another manager." "Not talking to another manager?" "And not just any manager, Mickie Mac" "You came in here to tell me that Big Willie is not talking to Mickie Mac?" "Not a word, neither one of them." "I'm trying to read here." "If you think that is more important." "Who's your new girl?" "What?" "Jesus Christ." "Better hurry up." "She keeps hitting it like 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." "There's dozen of trainers who train girls, you won't have any trouble finding one." "Won't hardly need a dozen boss, you'll do fine." "Dont' 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 just keep calling you it." "She came from southwestern Missouri, the hills outside the scratchass 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 1800 miles but Theodosia was still just over the hill." "Working the bag boss." "I'm not your boss and that bag is working you." "Give her money back." "You sure?" "How much's she paid?" "6 Months." "Christ, no don't be a smart ass now will ya, woman thinks I'm gonna throw away 6 months worth of dues just to get rid of her she's out of her mind, but just don't encourage her, understand?" "What's Danger doing out there?" "What's he looking at?" "Looks like a bottle of water." "He pay his dues?" "Dues?" "boy can't afford pants, you want him to pay dues?" "Get out of my office." "Can't think it was the bag." "I'm not a trainer but I can show you this too." "I appreciate any help I can get." "What you wanna do is take it to the mat see, he's constantly moving, moving towards you, moving around ya, and moving away from ya." "Alright, now you don't want to hit him when he's coming toward ya cause what he's gonna do is just push you back and is 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 power shot, alright now go ahead now, good good, keep rotating, keep moving, that's it," "good good, keep that chin tucked in, come around keep moving, keep moving, good ... yeah?" "Give it a few shots, tuck that chin in, tuck that chin in, that's good, that's good now you get this down we'll put you on a speed bag?" "You do have a speed bag?" "I'll just borrow it til I can buy my own." "Go on home now." "I'll walk out with you?" "No I am home, see." "It's nice, would it bother you much if I worked a little longer?" "Just pull the door closed when you leave." "Thank you." "If there's magic in boxing, its the magic of fighting battles beyond endurance, beyond cracked rips, ruptured kidneys and detached retina's." "It's the magic of risking everything for a dream that nobody sees but you." "Hey Flip, hey Flippie come here man, I think I found somebody you can beat." "I don't fights women." "Why not boot, it's perfect boot, cause you know why, cause she are you, you could fight to him and then you could kiss to him, and then you fight to him one more time." "It's beautiful man, it's like poetry." "It's like poetry." "You've been reading that shit." "Thanks boss." "That's a girl man?" "I'll be damned Flipper." "I think you're right." "Look at them itty bitty titties, there like mosquito bites, man there's barely even a mouth full." "Saw your last flash shot Will, spend so much time face down, I thought the canvas had titties." "Canvas has titties." "Hey Look at me I'm Sherille." "Just humping the canvas, humping the floor." "C'mon bro, the floor having titties that's funny bro." "Shut up, what you laughing at?" "Hold the bag stupid." "Yo when they start making those tights for men Flippie?" "Alright that's enough, that's enough for today." "I'll give you a rub." "Oh I can't Frankie, little one's got a piano lesson, I told Grace I'd drive." "Oh, something wrong with Gracie's car?" "She hates that car, wants the old one back but dealer won't do it, says he already got a buyer." "Oh well maybe I should talk to the dealer?" "I'd appreciate that." "Ok." "Thanks." "Man's a rub down 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 tends to be coming along." "Yeah, almost like someone's been helping her." "She might just be a natural." "Looks like 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 ya." "Is that such a bad thing boss?" "Yes, yes it is everytime you touch it you're losing me business out here." "I gotta agree I am embarassing myself." "Well I can't just lend it to anybody you know." "I understand." "Look you seem like a nice girl, can I give you some advice?" "I'd appreciate that." "You're gonna find a trainer either in this gym or somewhere else that's gonna wanna train a girl, it's the latest freak show out there, but the only trouble is you're gonna be they're wasting you're time because you're too old." "I don't feel that old." "Well neither do I but you don't see me fighting 21 yr olds do ya, it takes about 4 years to train a fighter." "How old are you?" "31, until my next birthday." "Well there you go. 31." "You wouldn't start traing to be a ballerina at 31 now would ya?" "Already been working it for 3 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 ya." "I hate to be the one to tell you the truth." "Ya, well sorry for using your bag Mr. Dunn." "You're not gonna cry now are ya?" "No sir." "Ya, Here, keep the God damn thing." "No you need it." "No take the bag, haven't seen it in 20yrs anyway." "I've had 3 since then, just uh, just enjoy it will ya?" "I'll just borrow it till I buy my own." "Just don't lose it." "I know Hogan, your guy's the champ so we don't split 50's but if I don't see 40%, look you call me back with 60/40 or don't call me back at all." "Hey Willie." "Hey Frankie." "Is something wrong?" "I'm sorry to come by your house like this," "I know you don't like 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 