Against the Ropes Page #6

Nonstop punches.

OK, guys.

It's the last round.

Touch them up.

Break. Stand back.

All right. Let go.

Break. Step back.

Tear him up, Luther,

tear him up.

All right, guys, let go.

Step back.

Come on, step back.

All right, box.

- Stay at him, Luther, stay at him.

- Let go, step back, now, come on.

All right.

Yes!

Four, five, six.

- Abe Jacobs, Boxing Monthly.

- Hi, Abe.

You said this fight was important.

Now that you've won, can you say

what that means to your career?

- Hey, there's nowhere to go but up.

- Actually, that was for Jackie.

We've wanted a fight in our own

back yard, and with this win, we can.

You're one of the few women having

any success in this, what's it take?

- Hard work and thick skin.

- A great boxer don't hurt either.

USA Today. Jackie, any truth to

the rumor you're posing for Playboy?

- I don't know. You think I should?

- Oh, yes, absolutely, absolutely.

Marsha Gary, Detroit Times.

This is for you, Luther.

You've had a real meteoric rise,

but we all know that sometimes

meteors crash and burn.

- Any chance of that happening?

- Are you kidding? No way.

- Hey, look, it happens to everybody.

- Eventually.

I'm teaching Luther the dictionary.

We haven't gotten to the E's yet.

All right, show-and-tell's over.

Come on.

- Can we have one more?

- What are you gonna do after Miami?

- Are you calling me stupid?

- What?

Tell them you're

teaching me the alphabet.

Come on, Luther, it was a joke.

That's why they laughed.

All right, ready?

Picture, press, professional.

So you didn't return my phone call

about Luther.

- How come?

- I've been busy.

There cannot be another crisis next

week. My schedule is already full.

Don't give me

the talk-show answer, Jackie.

It's not a talk-show answer, Renee.

I haven't had time

to breathe since Tampa.

Tampa. Yeah, I heard about Tampa.

We won.

What else did you hear?

- You don't know?

- No.

The press conference. Maybe you

don't realize how you came off.

I came off fine.

It's fine to act like Luther's

schoolteacher?

To humiliate him in front of everybody?

Press conferences are so out-of-body.

You say what you say.

- Is Luther still bitching about that?

- No, I'm bitching about it.

Oh, so you speak for him now?

- Please, you hardly know him.

- I know him well enough.

Biblically. Don't confuse

that with intimately, Renee.

It's an entirely different testament.

Thank you.

You enjoy your lunch, Jackie.

Here you go, girls.

Thanks for coming by.

- Hi, what's your name?

- Janey.

- Hi, Janey. What's your sport?

- Track and field.

- Will you sign my sneakers?

- Sure.

All right, now, listen up, Janey. Here's

some advice from Jackie Kallen.

Run with the big dogs.

Don't just sit on the porch and bark.

OK?

- Oh, and don't forget your free socks.

- Thank you.

Here he is. Paul, come with us and

make sure you have plenty of film.

Here's my gym. There's Luther.

He's something.

It's 2:
00. Aren't you supposed

to be sparring?

Friday's Africa's day off.

Oh, that's right.

- My bad, Africa...

- Wrong!

Africa's gone! I've had

a new man for almost a week.

Megan Moore. Self magazine.

I'm writing a cover story on Jackie.

This is Paul, staff photographer.

Hey, hey, hey.

What's the matter?

I don't know where you've been.

You're my manager.

The most important fight

of my career's coming.

You're off doing

a goddamn talk show.

When's the last time

you were in here?

I've been doing publicity.

Publicity for me is exposure for you.

- It's part of...

- Foot Locker?

Handing out socks ain't got

sh*t to do with me!

OK, OK, I won't do it.

I don't want nosy reporters

in the gym while I work out.

All right, I'll send them away.

Look, Luther,

I just want what's best for you.

I'm kind of nervous about this fight.

Sands ain't nothing to play with.

I need you to pay

better attention to me.

Hey, after this, I am absolutely

all yours until after the fight.

OK? It's a deal.

I promise, Luther. OK?

Kallen's Gym.

Yeah, hold on.

Hey, Jackie.

Doug-somebody from HBO.

- Hello?

- You know who I am?

Doug Doherty.

Of course I know who you are.

Who forgets the unforgettable?

Listen, HBO wants pre and post

with Shaw and Sands.

Doable?

Well, there's a reason

it's not in the contract.

We promised our first dance

in Cleveland to a native son.

Native? As in local?

- You're kidding me.

- Luther knows this reporter.

- He's comfortable with him.

- Jackie, come on.

This is HBO, the major-domo

of boxing, we're talking about.

Not some over-the-air,

commercial network.

Look, Doug, we agreed to a post.

That's the best I can do.

This local guy has been

too terrific to me.

Can he guarantee

a double-digit rating?

Make you queen for a day?

Longer if Luther wins?

I'm holding the keys

to the kingdom, Jackie.

All you gotta do is reach out

and grab them.

If you're man enough.

- Are you man enough, Jackie?

- That's highly sexist.

- And wouldn't you like to know?

- I certainly would.

You know what you need?

It just came to me.

A personal profile.

We get some great tape

on fight night.

Mix it up, post and pre.

Think about it, Jackie.

You...

... on HBO...

... mano a mano...

... with me.

It's a clich, but I'm living proof

dreams do come true.

This is the best day, the best time

and really exciting.

Just one step away

from champion of the world.

Yeah.

- What about a whoop?

- A whoop?

You know, real exciting,

then whoop, like a cheer.

Walk toward us.

Give that a try.

This is the best day, the best time

and really exciting.

Just one step away

from champion of the world.

Hey, pal, you mind stepping out

of my shot?

Oh, this is your shot?

- Hi.

- Low. Very low, Jackie!

- Doug, can we take five?

- Who is this?

I need five minutes. I'll meet you at

the dressing room. Outside the room.

- I can explain...

- Oh, really?

Well, go ahead. Explain.

Explain to me how my deal

and my exclusive rights to your story

wind up in the lap

of that idiot savant?

He's a smart idiot, Gavin.

And it's a long story, so I...

Let me give the abridged version.

Once upon a time,

there was HBO!

You know what, Jackie? For all of your

hustle and bustle and bullshit,

the one thing that you always were

was honorable, in a very real way.

If you said something, you meant it.

And if you didn't say it,

well, you meant that too.

That's quite an attribute.

Not a lot of people have that.

And now neither do you.

- Wait, what is the problem?

- A little pre was the deal.

No, pre with me. Post with Luther.

That was the deal, Doug.

If it was, it's not now.

We got great stuff

with you, Jackie.

But if we don't get Luther,

my audience won't bite.

You become the latest waste

of tape.

OK.

That's nice, man.

Hey, guys. Doug Doherty, HBO,

as if you didn't know.

And this is his crew,

Steven and Nick and Beth.

They're here to observe, not to interact

or interfere, so act natural.

You guys just back up a little bit.

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