Hands of Stone Page #7

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to make his weight

or he will be disqualified,

peod.

Yeah, but you're making it

about yourself.

You're making it

about Bob Arum.

You're saying that

"I'm gonna look bad.

I'm the only black promoter."

With all due respect,

that doesn't mean anything.

You have a responsibility

to boxing.

Boxing?

Boxing has been run

by gangsters and criminals

and scoundrels

since the day it was born.

Come on, now.

Don't you put this on me.

- Don't you dare put this on me.

-It's a sloppy production

to start so soon

when he's not ready.

I happen to think

that Roberto Durn,

the man with the hands

of stone,

if you challenge him,

he will be ready.

He has got the spirit

of Panama in his heart.

You don't have

to tell me what he has.

I know him better

than anybody here.

All right, I'm sorry.

If we continue down

this road, Ray,

I'm gonna have to sue you

for breach of contract.

This is some mess

you got us into.

(door creaks)

("Heart in My Hand"

by Janelle Davidson playing)

Oh. Gosh, Ray, you scared me.

What are you doing here?

How did you even get in?

Hey. What...

Hey...

Ray, we can't do this.

Babe, baby, okay, come on.

Ray, look,

it's against the rules.

The fight's

just around the corner.

Come on, come on, babe.

No, no, no, no, no.

Shh, Shh, shh, shh.

It's my rules this time.

Okay?

FA:

(Leonard exhales)

You want to beat Duran,

you're going to have

to humiliate him.

You're going

to have to shame him,

right there,

in front of everyone.

FA:

It's not going to work.

Sorry.

Sorry, you have

to defend the title.

Or what they'll do is

they'll just take it away.

- What?

- They will take away the belt.

But I won the fight.

Everybody saw it.

They can just take away

my belt?

They-they... that's what

they can do.

They will take it away

if you don't defend it.

RAY:
Roberto Durn had brought

us a new golden era for boxing.

Yet here we were, reminding him

that he didn't matter.

That decisions were made

in the back room

and he was only a circus animal

we needed for ticket sales.

OFFICIAL:

Approved.

(applause)

You're going to see

blood in this fight.

I don't like clowns.

When you come into the ring,

you come to fight,

not to dance or to clown.

He's imitating Ali all the

time, that's what he does.

He doesn't have any style.

I'm going to knock you out,

'cause imitators are losers.

And I don't like you.

Well, I think Durn

is a lovable guy.

And I want my son

to be just like him.

(audience laughs)

Listen.

I think Durn is a tough,

impressive,

intelligent fighter.

And we are in

for a serious fight.

You're gonna feel bad.

Stop it.

- Hand me that.

- You can't eat like this.

Pass me that yellow thing.

Why didn't I get wings when I asked?

You have plenty.

And why were you looking at Leonard?

Don't start with that.

You think I didn't see you?

Don't fool me.

- You think I'm stupid?

-Insane is what you are.

I saw him winking at you.

And you were all smiles.

FA:

ANNOUNCER:
The former

champion of the world,

Sugar Ray Leonard!

COSELL:
...will be the rematch

of the century.

Here comes Leonard with his

entourage led by Angelo Dundee.

And here he is,

the challenger tonight,

Sugar Ray Leonard.

Looks very composed.

He looks very relaxed.

ANNOUNCER:

...world!

Roberto...

- Durn!

-(crowd booing)

COSELL:
The man with

the hands of stone,

from Panama,

has to be regarded

as one of the greatest

fighters of all time.

And now Ray Charles,

in honor of whom

Sugar Ray Charles Leonard

was baptized,

will sing

"America the Beautiful."

(cheering, music begins)

O beautiful

For purple mountain...

America

Sweet America

He done shed His grace

IAnd you oughta

love Him for it

'Cause He...

From sea to...

Get out there and swim!

Shining sea...

-(cheering)

-Thank you, Ray.

Kick his ass, son.

- Oh, I will.

- Do it for me.

(cheering)

COSELL:

The action begins.

Leonard fighting

for pride tonight,

while Durn defends his place

in immortality.

CHILDREN (chanting):

Durn! Durn! Durn!

Durn! Durn!

COSELL:

There's Leonard.

That's what he wants

to do in this fight.

He says he did not

work his jab

efficiently

in the first fight.

RAY:

Stop following him!

Go after him!

Get him! Get him! After him!

COSELL:
We have 2O seconds

left in the round.

RAY:

Suffocate him.

Up against the ropes!

No mercy!

Up against the ropes!

Cut him off.

Get him up against the ropes.

Against the ropes!

COSELL:
This is a much more

confident Leonard

we are seeing here tonight.

(bell clangs)

You gotta be the host.

You're acting like a guest.

You gotta pressure him, you

gotta put him on the ropes.

You gotta bang to the body.

It's your house.

Nobody else's. It's your house.

- You understand that, Cholo?

- I don't feel good.

You're letting this guy

run all over you.

He's running

in circles around you.

You know that he does,

-that's his defense.

- I don't feel good.

You don't feel good?

You ate too much.

Focus.

Don't let this guy run on you.

-(bell clangs) -Don't let him

run, don't let him run on you.

COSELL:
Durn is falling

more and more,

-on his part... -Keep him

there, keep him there!

...into the pattern

of the first fight.

- Durn got in a good shot.

- Yeah!

- This is what Durn can do.

- That's it, that's it, Cholo.

Hey!

Durn is struggling

to contain Leonard.

You can see his anger

and frustration.

Cut him off!

COSELL:

Leonard is a moving target.

- And Durn is going...

- You get him! -(bell clangs)

(Speaking Spanish)

RAY:
Get control of yourself.

Look at me! Look at me!

- Box, motherf***er!

- Listen.

- You gotta box him.

- Don't.

- You're letting him do that.

- I'm very f***ing pissed.

COSELL:

Durn cannot get him

up against the ropes like

he did in the first fight.

Have you seen

the size of the ring?

They built the ring on purpose

so he can escape from me.

(crowd cheers)

COSELL:

The sneer is off his face.

Yes! Yes, Ray!

No, no, I'm a boxer.

I'm not a f***ing ballerina...

I don't come here

to dance with a man.

(bell clangs)

COSELL:

And he's got Durn. Openly.

Not just furious but puzzled.

Durn troubled by the movement.

Dundee would be well advised,

I think,

to tell Leonard to stop that.

Leonard flaunting his skills.

(muttering)

And it is a vastly different

-human being...

- Stop following him around!

...that Durn is tonight.

(Juanita laughs)

That's right, baby!

Yeah!

Work on the body

and then up to the head.

- Everybody is laughing at me.

- No.

(laughing)

RAY:

Get out of your head.

I'm not a f***ing clown in the,

-on the ring.

- Get, get out of your...

(bell clangs)

-(audience exclaims) -And he

caught him with the left!

Yes.

(bell clanging)

Calm down.

- You're let...

- I'm chasing the motherf***er.

You're let... L-Look at me.

You don't need to do that,

all right?

You're about to be

welterweight

champion of the world.

Get out of your head!

You're not doing

what you should be doing.

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