you don't have to thank me." "Paying an extra 1000 dollars for your own car ain't exactly a favor." "Gracie broke down crying 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 splinter." "I gotta leave you Frankie." "What?" "Willie the title is just 2 fights away." "It ain't that, it's like you said," "I got one shot, if I win I got to make as much I can while I can." "I need somebody in the action that can make things happen, and I got to make a change before the fight." "Only way this guy said he'd take me is if he took me to the title." "So I get to the title fight, and this guy takes you there." "Only way he'd do it, I'm sorry Frankie," "I know how long you been waiting on a title, I wish you could have been with me." "Mickie Mac's a business man, he can't teach ya nothing." "You already taught me everything I need to know." "There's some things people just don't wanna hear." "And I challenge the motor city cobra," "Thomas Hitman Earns to fight me for the welter weight championship of the whole world." "Danger, I'm wearing these mits for a reason." "Just working on my foot work Mr. Scrap." "Danger you throw a punch, you get the hell out of this gym." "Danger, while you thinking about that punch I'll be right back." "I'm, I'm thinking how I'm gonna hit it hard for ya Mr. Scrap." "No one had the heart to tell Danger that Hearns retired years ago." "(language study)" "Heard about Willie, it's cold, it's dead cold, plus it wouldn't be so bad if you weren't so damn old." "Yeah well at least I can see through both eyes." "Mmmhmm didn't do you a lot good tho did it?" "Well I got the gym, don't need to be training fighters at my age." "Willie tell you why?" "Cause Mickie, Mickie's got the connections." "It ain't about connections Frankie, it's about you not believing in him." "Well I found him, I stuck with him for 8 years how's that for not believing in him." "You could have gotten him a title fight 2 years ago," "Hell, he knew that I'm amazed he stayed around this long." "Yeah well getting there and taking home the belt are 2 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?" "Yea." "Well now it makes sense." "Well what about you Scrap, what did your manager do?" "You were a hell of a fighter, a lot better than Willie, he get you a title fight or .." "did he just bust you out banging your head against other people's fist until you lost your eye?" "I had my shot, I went out swinging and no man can say I didnt." "Ya well I remember, and excuse me," "If I didn't want my fighter spending the 2nd half of his life cleaning up other people's spit." "Yeah right, right you're the smart one, you're the one learning Greek." "It's Gaelic." "Well you just protected yourself out of a championship fight, how do you say that in Gaelic." "Boxing is an unnatural act, cause 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." "[... the champ is down ...] [..." "Ladies and gentlemen the ref is in for the count and ...] [..." "Big Willie Little is the new champion of the world!" "It's unbelievable!" "...]" "Everything in boxing is backwards." "Cheeseburger?" "You bought me a cheeseburger?" "Ya." "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." "Did you watch the fight?" "Yeah I watched it." "Willie did good." "That's what you got to say?" "Well he won didn't he?" "He did good." "So you been working on yourself, learning to open up that's good work." "You watch it?" "Yeah I got HBO." "How could you afford HBO?" "How long have I been telling you to save your money?" "Ever since I fought Louis Typhoon Johnson at the stadium club in Tupalo Mississippi." "That true?" "Yeah manager ran off, left you and me to hitch home, don't you remember nothing?" "Well I remember walking half way and thinking I was gonna be lynched." "I remember you leaving 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, had to walk back 2 miles." "Your conscience got the better of you that's why." "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's that make ya?" "I'm 32 Mr. Dunn, and I'm here celebrating the fact that I spent another year scraping dishes and waitressing which is what I've been doing since 13, and according to you I'll be 37 before I can even throw a decent punch" "which after working this speed bag for a month 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 babies is still alive, my daddy's dead, and my momma weighs 312lbs." "If I was thinking straight I'd go back home, find a used trailer, buy a deep fryer and some oreos, problem is this 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" "Hold it, hold it, I'll show you a few things, and then we'll get you a trainer." "No." "Sorry." "You're in a position to be negotiate?" "Yes sir, because I know if you train me right I'm gonna be a champ," "I've seen you looking at me." "Yeah out of pitty." "Dont' 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, God dammit stop." "What the hell are you doing?" "Ok, if I'm gonna take you on..." "You won't never regret it." "Look just listen to me..." "If I take you on..." "I'll promise I'll work so hard." "God this is a mistake already." "mmm mmm I'm listening boss." "If I take you on, you don't say anything, you don't question me, don't ask why, you don't say nigger something maybe yes Frankie and I'm gonna try to forget the fact that you're a girl." "It's all I ask." "And don't come crying to me if you get hurt." "Alrighty." "We got a deal." "No not quite," "I'm gonna teach ya how to fight then we get you a manager and I'm off down the road." "Well I hate to argue.." "Don't argue with me that's the only way we're doing it I teach you all you need to know and then you go off you make