Against the Ropes Page #4

It's just how I am.

It's not a problem.

Yeah? The problem you don't have

already got in your way,

and you haven't thrown a punch

in a pro fight.

I mean, don't you wanna win, Luther?

I do. I wanna win.

You know, you got

all these expectations.

What are you gonna do

if this don't work out?

It'll work out, Luther. You just

have to let yourself trust me.

I am not the enemy.

Whoa, whoa, whoa.

Hold up, old man,

I ain't into no S & M stuff.

Who do you think you is? Marvelous

Marvin Hagler, Sugar Ray Robinson?

You another young wannabe

fighter, come a dime a dozen,

trying to look pretty.

Start with the basics.

I'll tie down your right arm

so you can learn to throw a left.

You gotta learn to be

balanced on both sides.

Fight somebody that know

how to handle a southpaw,

better be ready to show

him something different.

Now snap out that jab.

Let me see it.

5:
00's the best I can do.

I need your locker dues.

- OK, coach.

- Come get it.

You know there's

a powder for that.

Six-thirty is open.

I want a 6:
30.

Yeah, and I want a blowj*b

every hour on the hour.

Is that why you're acting

like such a dick?

All right, dig it in, that's right,

dig it in. Now jab him out. Jab him.

To the body, to the body,

to the body. Combination.

All right, push him off,

push him off, push off.

Jump right back on him.

Now, Kallen and this amateur monkey

she scraped off the street, Shaw,

you said they were nothing.

- That ain't what I hear.

- It was, Sam.

He's been training

with Reynolds.

He's been kicking the sh*t out of

some guys in the gym.

That b*tch does not find a fight

in this town, or nowhere near it.

Ever. Make it understood.

Anybody puts Kallen's boy on a card

puts his own ass out of business.

Shaw. Luther Shaw. S-H-A-W.

Just because you never heard

of him, he can't be phenomenal?

No, you can't call me back.

No, it's his manager.

Yeah, I'm a woman. No.

I haven't thought about strapping

one on, mister. Have you?

Well, I think you have a really

nice voice too.

I do.

But I can't cash those compliments

at a bank. I don't need a date.

What I really need

is a fight for my boxer.

Jackie Kallen for Crisco Cohen.

No, he does know who I am.

Did you hear me?

I've known him since we were kids.

How many times do I have

to say this? Are you listening?

Now put your hands together

and give a warm Buffalo welcome

- All right, baby.

- to our trio of precious gems,

Ruby, Emerald and Sapphire.

All that plastic.

It's a wonder she doesn't

melt in that spotlight.

Crisco, it's me, Jackie Kallen.

What the hell

are you doing here?

I got a boxer.

You drove 200 miles to tell me that?

You couldn't pick up the phone?

I did. Four times.

Hey, I'm a businessman.

Yours ain't the only number

I gotta call.

How's Judy?

I have never cheated on her. I just

come to these joints for relaxation.

I remember that, Crisco.

How do you think I found you?

- It took me a while, but I found you.

- Yeah, well...

Great. What are you...?

- Well...

- You got a boxer? Good luck.

100 men ahead of you

manage for a living.

- I never even heard of your guy.

- Luther Shaw.

Put him on an undercard.

See what he can do.

Hey. We'll never get a fight

in the Midwest

as long as Sam LaRocca

lives and breathes.

Too bad.

I can't believe you have the nerve

to shirk me off.

My father taught you everything

you'll ever know.

Pete Kallen is the only reason

you are where you are today.

Pete would spin in his grave

if he could see what you're doing.

Look, stick to what you know.

You're a secretary, for chrissake.

And you're a married man addicted to

strip joints and God knows what else.

I am sure I could find out.

- What, are you threatening me now?

- No.

I'm thanking you in advance

because I know that you're

gonna help me

the same way my dad helped you.

Yeah, UUF.

UUF? What the hell is that?

- Ulterior Uterine Fibrosis.

- Oh, UUF.

- It's a venereal disease.

- No.

It's a female disease.

There's nothing venereal about it.

It's still difficult to discuss.

Yeah, privates are tough

to talk about.

Most women would've

made something up.

I'll probably only need

a few days sick leave

because the procedure I'm having,

it's really just minor surgery.

That's good. Where is the operation?

I'll probably just have it

in my doctor's office downtown.

Well, that's a little out of the way,

isn't it?

Unless you mean downtown Buffalo.

How long am I in this business?

Long enough.

Nothing goes behind my back.

What did you think?

It wouldn't get back to me?

Well, how can I think?

I don't have a brain.

You also don't have a job now

unless you stop with this

silly extracurricular bullshit.

Now, you will stop,

or I'll fire your ass.

And you'll lose your pension, your

benefits, everything I let you work for.

Trust me, Kallen, you don't want

this kind of kaput.

I'd rather have that kind of kaput

than your kind of stupid.

And remember, use your jab.

- Nervous?

- Why I gotta be nervous?

That's good. You're nervous.

Use the energy, Luther.

This guy's all that stands

in your way of the next guy.

You knock him down.

Knock him out.

Oh, gotta get our picture.

OK, fighters only.

And get the three of us in

and make this great.

OK, just this once.

Jab. Jab him. Jab.

Stay on him.

Don't let him tie you up.

- Get rough with him.

- Let him go. Let him go.

All right, stick that jab out there.

Hands up, hands up.

- You threw a punk shot!

- Got him!

One, two, three, four, five, six.

It's over!

Yeah!

That was beautiful.

That was beautiful.

Nice work on the jab.

Did you see that right hook, Felix?

Did you see that? That was great.

Yeah, he did all right.

Hold on, hold on. One second.

Listen. Whoever it is,

nobody act surprised that we won.

OK?

- Come on in.

- Hey.

Hey. Oh, hey, guys,

this is Crisco Cohen.

Oh, hey, my girl's homeboy.

The one that put us on the card.

Oh, hey, my girl's homeboy.

The one that put us on the card.

- Jackie said you weren't coming.

- Jackie says things.

I'm a promoter. Promoters show up.

We don't read punches in the paper.

- Nice fight. Congratulations.

- Thanks.

- How you doing? Felix Reynolds.

- Sorry, Felix.

I didn't know you were back.

- Very nice job tonight.

- Thank you.

KO. Just like I said.

Better than good.

Listen, Luther, we got to talk

your next fight now.

- Great.

- Here it is.

Hey, wait a minute.

What are you doing?

You talk to me. He boxes.

I book.

Yeah.

We need local exposure.

You need an A-plus story.

I'm handing you one, exclusively.

It's not algebra, Gavin.

Jackie, you against LaRocca

makes a great, quaint anecdote.

Don't make a mission out of it.

So, what, you're trying so hard not

to say is that it's a man's world?

I don't have to say it.

You know it.

You have a love

for the sport...

But I should worship from afar. God

forbid I use anything from the neck up.

He has to win a few more fights.

He has to climb up the card

Rate this script:0.0 / 0 votes