a million dollars," "I don't care, get your teeth knocked out, I don't care," "I don't wanna hear about it either way, that's just the way its gonna be, its the only way I'll do it." "All 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 gotta move your feet, that's one of the best things I'm gonna be able to teach ya." "so here's what you do," "You get yourself, bend your knees, get in an athletic position, look like you're gonna hit something." "Move em how boss?" "Just go hit the bag." "Stop." "What I do wrong?" "Ok You did two things wrong." "1 is you asked a question and 2 is you asked another question." "Now What I want you to do is not about hitting it hard, is how good you hit it." "so watch me, and you can count with me if you want, just count on a one count." "Can you show me that again?" "Just say one please." "One." "Ok one." "One." "ok Yeah just say one, thats good that's good, then I move over to my right foot, you see my weight is shifting to my right foot then I hit it with the back of my hands," "thin ice, thin ice pick then I come over and I shift to my left foot, and I hit it with my right hand, ice picking it again...." "Just do it like that, keep practicing." "You show em how to stand, keep their legs under their shoulders." "To make a fighter, you gotta strip em down to bare wood." "You can't just tell em to forget everything you know, you gotta make them forget it in their bones." "make em so tired they only listen to you, only hear your voice, only do what you say and nothing else." "Show em how to keep their balance and take it away from the other guy." "How to generate momentum off your right toe and how to flex your knees when fire a jab." "how to fight backing up so the other guy doesn't wanna come after ya, then you gotta show em all over again, over and over and over til they think they were born that way." "Enough for today, good work" "Think I'm ready for a fight boss?" "Hey, come here." "You're not breathing." "Hate to disagree with you." "Everytime you get into pressure you're holding your breath, now stop doing that." "Ok, 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?" "You get a manager and we'll find out won't we." "I'd like to but you been keeping me too busy." "You got any family boss?" "What?" "You spending all this time with me I didn't know if you had any?" "No, well I got a daughter, Katie." "That's family." "We're not exactly close." "How much she weigh?" "What?" "Trouble in my family comes by the pound." "Yeah, not very big, used to be real athletic, don't know if she kept it up." "So what do you think, am I ready for a fight?" "Hey Sally, come here for a minute will ya?" "Frankie I need to see you in the back for a minute ok?" "can I see you a minute?" "Sally here is a real good manager, has a couple of golden glove boys, looking for a girl Sally?" "Well Looking for a good one." "See there you go." "Nice working with you girlie." "What you want?" "Nothing." "My my, I've been watching you work, you got a hell of a left." "Thank you." "So You wanna give this a try see if it's a fit?" "Yeah sure." "Good, cause I think your ready for a fight." "What am I doing wrong Sally?" "everytime I get in (...) she's on me." "You're doing great, your wearing her down, just keep punching." "I ain't doing great, I'm losing." "You're wearing her down." "Nice night ain't it?" "Jesus Christ." "That's Lonnie Washington's girl, hell of a fighter, 11-0." "Your lefts, keep your left up." "Lonnie's got a lot of good fighters, got Julia Adagio lightweight champ." "Your left damnit." "Wouldn't have been my choice for a first fight but Sally's a good manager, must think she can take her." "Jesus H, your left, keep your left up." "You think she can hear you from back here?" "Course if Maggie loses, wouldn't mean a thing to Sally, might even help him on his card gets another win," "Lonnie might let Sally lightweight fight Julia Adagio for the title." "Sally's trying to set a fight with Adagio?" "Hey what do I know, I just come cause I enjoy the fights." "My god." "Hey come here, come here, your dropping your left hand, quit dropping your left hand." "Hey Frankie do you mind if I talk to my fighter?" "You're doing a hell of a job of it Sally, is this the way you advise your lightweight?" "Dunn, what the hell are you doing?" "I'm talking, what you doing?" "Is this your fighter?" "It's my fighter." "It ain't fitting real well Sally." "Fine, you take her, she can't fight worth a shit anyway." "Somebody tell me what's going on." "Look I was late, Sally was just subbing for me." "You telling me that this is your fighter?" "Yeah this is my fighter." "Then you got 10 seconds." "I keep holding my left up boss, then I throw a punch and it keeps dropping." "Let it drop." "That'd be a lot easier." "She thinks she knows you that's all, everytime you drop it she comes right over the top, so you just wait for her, see, that's all she's thinking about, and when she cocks that big right hand, do ya hear me?" "I hear ya boss." "when she does you step to the side, come over with a goodnight hook." "You got one?" "Got it right here." "Fighter I'm calling it." "Ok, go give it to her." "The body knows what fighters don't, how to protect itself." "A neck can only twist so far, twist it just a hair more and the body says, "Hey I'll take it from here, ..."" ""... 'cause you obviously don't know what you're doing."" "Neutral corner." "See the way she did that?" "Sugar Ray would do that." "Girl's got sugar." ""..." "Lie down now, rest and we'll talk about this when you regain your senses. "" "It's called a knock out mechanism." "Don't get all carried away now." "You uh, you forgot the rule, now what is the rule?" "Keep my left up?" "It's to protect yourself at all times." "Now what is the rule?" "Protect myself at all times." "Good good." "You gave me away how is that protecting me?" "It wasn't." "It's ok, I'll work on my left boss." "Drink your water." "Other than that how'd I do?" "Fine, you did fine." "You gonna leave me again?" "Never, that place you worked today, have homemade lemon meringue pie?" "Sure." "Not the kind with the canned filling crap." "Big can, yaaa size, says homemade on the label." "I want you to take the weekend off." "It's only Thursday." "You gonna argue with me?" "Know better than do that boss." "well... good." "All fighters are pig headed someway or another, some part of them always thinks they know better than you about something." "can you uh spare a few minutes for the immaculate conception?" "Truth is, even if they're wrong, even if that one thing is gonna be the ruin of them, if you can beat that last bit out of them, then they ain't fighters at all." "Thought I said see you Monday?" "You sure did boss." "Was last night." "You said not to argue with ya." "Damn woman won't do a thing I tell her." "Want my advice?" "What?" "Where are your shoes?" "I'm airing out my feet." "You got big holes in your socks." "They're not that big." "Didn't I give you money for some new ones?" "These are my sleeping socks, my feet like a little air at night." "How come you are wearing them in the day time then?" "Cause my daytime socks got too many holes in them." "Well if I give you some more money buy some new socks, please?" "Well I'd be tempted but," "I couldn't say for sure, might find it's way to the track." "Didn't take Maggie long to hit her stride." "I've got the breathing thing down." "You ain't breathing, 'cause you're knocking them down in the first round, that's what." "I thought that was the point." "The point is to get good," "You can't get good if you keep knocking 'em out in the first round, how am I gonna get you fights?" "Nobody wants to see their fighter embarrased." "Why am I still doing 4 rounders box?" "Cause you haven't got the lungs for 6 rounds, that's why." "I do if I keep knocking em out the first round." "Frankie made her fight one more 4 rounder, just to let her know who was boss." "Sorry boss." "Maggie left no doubt about it." "The first 6 rounder didn't go quite as smooth." "Maggie didn't knock her out til the end of the first round, after that no manager wanted to put his fighter in with Maggie." "Frankie had to go into his pocket to get her decent fights." "sweetening the purse by paying managers on the side." "That only worked for so long, then Frankie did something he hated doing, he took a chance." "He moved her up in class, that could have been a mistake." "Damn, Damn, Damn, 2 seconds will ya, just 2 seconds." "Your nose is broke." "Dang, fix it." "I can't, I can't." "You can fix it." "I can't, I've gotta call it." "I've seen what you can do, fix it." "Look I can snap it back into place but I can't stop the bleeding, the ring doctor's gonna call it." "Please Frankie please stop the blood I can beat her." "Bite down on this." "Inhale, inhale, breath in." "Ok huh?" "Yeah it's okay." "Alright You got 20 seconds before this turns into a geiser and it's gonna spray all over the front row." "20 seconds that's all you got, now get going." "What ya reading?" "What she saying?" "Wants to know what your reading." "Its Yates, keep your head back." "Why don't ya talk a little Yates to her, show her what a treat that is." "When the hell they gonna get to her?" "I'm ok Frankie." "What you learn tonight?" "Always protect myself." "What's the rule?" "Always protect myself." "Margaret Fitgerald?" "Here." "I'll be right here." "How you doing?" "Me?" "Yeah you." "I'm not the one who's hurt." "Broken nose don't hurt that much." "Why you telling me that?" "No reason." "But some wounds are too deep or too close to the bone, and no matter how hard you work at it, you just can't stop the bleeding." "Did you write your daughter?" "Every week." "I've no idea why you come to church." "After a 12 straight knock out, Frankie got a couple of real good offers, the first was to fight Billy the Blue Bear Osterman for the wba welter weight title." "Billy was a former prostitute out of east Berlin, had a reputation for being the dirtiest fighter in the ranks." "Didn't seem to matter to her that something like that could kill a person and the crowds loved her." "He turned her down without even telling her." "The next was to fight, the British champ, the Jamaican girl Billy just beat." "Hello?" "Not interested." "He turned that down too." "That's a lot of money boss." "You're making money what are you still working here for?" "It's a title match right?" "Are you British?" "It's a title you can't take away, she's got nothing to lose, you got nothing to win." "Might still be a good fight." "I just brought you up to welter weight, too good to fight these contenders, you'd rather fight some bullshit champ." "Didn't notice I was fighting any contenders." "Well you can get yourself another manager anytime you want." "Frankly if you'd learn to protect your face a little better I wouldn't have to turn down this money." "My face out there so much, it's a miracle I haven't been knocked out yet boss." "You can't work here anymore tonight, I made us a reservation, you uh, you might wanna shower." "Here you go, here YOU go." "What's this?" "Well it ain't no big secret what you're wishing for." "Go on, blow em." "Thank you." "33 ain't so old, I was still fighting at 39, fought for 23 years." "How's it going scrap?" "Doing good Micky, doing good." "what'll ya have?" "Coffee." "You two not speaking?" "Don't hardly know him." "When I met Frankie, right after my 37th birthday he was picking up cut work, he used to patch me up when I thought it was impossible, good man to have in the corner." "Yes he is." "He stayed with me through my last fight in San Bernadino too." "My manager was off getting drunk somewhere," "It was just Frankie and me." "I was taking a hellacious beating." "Everybody's got a particular number of fights in em," "Nobody tells you what that number is." "Mine was 109," "I just didn't want to admit it." "Both rounds cut opens up, blood starts pouring into my eye, they should have stopped the fight, but hell I was black man in San Bernadino, blood was what I was there for, round after round," "I kept getting Frankie to patch me up, he's talking bout throwing in the towel, but he ain't my manager he can't throw in nothing, round after round he's arguing with me," "I'm almost laughing cause it was getting more to him than to me." "I go 15 rounds lose by decision, next morning I lose the eye." "In 23 years he's never said a thing about it." "Doesn't have to, I see it in his face everytime he looks at me, somehow Frankie thinks he should have stopped that fight," "should have saved my eye," "Spends his life wishing he could take back the 109th fight," "I wanted to go to 110, thing is, if you want to get to the title, maybe he's not the one to take you there." "You tell Mr. Mack we'd be here tonight?" "You go on and eat your cupcake." "It's the rule, always protect yourself," "People never take their own advice, if she was gonna leave Frankie, better she did it to him then." "Mr. Micky Mack, I'm Maggie Fitzgerald," "I hear you're a real good manager doing good things for Big Willie, but I'd thought you should know I ain't never leaving Mr. dunn, so you don't need to make anymore excuses to bump into me," "sorry for interrupting your dinner." "Maggie always did like taking em out in the first round." "The letters always came back marked the same way, "return to sender"." "Oh I'll make ya some coffee." "What are you doing with your money?" "Saving it." "Good girl." "You know you save enough of it you get yourself a new house, cash no mortgage." "It'll be a while before I can do that." "Yeah well it might be a stretch but, you got to get yourself a place of your own." "Go around wasting it on things that don't matter and what you got?" "Understand?" "Pretty soon you wait long enough, you got nothing." "Ok, as soon as I get the money." "I've made a lot of mistakes in my life, I'm just trying to keep you from doing the same." "I know boss." "I'm not gonna live forever." "What is it?" "It's a tape on that girl in England your gonna fight." "If your gonna go for the title we got some moves..." "Hey get the hell down, know how old I am?" "Thank you boss, thank you so much." "Here just let me put this in the machine." "What machine?" "You don't have a tv huh?" "No." "Alright, ok." "10 minutes love." "Thank you." "Lying says he loves me." "Oh he's probably not the first one to say that." "First since my daddy." "I win you think he'll propose?" "You win, I'll propose." "Look I got you a gift here." "I think you gave me somebody else's." "No no this is it." "What's it mean?" "I don't know, just something in Gaelic." "It's beautiful." "Ya I thought so, Real silk thread." "She wasn't the main attraction, she was only under card of a middle weight title fight." "But ask someone who was there, and they couldn't tell you who else fought that night." "She's tough," "I can't get inside, I can't get close enough to hit her." "You know why that is?" "Why?" "Cause she's a better fighter than you are that's why, she's younger, she's stronger, and shes more experienced, now what are you gonna do about it?" "Get in there." "I could ask someone you know?" "Good, you find out you let me know." "Whatever it meant, the name stuck." "Maggie fought in Edinbourough, and Paris, Brussels, and Amsterdam, it was always Mo Cuishle." "Seems there's Irish people everywhere or people who want to be." "By the time they came back to the states, Maggie was in a whole new league." "After that they got another offer to fight for the title." "What's the split?" "60/40." "Good we'll take 60 and you take 40, being as Maggie's the draw." "Ugh, that little girl?" "You think I'm wrong really?" "You think people are saying that they want to see some scabby kraut beat up on little miss what's her name?" "You find someone that says that and we'll take the 40, auf viedersehen." "They're at 60/40 but they'll come up to 50/50." "How's that girl doing?" "She's got a concusion, broken ear drum." "she be alright?" "And if she isn't?" "Maybe I should send her something." "You could send her your check if you'd like, I'm sure she'd take it." "Boss?" "that lil house we talked bout, I bought it." "Well smart girl." "For my momma." "It's only about a mile from where she lives now, no mortgage just like you said." "You're a good daughter." "She don't know about it yet." "I was hoping maybe we could stay an extra day, drive over there," "I know she wants to meet you." "Yeah, we could do that." "oh my god, momma come on out here, Marianne's here." "This is the Johnson's old house." "Not anymore," "It's all yours momma, for you, Mardellllllllll and the kids." "Marianne you bought this for me?" "Yeah all yours free and clear." "Darling." "No fridge, no stove neither." "They'll be here before you move in." "How much money this cost you?" "You never mind that." "Well You shouldn't have done this." "You needed a decent place." "You shouldn't have done it." "You should have asked me first." "Goddamn goverment's gonna find out about this house they're gonna stop my welfare." "Momma No they ain't." "Yeah they are, your fine, your working but, I can't live without my welfare." "Momma I'd send you money." "What about my medicine?" "Medicaid gonna cut me off, how am I suppose to get my medicine?" "I'd send you more money." "I hope you don't expect JD to move in here with us, he's getting out ya know?" "Why didn't you just give me the money?" "Why'd you have to buy me a house?" "Didn't have to momma, but it's yours, you want the money?" "Sell it." "I don't..." "I know you didn't mean nothing hurtful by this, its just sometimes you don't think things through." "Sure momma." "I'll try to keep the house, just worry about all those expenses." "I'll send ya some more money." "That man hitting you?" "It's from the fight, I'm a fighter momma." "Find a man Marianne, live proper, people hear about what your doing and they laugh." "Hurts me to tell you but, they laugh at you." "You ever own a dog?" "Nope, closest I ever came was a middle weight from Barston." "My daddy had a German shepherd, Axel," "Axel's hind quarters were so bad he had to drag himself room to room by his front legs, me, me and Mardellllllllll bust up laughing watching him scoot across the kitchen floor." "Daddy, he so sick by then he couldn't hardly stand himself, but one morning he got up, carried Axel to his rig and the two of them went off into the woods singing and howling," "but wasn't til he got home that night alone, that I saw the shovel in the back of the truck." "Sure miss watching the 2 of them together." "I got nobody but you Frankie." "Well you've got me." "At least that is, until we find you a good manager." "Hey, can we stop just up here?" "Yeah." "This place has the best lemon pie around, none of that canned filling crap." "Now I can die and go to heaven." "I used to come here with daddy." "I wonder if a place like this is for sale, I got a little bit of savings." "That's fine, fine thanks." "Hey what the hell is Danger looking at?" "Looks like another bottle of water." "Wanna come to Vegas with us?" "Watch you suffer all the nickel slots, uh uh, my heart can't take that kind of pounding." "Well she's got a title shot, the Blue Bear, million dollars split right down the center." "Ah that's good Frankie, that's real good." "Well I could use a good 2nd, can't find one, I thought I'd ask you." "Now why the hell would I wanna do that?" "Well cause your a half blind old fool who never got there himself," "I thought you might like to feel what it's like to be in the ring in a title match." "Excuse me for feeling sorry for you." "Nah you, you pick up somebody there in Vegas, somebody with young hands." "Your not gonna cry now are ya?" "I've already got one girl." "Nah, I leave this place for one day got any idea what it would look like when I come back?" "Kinda like it looks right now." "Oh go to hell." "You tell Maggie don't come back here with out a belt." "Will do." "Hey Mr. Scrap, I got a question I feel real stupid asking it." "No such thing as a stupid question now there Danger." "How'd you get all the ice in here through this little tiny hole?" "I've been thinking on it, can't figure it out." "why don't I show you Danger." "You could do that?" "you could show me?" "I think so." "Also Mr. Scrap, I was kinda thinking I might be ready for a fight." "Well I got the tickets you ready?" "We're flying?" "Would you rather drive?" "Your asking me?" "Would you rather fly, or would you rather drive?" "So I finally get to decide something?" "That's what I'm saying." "Fine, fly there, drive back." "That's the stupidest thing I've ever heard of, how the hell we gonna do that?" "You said it was up to me." "Give em hell now Danger." "Hey old school, toilet's over flowing.... hey Flippie come here for a minute." "Ah Jesus, jesus joseph." "Dumb ass." "Could've been up at the mirage drinking mai tai's looking at naked women." "Danger get out of there." "Fight back, come on." "Hey come on now Flip, what you doing, let him go." "I got you, c'mon c'mon, sorry." "We don't need no corner trainer." "How'd I, how'd I do Mr. Scrap?" "You did good Danger, you did real good, you my man, you rock." "Oh c'mon Flip man you ain't done, you ain't even fight good yet." "Anybody can lose one fight, anybody can lose once, you'll come back from this you'll be champion of the world." "I won't Mr. Scrap, I should have known." "(background) C'mon old school man we don't need to be talking.." "I know I can do her, jus' untie the velcro for me." "C'mon don't take the gloves off man, you ain't even used em Danger." "Mind if I borrow this Danger?" "Ah man I thought your name was Danger." "C'mon now, oh oh I see, now I get to fight a retard and an old man, call espn cause you can't write this shit." "110." "Get a job punk." "Win this one I'll tell you what it means." "I got you some pipers." "I want you to jab, right in the tits, until they turn blue and fall off." "Ladies and gentlemen this is the feature presentation of the evening, in this corner, the challenger Maggie Fitzgerald in the red corner, in the blue corner the wba welter weight champion of the world," "Billy the Blue Bear." "Sweet Jesus." "Alright that's it, I'm gonna take away a point, 1 point deduction off the blue corner." "Ladies and gentlemen the first round is in the books on this championship match." "Looking good." "You pull that crap one more time your disqualified." "It's gonna be alright." "Got no doubt boss." "Just watch yourself, stay away from her." "Go to the neutral corner, neutral corner." "Stay down you bitch." "I got it, I got it." "How's the blood boss?" "How many eyes do you need to finish this fight?" "One's enough." "Now, what do I do about the Bear?" "Know how I told you to step into the outside and hook her in the liver?" "I've been doing that, she's made of steel." "I know but I don't want you to go to the liver this time, I want you to hit her... right up under her skinny ass, understand?" "Right in the sciatic nerve, just keep digging it in there, digging it in, and just keep sticking her, you hear that?" "What about the ref?" "Just keep yourself between the ref and the Bear and things'll just be fine." "This is yours, keep your guard up, keep it up." "C'mon breathe, that's it, breathe, good...." "How you feeling darling?" "Growing a beard boss?" "I thought it might help me with the ladies." "Can't say it does." "Does it, does it hurt much?" "Don't hurt at all." "That's good." "Where's Frankie?" "He's uh, he's out there talking to the doctors, probably telling them how to do their job." "There telling em I'm a C1 and C2 complete, means my spinal cord is still broken never be able to breathe easy." "That I'll be frozen like this for the rest of my life." "I asked them to tell him, I don't know how's he gonna take it." "Did you see the fight?" "Of course I did." "You had her cold Maggie." "I should'nt have dropped my hands," "I shouldn't have turned," "always protect myself how many times he would tell me that." "Yeah he does like to repeat himself." "Well you tell him, I'm real sorry." "No, I won't do no such thing Maggie." "Damnedest thing, so what's the plan," "I know you got one, so you might as well tell me what it is?" "It's your fault, yeah it's your fault she's lying in there like that, you kept after me until I trained her, I knew I shouldn't have done it, her being a girl and all everything kept telling me not to," "everything but you." "I'm gonna get you outta here, doctors around here don't know squat, why would they be living here out in the desert, as soon as you'll be able to be moved, find some place where they've actually studied medicine," "you just rest there." "I'm on it." "Frankie must have called every hospital in America looking for somebody who would tell him they could fix her, came close twice, til they checked her over said there was nothing to be done, took 2 months til she was stable enough to move." "They got nurses for that you know." "The're amateurs." "She developed skin ulcers cause she couldn't change positions." "Thank you." "They made the 6th trip by ambulance." "Fly there, drive back." "The rehab center Frankie found was a nice place, they took good care of Maggie she would have complained if they hadn't." "Took her several hours everyday to get her ready for the wheel chair." "Since she couldn't breathe on her own, her respirators were always on, oxygen was pumped into her 24 hours a day." "Maggie's momma called to say they were all coming for a visit, she waited by the window everyday for the next 2 weeks." "Frankie finally tracked them down, learned they checked into their hotel 6 days earlier, kept leaving messages which were never returned." "You don't have to hang around all day." "No, I like it here, I don't mind, fact if you weren't here I'd come here anyway to read my books." "Momma'll be here soon to share some of the burden." "Oh it's no burden, here read this." "Ok ok that's enough, that's terrible." "But anyway I'll tell ya in English what your saying, it says that "I will arise and go now, and go to in innesfree, in a small cabin built there of clay and wattles made," "and I shall have some peace there, for peace comes dropping slow, dropping from the vales of the morning to where the cricket sings." "Not bad huh?" "You gonna build a cabin boss?" "Me?" "Yeah, you know when you quit all this." "You mean boxing?" "No I'll never quit, like the stink too much I guess." "You think?" "cause I could see you there real easy with your books and lemon pie." "How about you would you like to go live in a cabin?" "I could learn how to bake." "Ya well then I'll maybe I'll start looking then." "Hi I'm Frankie Dunn, I met you back out in Missouri." "where's my little girl?" "Well don't you think you oughta go back to the hotel and change, she doesn't know you've been here a week visiting woody and mickey." "We got business with my sister, why don't you tell us where she is?" "Well you must be JD and you must be the business guy, look there's some rides you missed, why don't you just go on back and I'll tell her you couldn't make it." "I drove all the way here to take care of my child and your suggesting I'm not a good mother?" "Marianne can't go no where, if we could have taken her to Disneyland we would've." "Magaret Fitzgerald?" "Right down here 301." "(family talk, pig snortling LOL)" "Just some kind of legal thing." "what is it?" "How we all doing here?" "Sorry darling but we ain't got alot of time," "Mr. Johnson is charging us a lot of money to be here to make sure this is done proper." "Why don't you just leave that and I'll read it to her later?" "Hey old man, you part of our family?" "stay the hell out of this." "Read it to me momma." "Just something legal, protect your money." "Momma you don't have to worry, the boxing commission is paying for all this, everything." "What if they don't Marianne?" "Mr. Johnson says they can take my house." "If you assign your assets to your mother no one will be able to touch them." "No doctors, no funeral expenses, nothing." "Now look, why don't you just leave it and I'll just read it to her later on." "Mr. Dunn with respect this ain't your business." "Alright, I'll be out in the hall." "You've been a good daughter Marianne, you sign that paper it'll take care of your family, like the way your daddy would have wanted you to, uh how do you make your mark." "Can you hold a pen?" "She gotta do it with her teeth momma." "Huh?" "You got to put it in her mouth." "Here you go honey." "Did you see the fight momma?" "Now you know how I feel about that." "I did pretty good." "You lost Marianne, ain't your fault the way I heard it but you lost, don't want to lose the rest of what you got left." "What happened to you?" "What's that supposed to mean?" "Momma you take Mardee and JD get home, before I tell that lawyer there your so worried about your welfare you never signed those house papers like you were supposed to," "so anytime I feel like it, I can sell that house from under your fat lazy hillbilly ass," "and if you ever come back, that's exactly what I'll do." "Well maybe someone oughta count to 10." "Doesn't smell real pretty does it doc?" "You might have to lose it Maggie." "They took my leg boss." "It's gonna be alright, y'hear." "I always hear your voice boss." "Need anything?" "Need to know what Mo Cuishle means." "Well, you didn't win, I don't have to tell ya." "You are the meanest man I've ever met, no wonder no one loves you," "you remind me of my daddy." "Well he must have been a very intelligent, handsome man." "You ain't gonna make me talk no more Yates are ya?" "No I was, looking at this catalog from city college," "I thought I'd get ya a wheel chair maybe the kind that operates by blowing through a straw, thought maybe you'd like to go back to school." "Got a favor to ask you boss." "Sure, anything you want." "Remember what my daddy did for Axel." "Don't even think about that." "I can't be like this Frankie, not after what I've done," "I've seen the world, people chanted my name, well," "not my name, some damn name you gave me, they were chanting for me," "I was in magazines, you think I ever dreamed that happen?" "I was born 2 pounds 1/2 ounces, daddy used to tell me I'd fight to get into this world," "and I'd fight my way out, that's all I wanna do Frankie," "I just don't want to fight you to do it," "I got what I needed," "I got it all, don't let em keep taking it away from me," "don't let me lie here til I can't hear those people chanting no more." "I can't, please, please don't ask me." "I'm asking." "I can't." "Hello." "In the middle of the night, Maggie had found the wrong solution, she'd bit her tongue." "Stop, stop, look at me look at me." "Nearly bled to death before they stitched her up, she came around and ripped them out before Frankie even got there, they stitched her up again, padded the tongue so she couldn't bite." "You can't do it, you know that." "I do father, you don't know how thick she is, how hard it was to train her, other fighters would do exactly what you would say to them and, she'd ask why this, and why that, and do it her own way anyway," "she fought for the title, wasn't by anything, wasn't by listening to me." "But now she wants to die, and I just want to keep her with me," "and I swear to god father it's, it's committing a sin by doing it, by keeping her alive I'm killing her," "how do I get around that?" "You don't, you step aside Frankie, you leave her with god." "She's not asking for god's help, she's asking for mine." "Frankie I've seen you at mass almost everyday for 23 years, the only person that comes to church that much is the kind that can't forgive himself for something, whatever sins you carry they're nothing compared to this," "forget about god, or heaven and hell, if you do this thing, you'd be lost," "somewhere so deep." "You'll never find yourself again." "I'm keeping her sedated so she won't try that again." "Went to see Maggie this morning, you must have been somewhere else." "Yeah." "You got a fighter I don't know about?" "Wasn't your fault, I was wrong to say that." "Your damn right," "I found you a fighter, and you made her the best fighter she could be." "I killed her." "Don't say that," "Maggie walked through that door with nothing but guts, no chance in the world of being what she needed to be, a year and a half later she's fighting for the championship of the world, you did that, people die every day Frankie" "mopping floors, washing dishes, and you know what their last thought is," "I never got my shot, because of you Maggie got her shot, if she dies today you know what her last thought would be?" "I think I did alright." "I know I could rest with that." "Yeah." "I'm gonna get a cup of coffee." "Alright," "I'm gonna disconnect your air machine and your gonna go to sleep" "and I'll give you a shot and you'll stay asleep." "Mo Cuishle means "my darling, my blood"" "He gave her a single shot, it was enough adrenaline to do the job a few times over, he didn't want her going through this again." "Then he walked out, I don't think he had anything left." "I went back to the gym, waited figuring he'd turn up sooner or later" "and that's when a ghost came through the door." "I got to thinking what you said Mr. Scrap." "And what was that Danger?" "Anybody can lose one fight." "That's the truth, go ahead and put your gloves on, you missed a lot of training." "will do Mr. Scrap, sure thing." "Frankie never came back at all," "Frankie didn't leave a note, and nobody knew where he went," "I'd hope he'd gone to find you, to ask you one more time to forgive him, but maybe he didn't have anything left in his heart," "I just hope he found some place where he could find a little peace, a place set in the cedars and oak trees, somewhere between no where and goodbye, but that's probably wishful thinking, no matter where he is," "I thought you should know what kind of man your father really was."